Wonderland, le royaume sans pluie

Animation quality very typical cheaply mass produced, nothing special, flat, 2-D, non-moving backgrounds. Foreground central characters also flat, lacking detail, movements very typical almost mechanical. Usual odd characters with magical associates, usually animal or spirit, but in this case a miniature boy, and interacting with humans. Usual another dimensional world needing human help to save it. In this case we have a couple of steampunk baddies out to steal a precious resource - water. Usual prince & pretty girl hooks. Storyline lacked flow with a few incomprehensibls (sp).

It's never a good thing when you pause a boring movie and go 'Jesus christ how has this thing only been on for an hour?!' The Wonderland has very little going for it. The script feels like about five different movies got shredded and they frankensteined them into one big mess. Scenes just kind of start and then are cut off by the next without any kind of cohesion, to the point it can feel like narrative whiplash. The main plot is to cure a ailing prince, but that plot line is mashed in with about six or seven other plot lines thst the movie kind of just dumps in whilly-nilly. Don't expect any satisfying resolution to any of them either, the movie doesn't even remember half of them by the end.

Couple all that with an absolutely terrible heroine who whines, sulks, and literally doesn't want to be in the movie, and it's an easy skip for this one.

I found this to be a pretty decent anime movie that I watched. The story itself isn't anything to big with this normal girl is named the chosen one and have to save the world she enter in. It goes through the same tropes with this type of plot. When they go inside the different world, it not anything too big but is interesting to see. The animation is beautiful with its visual and how the movie looks is lovely on how much work they put into the movie. The characters themselves are likeable, but lack any development to them and plays simple role. Even the main character is the generic tropes with her gaining conflicts near the end of the movie. It's also more of a travel movie with them traveling to their destination while coming across things. But the movie is enjoyable to watch.

The Wonderland is a decent anime movie that has great animation, but needs more work towards the story.

The resemblance to Alice stops at the journey to an alternate, if mysteriously connected, world; instead, "Wonderland" is an uneven mash-up of different Miyazaki films which is somehow more than the sum of its parts. The characterization is wanting: the Alchemist or his sidekick are uninteresting rather than mysterious, nor do we know much about their powers, let alone their personas. And who is this sleepy wizard at the end? All that aside, the portrayal of the landscape is beautiful, and the idea of having an insecure but kind-hearted (high schooler) learn about herself while being shepherded by an aunt who annoys her (and the viewer) somehow works, as she gradually opens up to adventures and connecting with people. The movie has numerous Miyazakian themes, from its steam-punk setting to the environmental theme (water is becoming scarce), but, most of all, it reminded us of one of the lesser known works in that canon: The Cat Returns, with which it also shares a very similar animation style.

My kids both really enjoyed Wonderland. They were in the mood for a Japanese movie that was better (and easier to follow) than Children of the Sea, and this gave them something strange but familiar.

Doesn't do anything especially interesting in plot or visuals. Enjoyable enough as it goes a long but leaves you with nothing in the end. The story stops and the lesson was told in the first five minutes. Likely good enough for small children but rather boring and unexceptional for an older audience.

Generally fine but nothing to sink your teeth into. Lacking in its own identity when so many better films exist.