Fans dressed as Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit, topiary animals, and a red carpet dyed green set the scene for the Royal Premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice in Wonderland. The world premiere was held last night, Thursday, February 25, at the Leicester Square Odeon Theatre in the West End of London.
Braving the rain, the film’s stars came out in good spirits. Anne Hathaway, who plays the White Queen, exclaimed to devoted – and drenched- fans, “I love London, I love the rain!” The film’s other star, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter, was the highlight of the night for the teenage girls who flocked to the premiere to catch a glimpse of the heartthrob. He did not disappoint, as he signed autographs and posed for pictures for nearly an hour ignoring the rain. Depp has also stared in Director Burton’s other unconventional films including Sweeny Todd in 2007 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005.
Burton’s partner Helena Bonham Carter also stars in the film alongside Little Britain star Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Australian star Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Paul Whitehouse, Timothy Spall and Christopher Lee also contributed to the film providing voices for characters in the story.
British Designer, Vivienne Westwood, was a behind the scenes star of the evening - as Anne Hathaway, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, and Helena Bonham Carter adorned her designs for the event.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall hosted the evening, which was being held to benefit the prince’s Foundation For Children and the Arts. The organization works to provide young children more access to the art world.
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a twist on the classic children’s book by Lewis Carroll. The film takes place ten years after Alice’s original adventures in the children’s book. Burton explains, “We didn’t try to follow the stories. The versions I’ve always seen are a little girl who seems like a brat, wandering around with a bunch of weirdoes. With each of those characters, they’re all mad, but we tried to give them their own particular madness…So the idea was to take that material, set it in a different story making her a little bit older and exploring the idea of someone’s internal life.”
The film will be release in the UK on Wednesday, March 5.
