The Wonderland (2019) User Reviews

A Ghibli Inspired Adventure

[aaronlol-46752 · 6/10 · 31 January 2020]

This movie makes me very conflicted, I want to like this movie, and I do, but there's no doubt in my mind that there's a lot of flaws holding it back.

TLDR: Did this movie make me laugh? Definitely, and fairly often, actually. Did it make me roll my eyes? Quite often on that count as well, haha. But most importantly, did I enjoy my movie going experience? I would say yes, and I think I can recommend it without too many reservations.

Character: 7

I want to begin with this category because it definitely feels like the writers wanted this film to be a character driven bildungsroman. There are a lot of likable characters present (in particular, I really like the main duo of Akane and Chii, and also momma Midori, although admittedly, her role in the movie is pretty negligible), but the issue with all of them is that they feel one dimensional. Even the main protagonist, Akane, feels a bit flat. The movie is supposed to be a coming of age story about her growing up and taking initiative in her own life, and we see her transformation in the end, but it feels largely unearned. This is in large part due to the plot device of the momentum anchor, which I absolutely HATE. I won't go into too much detail here to avoid spoilers, but everything about the anchor makes me roll my eyes, especially when it's brought up again near the end of the movie. The other gripe I have is that the alchemist and Pipo feel like they exist only to spout exposition or move the story along, and are largely under-utilized. Overall, there was a lot of potential here but it falls short of creating super memorable characters.

Visuals: 9

I found out about this movie, and ultimately watched it, because I'm a huge fan of Ilya Kushinov, the artist behind all of the visual designs. This movie is without a doubt gorgeous. Due to the quality of the visuals, there are some obvious drops in framerate or moments where a still frame is held for just a tad bit long, but I'm more than ready to forgive the movie on that count because, unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world where studios have infinite time and money to pour into each project. There's a lot of great color imagery as well, aligning the themes of the story with the visual experience. This movie very clearly takes heavy inspiration from Studio Ghibli's takes on fantasy and worldbuilding. It doesn't achieve the same levels of believability in my opinion, but the victorian-esque fantasy world that is constructed is still quite lovely. The one thing that disappoints me is that unlike Miyazaki's works, it doesn't perfectly attach the elements of fantasy with the message that the movie is trying to tell. I was fortunate enough to go to a viewing of the movie where Kushinov flew in all the way from Japan to talk about his work on the film and some of his thoughts regarding the process, and I was simply blown away (RIP my wallet after I bought all his artbooks and a print). For me, the art is the one distinguishing aspect of the movie, and had the fidelity not been what it is, I would have trouble recommending this movie.

Story: 5

While the story isn't strictly bad, it feels very rushed and haphazard in organization. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a lot had been left on the cutting room floor in order to make deadlines. While I enjoyed watching the movie to indulge in the excellent visuals and delightful fantasy elements, the story was hard for me to care about or be engaged with. The quest to restore rain to this ailing land through the drop rain ceremony is very much a MacGuffin, and even upon its resolution feels uninteresting at best. I wish there were more scenes showing how the country and its people were suffering from the lack of rain, rather than the excessive number of moments spent showing cute sheep (which I admit are undoubtedly adorable) or fleshing out the subplot about the knitting competition (which ultimately feels tacked on and unimportant). I mean, come on, the land is gorgeous, green, and lush, and it doesn't look like it's in need of a single drop of water. There was also a dark, depressing, London-like city that was meant to showcase the suffering and hardship, but again, it's not aptly developed or effectively implemented. I would love to see what the studio could achieve by telling this story in the form of a show, rather than a movie. There, you could take full episodes to truly explore the world or show Akane helping the people, rather than forcing everything onto a linear track that slowly progresses towards a predictable conclusion.

Sound: 7

It's been two weeks since I've seen this movie, and admittedly the sounds aren't the freshest memories in my mind, but maybe to some extent that means there wasn't anything particularly memorable for me to recount. That said, I think that in the quieter moments of the movie where the sound design really comes through and pulls you into the world. There are a couple songs that I did stick with me, but none of it really stands out as the highlight of the movie. This is kinda cheating, but I also really liked the cover of "The Show" by Milet in the end credits.

