This March a new version of Alice in Wonderland will be released to theatres, giving audiences the chance to see this classic fairy tale through the lens of Tim Burton’s imagination. The new version has a number of changes, such as portraying Alice in her teens, and uses many themes from the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. But before you rush out to view this updated classic, here is a quick list of some of the main characters that were originally brought to life by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. It’s a quick refresher that should get you up to speed on this timeless tale and have you ready to experience the new movie.
The Caterpillar – This character is probably best known for smoking a hookah and instructing Alice on how to eat a special mushroom in order to grow or shrink to help her on her journey. Although Alice is mostly annoyed with the Caterpillar initially, she does benefit from his help and advice.
The White Rabbit – Responsible for leading Alice down the rabbit hole, this character has a personality that wavers between rude and pompous toward underlings and servants and timid and feeble when in the presence of the King and Queen of Hearts. Lewis Carroll remarked once that this character was meant to be a contrast to Alice’s. While she is young, capable and direct in her purposes, the white rabbit is old, nervous and unorganized. Recall that in the beginning of the story he is heard muttering about how he’s going to be late, late, late!
The Queen of Hearts – Often confused with the Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, the Queen of Hearts possessed an unbridled fury that usually resulted in her ordering beheadings to resolve any matter that displeased her. Croquet, played with flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls, was her favorite hobby. This ill-tempered queen was one of the more dangerous obstacles that Alice faced on her journey through Wonderland, as the queen sentenced Alice to be beheaded twice.
The White Queen – Introduced in Through the Looking-Glass, the White Queen was a friend and ally to Alice. Though kind, this queen is seemingly crazy as she lives backwards in time. For example in the novel, she would scream in pain until she pricked her finger, rather than because she pricked her finger. She is a contrast to the Red Queen from the same story, in that the White Queen is known for her ability to quickly escape any danger, where as the Red Queen will confront trouble head on.
The Hatter – Often referred to as the Mad Hatter, this character explains to Alice that he and the March Hare are always having tea because when he attempted to sing for the Queen of Hearts during one of her celebrations, she accused him of murdering the time and sentenced him to death. He escaped his death sentence, but he and the March Hare were from then on stuck at 6:00 because Time decided to halt himself for them out of anger for the attempted “murder.” It is believed that this character was inspired by the real hat makers at during Carroll’s time. They often suffered from mercury poisoning as a result of the process used for curing felt and as a result developed side-effects that made them appear somewhat insane.
Alice – The heroine of this story is a young girl who is portrayed as well behaved, polite and even a bit mature for her age. She is curious, often daydreams and prefers her own advice to that of others. In the face of the constant madness she encounters in Wonderland, Alice finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her courteous disposition, and is easily offended by the rudeness of some of the characters she meets. However despite the obstacles she faces, she remains determined to finish her journey.
There are many other fascinating characters in the story of Alice in Wonderland, but these are some of the main players. Recalling who the characters are and the types of roles that they played should provide just enough background to the story to make watching the new movie even more enjoyable.