Before delving into my into my Alice in wonderland theme surrealism project, I will need to begin my research by understanding the source material, such as the characters, themes, settings and the overall tone. This is done to ensure I am faithful to the source material whilst taking inspiration from the story.
Background information
Image 1 – The first edition cover of Alices adventures in wonderland (1865) 
Image 2 – The King and Queen of Hearts inspect tart in courtroom. 
Image 3 – Two, Five and Seven paint the rosebush. 
Image 4 – Alice meets the Dodo bird. 
Image 5 – Cook, Duchess, Cheshire Cat, Baby and Alice 
Image 6 – Alice crammed in Rabbit’s house.
My project for this surrealism experience is based from Alice in wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is about a girl who falls asleep then dreams about following a white rabbit down a rabbit hole to find herself in a fantasy world with anthropomorphic creatures, she then navigates through bizarre adventures. It is a road of dream-like nonsense, an escape from reality through creative surrealism with a child-like experience with no sense of logic, which perfectly aligns with the concept of surrealism. Among her journey Alice encounters:
- A Cheshire Cat (Known for its wide grin)
- The Mad Hatter, who hosts a never-ending tea party.
- The Queen of hearts, A dominant and tyrannical ruler of Wonderland. She is quick to anger and known for her frequent cries of “Off with their heads!”
- The King of hearts, The husband of the Queen of Hearts, who is meek & is often ignored.
- The White Rabbit, who leads Alice into Wonderland and is always in a hurry, he’s often found carrying a pocket watch.
- The Caterpillar, A calm and philosophical creature who smokes a hookah & gives Alice cryptic advices whilst sitting on a mushroom.
- The March Hare, who is just as eccentric and unpredictable as the Hatter & accompanies him at the tea party.
- The Dormouse, An overlooked character who joins The March Hare & The hatter at the tea party.
- The Duchess, A character who is often known for her chaotic household and the famous baby that turns into a pig.
The novel was ahead of its time being different from other Victorian children’s stories that tried to teach lessons, Carroll’s book doesn’t seem to have a moral which ties in perfectly with my surrealism theme as Wonderland is an imaginary place of magical charm, it exists beyond the boundaries of our everyday reality. Therefore with the irrational elements and dream-like scenarios challenges logic & morality can help me create a fully immersive Wonderland experience.
Adaptations
There have been other adaptations that have been based off the timeless classic. Since I will be visually presenting my theme of Alice in Wonderland to augmented reality I have explored several adaptions to compare the differences and common elements they have.
1) Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Image 1 – Alice is lost in a magical forest 
Image 2 – A scene where Alice meets the Red Queen 
Image 3 – Alice inside a tiny bottle and floating in a sea of tears. 
Image 4 – Alice painting the roses red 
Image 5 – The ‘Eat me’ treats Alice consumes to become larger 
Image 6 – Some sketch pictures of the AIW characters
Disney’s adaptation of Alice in wonderland is by far the most iconic iteration. Alice in Wonderland is an American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions & released by RKO Radio pictures. The film follows a girl named Alice who falls down the rabbit hole and ends up in a nonsensical world that is ruled by the Queen of Hearts whilst encountering strange creatures, such as The Mad Hatter & the Cheshire Cat. Originally, the film was intended to be a live action movie, but Disney decided to keep it an animated feature. This version of Alice in Wonderland is still by far the most essential viewing for any fan of Carol & Disney.
2) Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Image 7 – The poster/fan art created for the movie. 
Image 8 – The Red Queen during a battle 
Image 9 – Alice looking confused when first entering Underland. 
Image 10 – A background scene from 2010’s Alice in Wonderland. 
Image 11 – The Hatter walking through an eerie forest.
The Tim Burton’s version of ‘Alice in Wonderland was released in 2010 is a live action, fantasy film. Although it is not a direct adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s novel, it film is a reimagining that combines elements from ‘Alices Adventures in wonderland’ & ‘Alice through the looking glass’ The film is about a girl called Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska) who is a nine-teen year old girl who returns to Wonderland (now called Underland) after falling down the rabbit hole again. In the story Underland is ruled by a corrupt Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) & it is Alice’s destiny to fulfil a prophecy to end the Queens reign. The live action movie uses CGI to bring Underland to life. The movie was incredibly successful with the film grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
3) Alice in Wonderland (1933 movie)
Image 12 – Alice sitting with strange creatures. 