Enjoyment: 6

I think this is one of those movies that in the moment, you can really enjoy while watching it, but as you reflect on it as a whole, it comes apart bit by bit. I do want to point out a couple of the strengths here, however. Overall, the comedy was effective and generously meted out, albeit usually as one-liners or simplistics jokes. In particular, I thought the visual comedy was done very well. If I haven't gushed enough about the art in my visuals section, I just wanted to point out how beautiful the movie is again, haha. It is, in my opinion, the film's single biggest strength. Where it falls apart for me is that I wish the movie had done more showing and less telling. The movie equips the audience with two characters that simply explain every foreign object or fantastical detail instead of letting the audience process the information on screen for themselves. Ironically, many of the plot elements also feel under explained or lacking of a clear and consistent line of logic. I think this movie could be a great family experience, but reading subtitles will likely be challenging for kids.

Conclusion:

I've actually never written a review before, but I thought this might be helpful for those deciding on whether or not to see the film, since I was lucky enough to catch an early showing. I hope my thoughts are helpful to at least a couple of people. I watched this movie in a double anime feature night, during which I watched Weathering With You right after I finished this film and heard the artists thoughts on the process, and the juxtaposition of the two movies really made me wonder what this movie could have been. I think that despite the missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential, the movie still has solid enough legs to stand on. I genuinely enjoyed the experience, and I would say that it's worth watching at least once.

Stream It

[calivsey · 6/10 · 3 February 2020]

A perfectly adequate adventure story, The Wonderland is enjoyable if not substantial. The film suffers from a generic plot and excessive length, but the animation is impressive and well stylized. If looking for an entertaining family friendly viewing, you could certainly do worse.

rather uninteresting fantasy adventure

[geonosianindustries · 6/10 · 2 February 2022]

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.

I Have No Idea What This Movie Was About (I would say spoilers ahead, but there is nothing to spoil)

[mikethebaptist · 3/10 · 16 February 2020]

First of all, I have no idea what this movie was supposed to be about. There were several subplots going on, none of which were really fleshed out, so in the end it just seemed like several very different stories popped into the blender and -- voila! Wonderland Smoothie!

Let's start with the good, shall we, though? The art is nice. Even though the character designs take some getting used to. (The lack of noses, maybe?) The scenery is pretty breathtaking.

Now the rest. When we first meet our heroine, she is a whiny Junior High student who doesn't want to go to school and tells her mom she is sick. Then an anatomically correct tomcat comes and sits on her face. (We're in for a good one here, folks.) She gets mad and pulls the cat's tail. Fast forward, we're whisked to the Wonderland with a mustachioed stranger and his pint-sized helper through a basement door in a friend's shop. We are standing on top of a tall tower where our heroine is sodomized by a giant pink pelican. Thankfully, some villains in a tank come along and start knocking down the tower to interrupt the sodomy-session. The mustachioed man whistles on a leaf and hundreds of sheep come running to save our intrepid heroes from the villains in the tank.

So we go to the sheep village, where we find out no one wants to buy their sweaters anymore because there are rumors going around that they are poor quality. But they are not poor quality, these are the best quality sweaters, by golly, and something must be done, or the town will die. So our heroes decide to go to the fair in the capital city to enter the sweaters in a contest. Then they will win the contest and the townspeople can sell their sweaters again.

As they are eating dinner in the mayor's house, we find out the other (main?) plot line. Wonderland is suffering because there hasn't been any rain. (I think.) There hasn't been any rain because the prince is sick and can't do the ceremony needed to provide the rain. And there is a wizard, too, but he is asleep. Mr. Mustache tells our heroine that she is the Green Goddess -- and then they bring out the salads. The Green Goddess is supposed to help the prince do the thing (?) and everybody will be happy because there will be water...and we can sell our sweaters again?

So they set out for the capital city. They get "warm clothing" from the townspeople, because they are going where it is cold. They stop on the road to put on the warm clothing. They are woolen onesies shaped like sheep. Then the next scene they are in the desert. In a haboob. Wearing sheep onesies. Fast forward.

