Old creepy Alice in Wonderland show/movie on tv?
January 17, 2010 2:26 PM Subscribe
Help me locate a weird, creepy either Alice in Wonderland or Alice-esque show I saw on TV when I was younger. 80's early 90's.
I have this random memory that popped up recently of this show on TV I caught the barest snippet of sometime in the past. I remember it as being Alice in Wonderland related but a quick Google search and looking through youtube leads me to versions that just don't seem like it to me.
This is further complicated by the fact that my only memory is one scene which is just a few minutes. It's of the Alice or psuedo Alice running up a grassy lawn perhaps hill to a house or porch and my memory has it white, like white walls or white railings. At one point she's indoors but it's like a sun room (like an enclosed porch) with big windows. For such a short and vague memory my emotional response is pretty strong.
The atmosphere is creepy and I remember I felt something was kinda wrong about it. I don't remember anything fantastical, just a feeling of creepiness or dread. It might be that while she was "home", no one was there, or it was a alternate or fake version of her home. Maybe she was looking for her parents.
I want to say that she was wearing normal clothes, not a derivative of the Disney cartoon type blue/white dress or the bright orange dress I'm seeing on the closest thing I can find on youtube (Through the Looking Glass) which is from 1985 and is apparently a musical. The part I remember wasn't musical.
1985 - 1995 though seems appropriate, since I was between 5 and 15. The video quality as I remember it was pretty reasonable and modern, it didn't have the faded palette of 70's movies or the neon wacky colorfulness of the 80's. That is to say at the time I was watching it it didn't feel "old".
Finally, in my memory Alice or the Alice character seems a bit older, more mature. Maybe early teens? Not like the little under 10 in the movie I cited above. Bear in mind if I was between 5 and 15 what looked older to me then might not be the same as my perceptions now.
Any of my memories could have become jumbled up over 15-25 years' time, so if you have an idea but it doesn't mesh with all I wrote above please give it anyway. Sorry there's not much to work on here.
What brought the memory up was a conversation I was having with co-workers about creepy versions of popular children's stories. We were talking about Return to Oz as well.
I have this random memory that popped up recently of this show on TV I caught the barest snippet of sometime in the past. I remember it as being Alice in Wonderland related but a quick Google search and looking through youtube leads me to versions that just don't seem like it to me.
This is further complicated by the fact that my only memory is one scene which is just a few minutes. It's of the Alice or psuedo Alice running up a grassy lawn perhaps hill to a house or porch and my memory has it white, like white walls or white railings. At one point she's indoors but it's like a sun room (like an enclosed porch) with big windows. For such a short and vague memory my emotional response is pretty strong.
The atmosphere is creepy and I remember I felt something was kinda wrong about it. I don't remember anything fantastical, just a feeling of creepiness or dread. It might be that while she was "home", no one was there, or it was a alternate or fake version of her home. Maybe she was looking for her parents.
I want to say that she was wearing normal clothes, not a derivative of the Disney cartoon type blue/white dress or the bright orange dress I'm seeing on the closest thing I can find on youtube (Through the Looking Glass) which is from 1985 and is apparently a musical. The part I remember wasn't musical.
1985 - 1995 though seems appropriate, since I was between 5 and 15. The video quality as I remember it was pretty reasonable and modern, it didn't have the faded palette of 70's movies or the neon wacky colorfulness of the 80's. That is to say at the time I was watching it it didn't feel "old".
Finally, in my memory Alice or the Alice character seems a bit older, more mature. Maybe early teens? Not like the little under 10 in the movie I cited above. Bear in mind if I was between 5 and 15 what looked older to me then might not be the same as my perceptions now.
Any of my memories could have become jumbled up over 15-25 years' time, so if you have an idea but it doesn't mesh with all I wrote above please give it anyway. Sorry there's not much to work on here.
What brought the memory up was a conversation I was having with co-workers about creepy versions of popular children's stories. We were talking about Return to Oz as well.
You're definitely remembering the 1985 TV movie - it's the part at the start of Through the Looking Glass.
posted by moxiedoll at 2:36 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by moxiedoll at 2:36 PM on January 17, 2010
I can only think of two possibilities off the top of my head. One is a stop-motion movie by Jan Svenkmayer - which is VERY disturbing.
The second was a disney television show, not intentionally creepy but the rabbit costumes were minorly fucked up. I know there used to be an article on wikipedia, but for some reason I'm not having any luck finding it.
posted by Think_Long at 2:37 PM on January 17, 2010
The second was a disney television show, not intentionally creepy but the rabbit costumes were minorly fucked up. I know there used to be an article on wikipedia, but for some reason I'm not having any luck finding it.
posted by Think_Long at 2:37 PM on January 17, 2010
Here's the first segment of the 1985 movie as mentioned by k8t and moxiedoll.
posted by contrariwise at 2:56 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by contrariwise at 2:56 PM on January 17, 2010
There was also a very 90s TV show that ran on Disney that might fit the bill. My roommate and I reminisce over the rollerblading white rabbit.
