Rated: PG

Release Date: 03/05/2010

Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures

Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Matt Lucas.

Director: Tim Burton. Producers: Tim Burton, Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Linda Wolverton, Richard D. Zanuck, Katterli Frauenfelder, Derek Frey and Mark L. Rosen. Executive Producer: Peter M. Tobyansen and Chris Lebenzon. Screenwriters: Linda Wolverton (Screenplay) and Lewis Carroll (Books). Cinematographer: Dariusz Wolski.

By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

Every wild and imaginative thought that enters director Tim Burton's head always seems to translate into a wild and crazy movie. "Alice in Wonderland" is Burton's latest colorful tale to arrive in theatres.

And while this classic story has been reincarnated on the big screen at least a dozen times, chances are you haven't seen "Alice in Wonderland" like this before.

We first see Alice as a 6-year-old girl who can't sleep at night because of her dreams about falling down a hole and seeing all sorts of creatures. Her dad assures her everything will be fine.

Thirteen years later, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is a grown up 19-year-old who can barely remember her eye-opening trip to "Wonderland." As you can imagine, a lot has changed in her life since then. Now, the only thing that's giving her nightmares is the thought of having to marrying this nerd of a guy named Hamish (Leo Bill).

Rather than say I do, Alice makes her best escape from the potential wedding and heads down the rabbit hole leaving her future husband on his knees at the alter.

In the hole Alice is reunited with a few long, lost friends. Among them is The Mad Hatter (played madly over the top by Johnny Depp), the fat Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) and the Red Queen (a wicked and delightful Helena Bonham Carter).

"Alice in Wonderland" is a hodge-podge of Lewis Carroll's mad cap adventure. Seeing it in IMAX 3-D is the way to go. Most all of the visuals are quite stunning including the climatic battle between the Red Queen (Bonham Carter) and White Queen, (Anne Hathaway) as well as Alice taking on the Jabberwocky and the Mad Hatter going toe to toe with the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover).

Still, there's something missing in Burton's production. Depp as the Madd Hatter isn't all that spectacular, although his electric boogaloo bit is. In fact, his character is a rather ho-hum combination of Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorhands all rolled into one.

Bonham Carter and Tweedledee and Tweedledum (played by Matt Lucas) are my favorite characters in the movie. They really steal the show right out from under Depp and Wasikoska.

Fans of Burton's will likely love the unconventional stamp the director has placed on "Alice and Wonderland." However, others who prefer Carroll's classic story may not feel the same way.