As Alice, Wasikowska proves the perfect stand-in for the viewer; she's been to this world before, yet thanks to the changes that have taken place since her last visit, her recollections are somewhat fuzzy. At once courageous, curious, and caring, she brings a human sensibility to a place where chaos reigns. And while the human elements of the story provide a strong foundation, it's the characters of Underland that truly give the film its color. [...] The creature design for the animal characters provides them with the perfect personalities to match the top-notch voice work of actors like Stephen Fry (Cheshire Cat) and Alan Rickman (Blue Caterpillar), giving their characters a sense of gravity that makes them every bit as real as the actors whose faces actually appear onscreen. Even if Burton has veered away from telling original stories, his visuals still possess the power to dazzle, and with Alice in Wonderland he succeeds in making the familiar feel fresh and exciting.