So the first big hit of 2010 is a movie about a girl. Uh oh. Remember yesterday’s post about Degenderizing Disney? Funny thing is Alice in Wonderland over the last two weeks has made $221 million in the US and $221 million overseas is a Disney movie, it is released by their Buena Vista division. So Disney, which one day says it needs to get rid of princesses to bring in the boys, is also making money hand over fist on a girl’s story.
Clearly, Alice had wide appeal (I saw a big line at the theatre this past weekend when I saw The Green Zone) from all the quadrants. Opening weekend numbers had women buying 55% of the tickets and 39% were families. 70% of the tickets were purchased for 3-D screens.
And while I haven’t seen it yet, lots of people have talked about it being a feminist film. Here’s a great review from AutoStraddle I read that has convinced me to go and see it.
Has anyone seen it?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Melissa, I saw it and loved it! I wrote a post about it on my site. You can check it out here: http://positivelypresent.typepad.com/danithegirl/2010/03/alice-in-wonderland-feminist.html
It also helps that Alice is an universally known, recognized icon so the film already had a built-in familarity with people everywhere…
I loved it, too. It’s nice seeing a female lead in a straight-out adventure film, and Mia Wasikowska was wonderful.
This is an amzing movie. I’ve been meaning to blog about for my site that rates kids media an products on girl empowerment, but other things keep pissing me off that I have to write about first.
So I’ll publish my first rating here ***GGG*** highest girlpower possible. Not only is Alice amazing, but 2 other key parts (the Red Queen and White Queen) are women. The Doormouse is also female. That’s 4 major parts, and it’s got a girl in the title, not a princess.
I was worried Johnny Depp’s star would eclipse Alice’s but he totally takes a supporting role– even though he doesn’t in the commercials. That pissed me off initially, that most posters show the Mad Hatter, but you know what– ifi t gets people to see this great movie, I don’t care.
One other issue I had with the commercials was that they teased a party/ engagement scene, so I worried it would be about Alice getting married. It does start sith way, but spoiler alert– she ends up alone, taking over her father’s business. This is after she heroically slays the wicked jabberwocky. This may be the best kids movie I’ve ever seen.
I did not mean to ramble on but couldn’t stop myself, maybe I’ll cut and paste onto my blog.
Margot
Yes, the movie is indeed about Alice, but the marketing campaign was all about Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, regulating Alice to a token supporting character in the ad campaign for her own movie.
Still, the picture is absolutely a feminist fable, I just wish it were a better movie, alas.
Yup, it’s totally a feminist fable. My daughter & I loved it and are looking forward to the DVD release already.