Tim Burton talks Alice In Wonderland

Tim Burton has opened up for the first time about his new version of Alice In Wonderland.

Talking to The LA Times , Burton says that he’s planning to take a similar approach to Charlie And The Chocolate Factory – a case where he didn’t much like the original film and sought to reclaim the story.

Disney’s version of Alice was released in 1951, and Burton has his issues with it. “It's just, 'Oh, this character's weird' and 'Oh, that character's weird.' I can't really recall a version where I felt really engaged by it,” admits the director. So that's the goal, just to try to give it a gravity that most film versions haven't had."

Trying to make it engaging

It’s ironic to hear the man who brought us Beetlejuice and The Corpse Bride criticise another movie for focusing on the weird. But it’s clear where Burton’s passion lies.

“The goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of Alice. And, you know, getting to do it in 3-D fits the material quite well. So I'm excited about making it a new version but also have the elements that people expect when they think of the material.”

Alice In Wonderland will be shot with a combination of live-action and motion-captured performances, and stars the likes of Johnny Depp, Michael Sheen and Mia Wasikowska.

Here’s hoping it also has that structured story that Burton’s boasting about, or we’re going to bring this back up to him.