Image 13 
Image 14 – Alice encounters chess people 
Image 15 – Alice encounters Humpty Dumpty, sat on a wall. 
Image 16 – Alice is having conversation with the caterpillar on a mushroom
Alice in Wonderland is an American black & white adaptation directed by Norman Z. Although it is not recognised by many it still holds a place of the many Wonderland adaptations. The film was released during The Great Depression, which is why it is not as well remembered as it was a time of economic hardship. The film follows the basic storyline & has familiar characters however it may appear creepy to viewers with the visual style & character designs.
4) Alice Madness Returns
Image 17 – The introduction cutscene for the game, it depicts Alice having afternoon tea with the Hatter 
Image 18 – Alice at the very beginning of the game before she saves Wonderland. 
Image 19 – Alice in her Wonderland (the good ending) 
Image 20 – The Red Queen sitting on her throne, she is the antagonist of the game. 
Image 21 – Alice battling with one of the Red Queen’s guards. 
Image 22 – The Cheshire cat, in the game he guides Alice through various stages.
Alice: Madness Returns is an action-adventure game released by EA for Xbox360 & the PS3. The action/adventure game is a sequel from American Mcgee’s Alice (2000). Alice: Madness Returns follows Alice Liddell, a young woman suffering from a trauma by the death of her family in a fire. After being discharged from a psychiatric clinic she lives in an orphanage for mentally traumatised orphans by the care of Dr Angus Bumby. To learn the truth about her past & her trauma she falls into Wonderland, where an evil force has corrupted it. Although the game has elements based of the original children’s novel however the game is dark due to its theme & visual presentation. It explores themes on mental health & features disturbing imagery, including nightmarish versions of the original characters & decaying environments.
After researching the adaptations this has made me understand how other creators/directors have brought their ideas to the classic tale, I specifically looked into the most mainstream concepts of Wonderland to look at how the most successful Wonderland concepts are portrayed.
Mood board Inspiration
After completing some background research on the Alice in Wonderland & adaptations I have turned to gathering information visually, specifically a mood board. Using a mood board to gather my ideas for characters/background imagery/ assets & props I can use as inspiration to help me create VR paintings. I have created a few mood boards before painting & gathering assets.
Characters
I have gathered the main characters when researching Alice In Wonderland. I have chosen assets that are from the book, photoshoots & movie adaptations. By gathering various imagery of the characters I can create a cohesive, visual style as Alice in Wonderland has a surrealism aesthetic so a mood board which aligns with the surrealism feel will help me develop my ideas onto AR.
Background environments
I have gathered a series of images when researching online for the visual background of Alice in Wonderland. In the images above I have mainly gathered images that are or heavily inspired from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Using a mood to capture the environments will help set a tone which will help me define the overall theme.
I have created a secondary environment mood board for Wonderland. I have done this by looking on the internet or through Pinterest. I have picked out images that were from games, real-life adaptations & digital paintings to add variety & broaden my ideas by looking at diverse styles.
Props
When creating a mood board for my props I have researched and thought on the top of my head of objects that I think would be in Alice in Wonderland. I have chosen objects that myself & others would associate with AIW, such as Victorian style trinkets, vintage tea sets & eccentric gardens etc. Objects like this will help build my theme when it comes to adding assets onto my augmented reality.
Review, P.D. (2015). Sir John Tenniel’s Classic Illustrations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/alice-s-adventures-in-wonderland/sir-john-tenniel-s-classic-illustrations-of-alice-in-wonderland-2c3bbdca3a77 [Accessed Apr. 2024].
Review, P.D. (2015). Sir John Tenniel’s Classic Illustrations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/alice-s-adventures-in-wonderland/sir-john-tenniel-s-classic-illustrations-of-alice-in-wonderland-2c3bbdca3a77 [Accessed Apr. 2024].
Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland [Accessed Apr. 2024].
www.merriam-webster.com. (n.d.). Definition of WONDERLAND. [online] Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonderland [Accessed Apr. 2024].
A Summary and Analysis of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Interesting Literature
by (2021). A Summary and Analysis of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. [online] Interesting Literature. Available at: https://interestingliterature.com/2021/04/lewis-carroll-alices-adventures-in-wonderland-summary-analysis/# [Accessed Apr. 2024].