Fantasy remains a popular genre and has been for a while. It allows both adults and children to stretch their imaginations and read or watch stories that they never could have thought of before. Despite the genre's popularity, Alice in Wonderland stands out in the competition.
It was one of the first major fantasy stories and since its first release in 1865, the story has been adapted into multiple movies, both live-action and animated ones. What's more, it inspired countless other movies of high quality. When a fantasy movie works with the theme of a journey into a strange world in an unusual way, it's likely it draws its inspiration from Alice in Wonderland.
5 The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz is such a classic it might seem like it's been around forever. But the book is 35 years younger than Alice in Wonderland, having been first published in 1900. To this day, the movie version from 1939 remains the most iconic one. Judy Garland stars as Dorothy Gale, a young girl that unexpectedly travels to Oz because of a tornado. Once there, she makes unusual friends and has to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.
Just like Alice, Dorothy finds both allies and enemies while she's in the strange world full of unusual creatures. Alice takes on the Evil Queen, and Dorothy faces the Evil Witch, but neither of them would make it as far as they did without a lot of courage and some help. The Wizard of Oz is a musical. That might detract from its fantasy core, but both stories offer the same type of epic adventure rarely seen, and work with a young female heroine.
4 Peter Pan (2003)
Alice doesn't need that much help to get into Wonderland. Instead, she needs help to escape it. Wendy Darling, on the other hand, wouldn't have been able to spend as much time as she did in Neverland if it wasn't for her new friend, Peter Pan. First published in 1911, the story of Peter Pan and Wendy is now considered a classic, and as such, it has been adapted multiple times. For example, it got an animated Disney version in 1953 and a prequel movie in 2015 called Pan.
However, the live-action 2003 version is the most accessible one to both children and adults. Wendy has to navigate her stay in the new world that's full of wonders but also dangers... especially when Captain Hook shows up on the scene, played by Jason Isaacs. Discovering the magical places that are Wonderland and Neverland is a unique experience for Alice and Wendy, but both of them have to return to the real world in the end.
3 The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005)
The Chronicles of Narnia is another classic literary work that nevertheless came out decades after Alice in Wonderland. As for the movie adaptations, the series had three parts. Of all of them, the first movie follows the Alice in Wonderland theme the best. The youngest Pevensie sibling, Lucy, who's a similar age as Alice, travels through the magic wardrobe and finds herself in Narnia, a world with unusual creatures.
However, not all is well as the evil White Witch rules Narnia. Alice had the bad luck of having to face the Queen of Hearts mostly on her own. Meanwhile, Lucy can rely on her siblings who travel to Narnia as well, even though they don't initially believe her. Other than taking on an evil monarch who's ruining otherwise beautiful fantasy land, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe contain the same excitement of discovering a brand-new world as Alice in Wonderland does.
2 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Those viewers that are in the mood for a darker Alice in Wonderland shouldn't miss out on watching the critically acclaimed Guillermo del Toro movie. Set during World War Two, the movie centers on Ophelia who explores a new world as she's trying to prove she's the lost princess of a hidden kingdom. The movie's intense atmosphere as well as the ambiguous ending made it a memorable story.
It quite clearly suggests what Alice's story could have been like if she lived in wartime and if escaping into another world had been the only alternative for her. Unlike other movies inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Pan's Labyrinth isn't ideal for children due to some drastic scenes and the movie's finale.
1 Coraline (2009)
Neil Gaiman is one of the most creative and prolific fantasy writers of all time. The recent successful Netflix series The Sandman is based on his work, as well as the show American Gods. However, even before that, director Henry Selick adapted Gaiman's novel Coraline which serves as a fantasy horror for children. Coraline is of similar age as Alice, but her adventure might scare even Alice herself. Coraline travels to an alternate world and meets other versions of her mother and father, except they have buttons for eyes.
Just like Alice, Coraline initially thinks all is well but has to take on a dangerous female antagonist in the end. Alice in Wonderland has its scary moments, but Coraline takes it one step further, even though the movie toned down some of the novel's most intense moments. The movie adaptation is visually beautiful and leaves the viewers curious about what will the story come up with next, just like Alice in Wonderland contains many original ideas.