Wonderland at ACMI

I have a not-so-good habit of seeing exhibitions in the few remaining days before they shut. Wonderland was no exception to this habit. I'm so glad I made it before it closed!

Everyone who entered Wonderland was given a map to help them find their way. They aren't any ordinary maps though. There were four different maps based on either the Mad Hatter, The Queen of Hearts, The White Rabbit, or the Cheshire Cat. I ended up with the White Rabbit. Each character had a unique map in both shape and contents! They also included a little chip which meant if you lined up Alice's bottom half  (on the map) with her top half (on a table) an animation would play ON THE MAP!

Let's fall through the rabbit hole

Some of the original illustrations by John Tenniel were on display in some of the rooms off the Hallway of Doors. There's something a little bit magical about seeing the original artwork in person.

The Cheshire cat and some card soldiers

Alice and a mouse in the pool of tears

The White Rabbit

One end of the Hallway of Doors had a huge mirror, which was actually a giant two way window. There was access on the other side which meant you could get an excellent view of the hallway's mirror illusion.

The Hallway of Doors viewed through a two-way mirror

There were some magic lanterns and their slides on display in the Pool of Tears room. The slides were so small! The next two pictures are a couple of my favourite slides.

Alice in the garden

The White Rabbit dressed as a herald

Naturally the costume enthusiast in me looovveed seeing some cossies from different films (more a little further on). This crew were in the Looking Glass House which had mirrors everywhere!

Queen's court clubs gown for NBC's Alice Through the Looking Glass 1966

There were two giant glowing signs in the room titled Advice From a Caterpillar. This one and its mirrored version on the opposite wall. Under this sign were some concept illustrations for Disney's take on Alice in Wonderland. I snapped a picture of one of the map animations in this room too.

A question from a caterpillar

One of the White Rabbit animations playing on my map. The card spun around and the rabbit pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

The second last room was all to do with Tim Burton's adaption. There were some props, a couple of marquettes, some concept art, and (my favourite) some costumes. The Queen of Hearts costume looks so odd with such a small head!

(L-R) A sliver of Alice's armour, Alice's dress, a sliver of The White Queen's costume, and The Queen of Hearts' dress from Tim Burton's adaption

(L-R) The Mad Hatter, The White Queen, and Alice's armour from Tim Burton's adaption

It really was quite a wonderful experience. It's a pity I didn't go sooner because I would have gone again with my camera.

f you take anything from this post let it be this: don't leave seeing an exhibition until it's in its final days!

I'll leave you with me second favourite photos from the day. This was taken at the Mad Hatter's tea party. A sound and light show which brought the table to life!

Until next time! xx

We're all mad here