The villains in their tank are driving through a city, stealing metal things, like railings off of verandas. Later, we see the villains bring their scrap metal to some guy in a foundry, who says, "We need more than this to make enough steel." And I'm thinking, "You're driving a freaking tank MADE OF STEEL!!! WHY ARE YOU STEALING BICYCLES AND RAILINGS?????" We don't know why the villains need the steel. And lo, we never find out, although later they go to the foundry guy's brother at another foundry and he gives them artillery shells...so, they needed the steel for the shells? (So they could blow up the fountain in the middle of the capital, by the way...)

I could go on, but you've probably heard enough. I do need to point out that the best line in the show is where one of the girls is drinking in a bar and notes, completely randomly, that "No alcohol, no life," which was maybe a hint that a little social lubricant might be required in order to make sense of this film?

I should mention though, that the tomcat who sat on our heroine's face shows up in the Wonderland, as a judge. Our heroine Akane is thus subjected to a kangaroo court, presided over by anthropomorphic cats, for pulling the cat's tail. She is found guilty and a tail magically grows on her and the cat then pulls it as her punishment. She promises never to pull a cat's tail again. They live happily ever after. Roll to credits.

Just kidding, there's still way more to this movie, but needless to say, they get the water turned on again, and everybody is pretty much the same as they were at the beginning, just a little more confused.

Could be better

[kurisutofusan · 5/10 · 29 August 2021]

I saw a review saying the design is cheaply made but I disagree.

In fact, the design of the anime is basically the only thing that I found good.

I don't mean it's a bad anime but it's a boring one ... The ending is supposed to make you feel something I guess, with the typical music found louder etc but I felt nothing because you feel that things just happen without emotional attachment...

The heroin also becomes suddenly mature without any evolution or anything, it just happens ...

The description says the heroin is not confident in herself but I don't think that's the best description ... She's just annoying... She's not happy and feels like a spoiled kid.

They could have made the story focus more on her evolution and how she matured but not much was shown on that...

In fact, Chii was the one that should have been the heroin, I guess. Not that it would have made the anime good, just better.

The story is very predictable... As soon as the legend read told, I guessed that the mother knew about the world and was the woman from 600 years ago, that she somehow knew the daughter would need to go and it was her birthday present. It was obviously a "time goes at a different place" world.

I guessed all that at the very beginning because it's not a very creative story.

As soon as we saw the bad guy, I told my wife "that's the prince" and when we saw him as a robot doll, I said "he was transferred to the current body".

I said that because in other movies or anime, it happened but I didn't think I would be right. But I was ...

I'm not saying that to pretend I see the future but just to show you how uncreative this anime is.

And really, it's too bad because the visuals are good (even though faces look alike other than for haircuts) and if the story had been better, it could have been a great anime.

More like Miyazaki than Carrol

[BabelAlexandria · 8/10 · 2 April 2021]

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.

Nothing New

[westsideschl · 3/10 · 7 December 2020]

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).

A Colorful Visit to a Wonder(ful)land

[alisonc-1 · 9/10 · 14 July 2019]

Teenage Akane is unmotivated and moody, just like any teenage girl. She always feels put out by her mother's requests, never more so when she's sent to see her shopkeeper aunt Chii to pick up her own birthday present! Once there, however, Chii and Akane are visited by strangers from the basement, Mr. Hippocrates and his apprentice Pipo. But Mr. Hippocrates is an alchemist, Pipo is an elf, and the basement is a portal into another world, one that desperately needs Akane's help to avoid utter destruction.... A few years ago I saw another animated film by director Keiichi Hara, "Miss Hokusai," and was very taken with the incredible beauty of the work; the director works the same magic here, with some stunningly gorgeous backgrounds (and foregrounds for that matter), along with a story filled with imagination from an evil mouse-shaped monster machine to oversized sheep who provide wool *and* protection, to the very real crisis that the Wonderland is facing, that of running out of water. Oh, and there's an enchanted Prince, too! Even if the viewer isn't taken by the story itself (based on "Strange Journey From the Basement," a children's book by Sachiko Kashiwaba), s/he will certainly enjoy simply watching this very colorful feast for the eyes.

