Shanghaî Disneyland Alice in Wonderland Maze Full Storyline

D&M continues the series of Shanghaî Disneyland "attraction storyline" articles, and today we have more details about the Alice in Wonderland Maze including attraction artworks and pictures by Andy Castro from D23 presentation. I remind you that at SDL the maze will be inspired by the Tim Burton movie, not by the Disney classic animated film.

Classic Tale, New Twist

From Walt’s early films to Tim Burton’s brand of fantasy, Alice’s travels hold a special place in Disney history. The imaginations of Lewis Carroll and Walt Disney have been intertwined for nearly a century—dating back to Walt’s childhood, when he first read the author’s Alice books.

Alice’s Wonderland, a short film produced by fledgling filmmaker Walt in 1923, combined live-action with animation and was based on the stories he loved as a kid. The short introduced Carroll’s topsy-turvy universe, which Walt revived years later in the 1951 full-length animated feature, Alice in Wonderland.

The film has captivated audiences ever since and inspired the classic Fantasyland attraction, Alice in Wonderland, which debuted in 1958 at Disneyland Park. Due to the popularity of the original romp, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth premiered at Disneyland Paris in 1992, giving Guests a whirlwind tour of Wonderland—from Tulgey Woods to the Queen of Hearts’ castle.

The attraction at Shanghai Disneyland takes its cue from director Tim Burton’s 2010 feature film, Alice in Wonderland. Johnny Depp starred in the big-screen odyssey back to “Underland,” which sparked the park’s brand-new glimpse into the eccentric environment that remains a favorite with fans to this day.

Wind your way through the maze of Alice’s Wonderland world to attend this delightfully mad tea party.

Hatters and Rabbits and Cats… Oh My!

Join the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat and a fantastical cast of characters as you disappear down the rabbit hole. Inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, this enchanted adventure surrounds you with huge blooms, giant hedges and hidden delights around every corner.

Enter the maze through one of three doors, each providing a different route into the dream-like landscape where Alice and her pals await.

Wonderland Garden

Meander down these peculiar little paths to discover a land full of wonder, mystery and danger—the beastly Bandersnatch, glowering flowers and whimsical armored creatures steer you toward a secretive underground cave. You needn’t be mad as a hatter to continue!

Cheshire Cat

His silly grin may be a comfort to Alice, but look sharp as Cheshire Cat floats before your eyes, then disappears in clouds of smoke—all while offering amusing advice! His Jabberwocky-style gibberish is meant to keep you in stitches… but if you’re still curious, bid him farewell and follow along.

Red Queen’s Garden

“Off with your head!” Heart-shaped arches, mighty knights and ruby rose bushes indicate you’ve arrived in the Red Queen’s courtyard. Climb the tower for a sneak peek of the ultimate tea party or stop by the Queen’s throne for a royal photo op. Love her big bulbous head? Funhouse mirrors flanking the door will do wonders for your image.

Hedge Maze

Though all ways here are the Queen’s ways, use the head you still have to select a path through the elaborate labyrinth of spiraling high and low hedges. To the left or the right? Each mapped route leads you into the maze, but it’s clearly a matter of choice on how quickly you arrive at the Mad Hatter’s merrymaking.

Tea Party

It’s always teatime here! Emerge from the maze and celebrate with a bunch who are truly bonkers—and all the best people are. Whistling teapots, spinning cakes and wacky stacked cups set the scene, with interactive elements that encourage Guests to play along.

Be sure to take a seat at a recreation of the table from the popular film and remember the tea-tastic festivities by posing for pics under “chapeaux” created by the Mad Hatter himself!

Above and below, making-of pictures of some creatures SDL guests will see in the maze. Pictures by Andy Castro

Stay tuned on Disney and more for more Shanghaî Disneyland updates coming soon!

Pictures: copyright Disney - Shendi, Andy Castro

Celebrate Tim Burton’s 55th Birthday with Five Favorite Burton Films

Tim Burton celebrates his 55th Birthday today and we all wish a happy birthday to Tim! And to do so i welcome Blake Meredith, new D&M contributor and film blogger for Direct-ticket.net where she covers everything from new releases, to classics, directors and writers. Blake lives and writes from Chicago, is a huge Tim Burton fan and counts The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach among her favorites. Today, she suggest to celebrate Tim Burton 55th Birthday with a choice of favorite Tim Burton movies.

