Alice May: “Alisa v Zazerkal” (1982 Russian animated film)

Fans of the 1981 Soviet Alice in Wonderland didn’t have to wait long to see the same whimsical animation style applied to Through the Looking-Glass. Just a year later, the sequel aired on TV in four parts, with Marina Neyolova reprising her role voicing Alice, veteran actor Rostislav Plyatt once again serving as narrator, and the same blend of traditional cel animation and stop-motion cutout animation, in a variety of different styles, that made the ‘81 Alice so fantastical.

Once again, this is a faithful adaptation, and even less abridged than Wonderlandwas. The only major cuts are the Wood with No Names, the rowboat ride with the Sheep (most Looking-Glass adaptations seem to cut those episodes anyway), and the characters of the Gnat and the sleeping Red King. But once again there are some changes related to culture and language. The chess set is the standard black and white instead of Carroll’s red and white: thus the Red Queen becomes the Black Queen. The Looking-Glass insects are different too: the rocking-horse-flies are replaced with “river-horse-flies,” i.e. tiny flying hippos, and there’s also a slightly terrifying “baobab-fly,” a giant insect that looks like a tree. As for the book’s famous poems, “Jabberwocky” is included (though it’s less scary than in most other adaptations – the Jabberwock is a comical fuzzball), but not “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” and the White Knight’s “Aged, Aged Man” song is replaced with an original song about animals.

Meanwhile, the cheerfully surreal and whimsical tone of Wonderland continues on, with an array of inventive visual details. For example, Tweedledum and Tweedledee live on a giant phonograph, which plays a record of their nursery rhyme being sung by a chipmunk-like voice, and Humpty Dumpty’s wall is made of giant alphabet blocks, in keeping with his love of words. And Alice is still refreshingly portrayed as the quirky, plucky, adventurous girl Carroll created, with no attempt by the screenwriters to tame her.

If you like the 1981 Soviet Alice in Wonderland, you’ll like its sequel too, and if you agree with me that Through the Looking-Glass deserves more adaptations, then this one is a particular must-see.

@ariel-seagull-wings,@superkingofpriderock,@faintingheroine,@the-blue-fairie,@amalthea9