Much More Depth than Meets the Eye!!!

[rpcyndigao · 8/10 · 16 March 2020]

Aside from the breathtakingly beautiful artwork and design from Ilya Kuvshinov, the storyline, although lacking in a some small aspects (I will discuss later), also serves as a wonderful coming-of-age story. As a teenager watching the film, it did feel very slow-paced at times, but the pacing certainly gave time to appreciate the beautiful story and to contemplate each detail of the animation while watching it.

Some moments of the film were too predictable, but that can be said about most movies, once you've watched enough to understand how directors tend to portray their target themes. The major flaw in the story is that it is indeed quite generic in plot and the message is rather simple: Akane is an ungrateful teenage girl who is well-loved by both her family and friends; she is very average and dislikes standing out (which is a common societal behavior in Japan, apparently, where you are encouraged to blend in with the crowd). So in context, the story tells about how it is important to embrace your own unique characteristics and to be brave enough to fulfill your destiny, instead of wasting the precious few chances that you might receive through your life.

This is a movie that just gets better the more you think about it. At the end of the story, I was puzzled as to why (SPOILER - skip to the next paragraph) Akane's mother seems to recognize the gift that Akane brings home and smiles upon seeing their cat lie down on it. My hypothesis is that Akane's mom was the previous Goddess of the Green Wind! Just as the royal family is connected to water in the Wonderland world, it would make sense that Akane's family is linked to the goddess of the green wind. Upon doing the math, since 1 day in the Wonderland equates to 1 hour in Akane's world, and the previous Goddess arrive 600 years ago, this translates to exactly 25 years in Akane's world. 25 years ago, Akane's mother would have been very close to Akane's age at the time, perhaps a little older (but the previous Goddess did look older in the historic artwork from the Wonderland world). This would explain Akane's mother's reaction to both her cat (she probably chose to adopt the cat because of her own adventure) and the Prince's gift to Akane. All of this lines up with the fact that Akane's handprint matches the previous Goddess's exactly; this is just a matter of genetic likelihood.

Again, these are just my own speculations, but Birthday Wonderland is sure to leave an impression on you as long as you take the time to really appreciate every detail in the movie. Yes, it is predictable. Yes, the storyline is generic. But! It still makes for a heartwarming evening to remind you of your childhood imagination, and the utterly adorable artwork will definitely bless your eyes. I teared up at the climax of the story from the sheer beauty of this artistic masterpiece, and thoroughly enjoyed the journey despite how simple the film was. Before watching, it is important to realize that this film was never meant to be a breakthrough award-winning chef d'oeuvre! It's meant to appreciated like a Studio Ghibli film, something that is touching and heartwarming and simple but with a powerful hope-inspiring message. It's what I call a 'feel-good' movie, because that's all it's supposed to do: make you feel good!

A true wonderland

[pinkrosepanda · 10/10 · 21 July 2022]

It's the most wonder movie I have even see. It funny and amazing. I like how it show coming of age and showing a girl with the lack of self- confidence and show the prince in this movie lacks self-confidence too just like her. Plus I like amazing scene like the underwater scene and when The Alchemist gets turned into a fly. But I also love the mystery and the ceremony scene and I love that the godess was the girl mother and that if it happened before it might happen again in that world cool. I kind of like a story like that so that why I give it a 10.

Amazing Visuals and a Fun Watch

[smithcj-10080 · 8/10 · 11 March 2023]

The main standout of this movie are its visuals. The visuals alone are reason enough to give it a watch. Every scene is so colorful and there are so many beautiful landscapes in this film. The character designs of many of the Wonderland residents are also pretty cool! The visuals are definitely the film's strongest aspect.

The story is a bit weaker, and I never really felt a deep connection with the main characters. However, the story is decent enough, and it makes enough logical sense for me to follow.

This movie left me with a sort of warm fuzzy feeling after watching it that I felt compelled to write this review. In many ways this movie feels like a cult classic. Is it the best movie in the world? No, but it's a fun way to spend a Friday night!