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Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - Pilot
‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ has some big shoes to fill. It’s without a doubt one of the most anticipated new shows of the season. As a spin-off from the successful ‘Once Upon a Time’, it also draws from Disney’s rich and magical history of fairy tales. ABC ordered the show based on a 17-minute clip instead of a full pilot episode. It also takes place in arguably one of the most magical fictional places literature ever gave us. It has to outshine its original show, which has issues of its own. If you like ‘Once Upon a Time’, then Wonderland will certainly due. If not, than ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ might not convince you to follow Alice.
The show starts after Alice’s adventure in Wonderland. Her dad thinks she’s crazy and locks her up in an asylum. Alice slowly loses faith, despite hopping back in Wonderland every now and again. Once grown up, Alice (Sophie Lowe, ‘Adore’) meets genie Cyrus (Peter Gadiot, ‘Hot Mess’) from Agraba (yes, that genie, only younger and less blue). Alice and Cyrus fall in love and he even asks her to marry him. Yet, the Red Queen (Emma Rigby, ‘Prisoners Wives’) throws him off a cliff into a boiling sea. Alice returns to the asylum and stops believing in Wonderland. Until Knave (Michael Save, ‘Being Human UK’), a character from the book, comes to save her and tells her Cyrus might still be alive.
‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ is rich in adventures and has a clear mission. Unfortunately, it’s never really as exciting as it should be. Of course, Cyrus will still be alive and, of course, Knave will help Alice find him. There won’t be any mystery there. More so, the only real mystery surrounding the show is what on earth it will be about. The maze, the doorknob, the tea party, Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit (voiced by John Litgow, ‘Dexter’) are all there in the first episode. There are nice references to Lewis Carroll’s books and Walt Disney’s animated feature. In terms of style it even looks like Tim Burton’s take on the story from 2010. Yet, the show has to be about a lot more than Alice’s well known adventures that the world saw on the big screen merely three years ago. The familiarity will either excite or worry you. The show could be a series of new, fantastic adventures or it could drown itself the way ‘Once Upon a Time’ does.
One of the things that limits the original show is the lavish way in which the creators introduce familiar characters. That same pressure is felt here. For example, there’s no real chance to see the Red Queen as evil. She’s not only not the Queen of Hearts, she’s also blonde, young, pretty and with a tiny waist. Before she has her third scene she’s overshadowed by Jafar (Naveen Andrews, ‘Lost’). What Jafar and the genie from ‘Aladdin’ do in Wonderland isn’t touched upon but they’re there. Most likely are they on the show for the same reason this show exists: proven successes sell. That’s the way the business works and can’t be blamed upon the creators. However, the trick is to put up an intriguing show despite the well-known material. Wonderland doesn’t seem to do that. The plot is predictable, the backgrounds painfully fake and the twists are so absurd the episode never charms. The choice to have the White Rabbit as a regular character is daring. Unfortunately, the CGI aims to look realistic and even the best animators couldn’t make a talking rabbit in clothes look real. The show’s saving graces are Lowe and Socha, who have a refreshing platonic chemistry. They’re self-conscious and pro-active. Alice is sweet and naïve, like you’d expect, but she also knocks down three guards without breaking a sweat. As soon as Alice and Knave save themselves from a tight grip by making smores, it’s clear this show takes itself as serious as the story it originated from. The show aims to be ‘Once Upon a Time’ and pleases families with children who like to see characters they know (but really only recognize once their name is uttered). If the show wants to improve it will have to leave the familiarity behind and jump into the crazy, random excitement that could be Wonderland.
Follow Once Upon a Time in WonderlandThe show starts after Alice’s adventure in Wonderland. Her dad thinks she’s crazy and locks her up in an asylum. Alice slowly loses faith, despite hopping back in Wonderland every now and again. Once grown up, Alice (Sophie Lowe, ‘Adore’) meets genie Cyrus (Peter Gadiot, ‘Hot Mess’) from Agraba (yes, that genie, only younger and less blue). Alice and Cyrus fall in love and he even asks her to marry him. Yet, the Red Queen (Emma Rigby, ‘Prisoners Wives’) throws him off a cliff into a boiling sea. Alice returns to the asylum and stops believing in Wonderland. Until Knave (Michael Save, ‘Being Human UK’), a character from the book, comes to save her and tells her Cyrus might still be alive.
‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ is rich in adventures and has a clear mission. Unfortunately, it’s never really as exciting as it should be. Of course, Cyrus will still be alive and, of course, Knave will help Alice find him. There won’t be any mystery there. More so, the only real mystery surrounding the show is what on earth it will be about. The maze, the doorknob, the tea party, Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit (voiced by John Litgow, ‘Dexter’) are all there in the first episode. There are nice references to Lewis Carroll’s books and Walt Disney’s animated feature. In terms of style it even looks like Tim Burton’s take on the story from 2010. Yet, the show has to be about a lot more than Alice’s well known adventures that the world saw on the big screen merely three years ago. The familiarity will either excite or worry you. The show could be a series of new, fantastic adventures or it could drown itself the way ‘Once Upon a Time’ does.
One of the things that limits the original show is the lavish way in which the creators introduce familiar characters. That same pressure is felt here. For example, there’s no real chance to see the Red Queen as evil. She’s not only not the Queen of Hearts, she’s also blonde, young, pretty and with a tiny waist. Before she has her third scene she’s overshadowed by Jafar (Naveen Andrews, ‘Lost’). What Jafar and the genie from ‘Aladdin’ do in Wonderland isn’t touched upon but they’re there. Most likely are they on the show for the same reason this show exists: proven successes sell. That’s the way the business works and can’t be blamed upon the creators. However, the trick is to put up an intriguing show despite the well-known material. Wonderland doesn’t seem to do that. The plot is predictable, the backgrounds painfully fake and the twists are so absurd the episode never charms. The choice to have the White Rabbit as a regular character is daring. Unfortunately, the CGI aims to look realistic and even the best animators couldn’t make a talking rabbit in clothes look real. The show’s saving graces are Lowe and Socha, who have a refreshing platonic chemistry. They’re self-conscious and pro-active. Alice is sweet and naïve, like you’d expect, but she also knocks down three guards without breaking a sweat. As soon as Alice and Knave save themselves from a tight grip by making smores, it’s clear this show takes itself as serious as the story it originated from. The show aims to be ‘Once Upon a Time’ and pleases families with children who like to see characters they know (but really only recognize once their name is uttered). If the show wants to improve it will have to leave the familiarity behind and jump into the crazy, random excitement that could be Wonderland.
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