I’ve noticed lots of lolitas gravitate to the same movies and books – and not just the ones that have a lolita in a starring role, like Shimotsuma Monogatari. Maybe because we’re all attracted to a certain aesthetic that is common in lolita fashion and the Victorian or Edwardian days of yore. In addition to fashion and accessories, we’ll take some time in Carousel of Crowns to cover some forms of entertainment and life in general that are of interest to lolitas. First up, a profile on the 2-part 1985 made-for-tv movie, mini-series & musical extravaganza – Alice in Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland - DVD cover scan from Wikipedia
Like all the versions that came before it, and all the versions that came after it, this 1985 adaption is based on Lewis Caroll’s classic books. The first part of the mini-series focuses on the events of the first book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, while the second one tells the story of the second book, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. It is a musical adaptation, but what I love about this interpretation is that, other than the musical numbers and a few random scenes, it’s pretty faithful to the sequence of events that happen in the books unlike Disney’s Alice in Wonderland which sort of mashes up the people and events in both books.
Natalie Gregory, playing Alice in a cute pintuck dress and frilly apron, grows big after drinking a bottle in the White Rabbit's house
This adaptation of Alice in Wonderland is packed with the best B-list celebrities the 80s had to offer. To name a few: Scott Baio (Charles in Charge), Sammy Davis, Jr. (Rat Pack), Ringo Starr (The Beatles), John Stamos (Full House, ER), Patrick Duffy (Dallas, Step-by-Step), Pat Morita (Karate Kid) and Carol Channing (Hello Dolly). Like any live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland would, this movie suffers from the challenge of depicting talking animals, chatty flowers and some funky physics. Sometimes the movie handles it well, like the frog men pictured below. But other times the special effects or costuming look a little dated – and rightly so, it is from 1985!
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