Celebrate Tim Burton’s 55^th Birthday with 5 Favorite Burton Films

There are countless lists and debates over which of Tim Burton’s works are truly his greatest. Batman, which was a huge commercial success and the reason for much of Burton’s creative influence, doesn’t even come close to the top ten in regards to overall viewer ratings. According to Rotten Tomatoes, along with Batman (which Burton himself wasn’t really a fan of) the films Beetlejuice and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also don’t breach the top five. Here instead is a look at the top reviewed, most popular Tim Burton films in honor of his upcoming 55th birthday.

5. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

            Scissorhands was created shortly after Batman’s success and allowed Burton to begin creating projects of his own choice. The film is one of three Burton projects that Winona Ryder stars in, and the first of the Johnny Depp/Tim Burton relationship that has resulted in eight films (so far). Burton had long been waiting to create the film, which had been inspired by the classic Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and considered actors such as Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey before settling on Depp. In the film, Edward is given his scissorhands by a quirky inventor. The inventor dies, leaving Edward entirely isolated until he is taken in by a bustling Avon saleswoman, Peg Boggs (Dianne Weist). During the film, Depp only says a total of 169 words. Perhaps because of this, Burton realized the astounding ability Depp had to act through facial expression alone, a talent that has made Depp famous in other roles. Burton’s visual presence, though not as dark as future films, was still at its finest — the director insured that every house in the Boggs’ neighborhood was painted either sea-foam green, dingy nude, butter or dirty blue.

4. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

            Perhaps one of Burton’s least grim creative works, Pee-wee tells the story of Pee Wee (Paul Reubens), an oversized man-child, who is devastated after his red bicycle is stolen. The film follows Pee Wee on his strange adventure to recover the bike, during which he meets various strange characters, although perhaps not as strange as himself. The script was based on Reubens’ own stand-up routine.The film is an off the wall, James Bond parody-style, action film starring a nerdy, innocent, man-child. This was Tim Burton’s first full-length film, and effectively launched both his and Danny Elfman’s careers. Afterwards, Elfman composed most of Burton’s film soundtracks. 

3. Ed Wood (1994)

            Unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp again stars in a Burton film as Ed Wood in this fictionalized biography. The film follows legendary low-budget science fiction director Ed Wood as he attempts to break into the directing business. Instead, he directs a series of failures and associates himself with an odd crew of Hollywood outcasts. Burton once again balances his comedic and tragic sides — at times the film will have you bursting in laughter, but Burton also highlights the heartbreaking effects of failure and displays his own passion for the world of movies. Roger Ebert said of the film, “What Burton has made is a film which celebrates Wood more than it mocks him, and which celebrates, too the zany spirit of the 1950s exploitation films.” It was Burton’s choice to shoot the film in black-and-white in order to retain a semblance of Ed Wood’s own work. Burton also refused a salary for the film, choosing instead to focus on having total creative autonomy.

Above: Tim Burton and actor and  longtime friend Johnny Depp

2. James and the Giant Peach (1996)

            Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s version of the famous Roald Dahl novel (who also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) comes close to the top of this list. James was created using a combination of live action and stop-motion animation. The tale, of James Henry Trotter, who finds himself befriending life size bugs and escaping from his horrible aunts, begins with live action until about twenty minutes in, when James enters the oversized peach. Then, using stop-motion animation, the magical world of talking bugs comes alive. Burton fans may not know that the stop motion figurine of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas was reused in the film, appearing as a dead pirate captain. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, and won Best Animated Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated FIlm Festival. In a review for the New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film, “A technological marvel, arch and innovative with a daringly offbeat visual conception,” a description which could  be aptly applied to any of Tim Burton’s work.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

            It’s no surprise this film still tops the list, having been a family favorite for thirty years. Although not the official title, this film was such an obvious display of Tim Burton’s creative work and visual skills that it is often referred to as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The idea for the film originated in a poem written by Burton in 1982, while he was working as a Disney animator. Burton created a visual delight with his, now famous, sweet and creepy Halloween Town, occupied by monsters, vampires and various other creatures, all led by Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King. Jack discovers a portal into Christmas Town, and loves the holiday so much that he decides to bring the celebration to his own town. Burton admitted that the film was created by drawing inspiration from his own childhood obsession with holidays. To create the film, 227 puppets were used, with Jack Skellington rumored to have around “four hundred heads” for every possible emotion.

And you, what are your favorite Tim Burton movies? Let us know in the comments!

Pictures: copyright Disney, Touchstone, 20th Century Fox