Doesn't do anything especially interesting in plot or visuals. Enjoyable enough as it goes a long but leaves you with nothing in the end. The story stops and the lesson was told in the first five minutes. Likely good enough for small children but rather boring and unexceptional for an older audience.
Generally fine but nothing to sink your teeth into. Lacking in its own identity when so many better films exist.
The Wonderland
2019 [JAPANESE]
Action / Adventure / Animation / Family / Fantasy
Plot summary
The story follows Akane, a girl with no self-confidence. On the day before her birthday, she meets a mysterious alchemist, Hippocrates, and his student, Pipo, who both tell her they're on a mission to save the world. Together, they set out from the basement for "Wonderland," and Akane finds herself labelled Wonderland's savior.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
November 05, 2020 at 08:55 PM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
rather uninteresting fantasy adventure
More like Miyazaki than Carrol
The resemblance to Alice stops at the journey to an alternate, if mysteriously connected, world; instead, "Wonderland" is an uneven mash-up of different Miyazaki films which is somehow more than the sum of its parts. The characterization is wanting: the Alchemist or his sidekick are uninteresting rather than mysterious, nor do we know much about their powers, let alone their personas. And who is this sleepy wizard at the end? All that aside, the portrayal of the landscape is beautiful, and the idea of having an insecure but kind-hearted (high schooler) learn about herself while being shepherded by an aunt who annoys her (and the viewer) somehow works, as she gradually opens up to adventures and connecting with people. The movie has numerous Miyazakian themes, from its steam-punk setting to the environmental theme (water is becoming scarce), but, most of all, it reminded us of one of the lesser known works in that canon: The Cat Returns, with which it also shares a very similar animation style.
My kids both really enjoyed Wonderland. They were in the mood for a Japanese movie that was better (and easier to follow) than Children of the Sea, and this gave them something strange but familiar.
Nothing New
Animation quality very typical cheaply mass produced, nothing special, flat, 2-D, non-moving backgrounds. Foreground central characters also flat, lacking detail, movements very typical almost mechanical. Usual odd characters with magical associates, usually animal or spirit, but in this case a miniature boy, and interacting with humans. Usual another dimensional world needing human help to save it. In this case we have a couple of steampunk baddies out to steal a precious resource - water. Usual prince & pretty girl hooks. Storyline lacked flow with a few incomprehensibls (sp).