Who should have directed Alice in Wonderland?

Agnieszka Holland— her “The Secret Garden” was splendid, though of course that’s not a sort of verbal-play feast as the Alice books are. But yes, it’s largely unadaptable, in the sense of really getting at the joy of what’s on the page. Sofia Coppola, I think, would render it pretty but joyless. I have no intention of venturing out to see Burton’s film, though I’m staggered by the box office receipts— is this what “Avatar” hath wrought? And is Burton’s Alice actually dressed like a Hot Topic goth?! or is that just the tie-in merch? In any event, this sounds like a rather joyless affair. Johnny Depp needs to take care he not become a sort of Robin Williams man-child stuck in shrilly mannered roles for the rest of his life. But perhaps it’s already too late? . . .

i think tim burton directing this kind of movies well but i haven’t watch Alice in wonderland yet

I don’t think Burton was a bad choice, but unfortunately it was first and foremost a Disney movie, so there was only so far he could take it. I think anyone would have had the same difficulty working with Disney.

Terry Gilliam or Agnieszka Holland.

David Lynch would be ultimate,
for a more conventional version – Guillermo del Toro

Man, I cannot hear the “name” American McGee without balking.

Guy Maddin’s Alice in Wonderland.

i watched this last night. it as painfully mediocre, and i like Burton too, or at least i used to anyway.

i’d much rather watch the old Disney animated movie.

The Quay Brothers
Powell and Pressburger
David Lynch
Alan Clarke
Henry Selick
Marcel Carne

and also, who wouldn’t like…

“MONTY PYTHON’S DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE”

Powell and Pressburger! Now that would be interesting. And potentially absolutely gorgeous.

BRADY, SAVED FROM DROWNIN​G – have you seen “Alice” by Jan Svankmajer, the Quay Brothers hero?

Gilliam could do wonders on Alice in Wonderland..
Also, If Charlie Kaufman could adapt it into a screenplay & have Spike Jonze direct it.

Gondry is another genius who could adapt it into a modern setting to his own style.

After watching Shutter Island, I would love to see Scorsese do a darker version.

pt anderson

I agree with Dimitris 5 months late.

Terry Gilliam. I find some of his films a bit much, but he could definetly capture the craziness that is Alice in Wonderland.

Jodorowsky

“If you’ve seen the new Alice in Wonderland you’re aware of how Tim Burton simply ruined the story. He’s just plain untalented.”

No I’m not aware because I’m a fan of the new ALICE IN WONDERLAND and Tim Burton.

Obviously, Terry Gilliam. The structure of the book is similar to the structures of his films, the dreamlike dimension is the same, i feel the same way reading alice and watching a film by terry gilliam!
someone mentioned hayao miyazaki, he was totally inspired by alice when he made chihiro ;)

i also read “He’s just plain untalented.” about Tim Burton….. oh come on, he showed how he didn’t get Lewis Carroll’s story, their world are both dreamlike but still totally different. The world of Roald Dahl’s books is much more like Tim Burton’s and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory worked more than well!
Plain untalented… you have to watch some Big fish and Edward scissorhands :)

Ken Russell
Peter Greenway
Dario Argento
Bong Joon Ho
Virginie Despentes
Harmony Korine

Lucile Hadzihalilovic hands down best fit.

Jan Svankmajer,oh wait, he already did!

Henry Selick already did it the right way. It was called Coraline.

Okay, so maybe it’s not a literal adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, but it’s close enough.

Jan Svankmajer could revisit it again or maybe Guy Maddin (With a considerably greater budget than he’ s used to). Other than that, can’t think of many others who could deliver visually. Maybe Alain Resnais, but that would be a trial to get through.

Hmmmm, Tim Burton “just plain untalented”????

I guess it was somebody else who directed ‘Beetlejuice’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Ed Wood’, ‘Mars Attacks’, and ‘Big Fish’. I get that his aesthetics can be overdone (not to mention overexposed) and he has made his share of indisputable stinkers (‘Planet of the Apes’, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’), but let’s not make blanket statements about the man.

Perhaps a comment something like, “he allowed his own personal style to overwhelm the subject matter in this case”, would be more appropriate for this specific instance.

Cronenberg,Lynch,Jodorowsky,Ruiz and Greenaway togheter.