Not sure if it's as creepy as you're thinking though, but I have very little memory of what the show was actually like.
posted by inkytea at 3:14 PM on January 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Not sure if it's as creepy as you're thinking though, but I have very little memory of what the show was actually like.
posted by inkytea at 3:14 PM on January 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm going to guess you're thinking of "Return to Oz" with a young Fairuza Balk as Dorothy.
posted by petitemom at 3:21 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by petitemom at 3:21 PM on January 17, 2010
Could it have possibly been 1982's Alice at the Palace, starring Meryl Streep?
posted by Oriole Adams at 3:53 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by Oriole Adams at 3:53 PM on January 17, 2010
Have you looked at the 1999 Tv version? It has creepy, menacing undertones, especially at the beginning when Alice is expected to perform for the garden party guests (who later are the characters in wonderland).
posted by saucysault at 5:32 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by saucysault at 5:32 PM on January 17, 2010
I think you're thinking of this clip, by the way. Not sure where it's from - probably the 85 tv movie.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:10 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:10 PM on January 17, 2010
Oh - I see someone already found it. I thought we were referring to a different part.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:11 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:11 PM on January 17, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks all for the suggestions.
I guess it has to be the 1985 movie since there's not that much else out there. It was definitely live action and not stop motion, and 1999 is way too late, and the one that looks like it stars the girl from Full House definitely isn't it.
The only problem is I don't remember the obvious Jabberwocky in a costume and the voice over that the 1985 clip has, and I swear the girl was older.
I'm going to netflix it and check it out. As I said, it's probably right but it doesn't *feel* right. However, it's been so long my memories could have just taken on a life of their own.
Just as a hail mary, throwing out the Alice motif, is there a late 80's early 90's movie you can think of where a young woman arrives home to find it's some kind of alternate dimension or at least like things are creepily not right. Just like the 1985 clip it is a home out in the country, or with land, not part of a neighborhood, etc. Again, my memory doesn't contain any danger that is obvious (like a guy running around in a jabberwocky outfit) but rather just an overarching creepiness.
God I hate how I'm not a computer with perfect recall!
posted by Stryke11 at 9:00 PM on January 17, 2010
I guess it has to be the 1985 movie since there's not that much else out there. It was definitely live action and not stop motion, and 1999 is way too late, and the one that looks like it stars the girl from Full House definitely isn't it.
The only problem is I don't remember the obvious Jabberwocky in a costume and the voice over that the 1985 clip has, and I swear the girl was older.
I'm going to netflix it and check it out. As I said, it's probably right but it doesn't *feel* right. However, it's been so long my memories could have just taken on a life of their own.
Just as a hail mary, throwing out the Alice motif, is there a late 80's early 90's movie you can think of where a young woman arrives home to find it's some kind of alternate dimension or at least like things are creepily not right. Just like the 1985 clip it is a home out in the country, or with land, not part of a neighborhood, etc. Again, my memory doesn't contain any danger that is obvious (like a guy running around in a jabberwocky outfit) but rather just an overarching creepiness.
God I hate how I'm not a computer with perfect recall!
posted by Stryke11 at 9:00 PM on January 17, 2010
Actually, this sounds very much like a scene at the beginning of Labyrinth. I couldn't find the clip on Youtube, but at the beginning there is a scene where she runs into a white house from a big garden.
posted by evilcupcakes at 11:25 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by evilcupcakes at 11:25 PM on January 17, 2010
Thirding the Labryinth suggestions and also throwing in Return To Oz as a possibility from 1985.
posted by jonnyploy at 3:12 AM on January 18, 2010
posted by jonnyploy at 3:12 AM on January 18, 2010
Is it Black Moon (Louis Malle, 1975) -- an "apocalyptic Alice in Wonderland"?
Clip 1 - creepy talking unicorn
Clip 2 - creepy music recital
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 8:37 AM on January 18, 2010
Clip 1 - creepy talking unicorn
Clip 2 - creepy music recital
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 8:37 AM on January 18, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for the continued support.
I have seen both Return to Oz and Labyrinth recently so I know for a fact it isn't either of those.
Also this was definitely an American/British producton with English as the spoken language.
I'm about ready to throw in the towel. It's either the 1985 Alice and my memory is just wrong in certain areas, or it's something that isn't Alice but with a similar enough vein that my mind would file it under that heading. If that's the case, I'll never find it.
If anyone should see this topic and have a lightbulb go on about sometime not already mentioned please let me know, otherwise thanks for all of you who helped!
posted by Stryke11 at 12:24 PM on January 18, 2010
I have seen both Return to Oz and Labyrinth recently so I know for a fact it isn't either of those.
Also this was definitely an American/British producton with English as the spoken language.
I'm about ready to throw in the towel. It's either the 1985 Alice and my memory is just wrong in certain areas, or it's something that isn't Alice but with a similar enough vein that my mind would file it under that heading. If that's the case, I'll never find it.
If anyone should see this topic and have a lightbulb go on about sometime not already mentioned please let me know, otherwise thanks for all of you who helped!
posted by Stryke11 at 12:24 PM on January 18, 2010
I am close to the same age as you, and I am pretty sure you are thinking of 'Adventures in Wonderland'. It came on the disney channel and I remember it being a little 'dark'.
100 episodes between 1991 and 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_in_Wonderland
posted by gatsby died at 11:44 AM on January 19, 2010
100 episodes between 1991 and 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_in_Wonderland
posted by gatsby died at 11:44 AM on January 19, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by k8t at 2:32 PM on January 17, 2010