From Wonderland to Neverland
The 1950s were some of the classiest years for the Walt Disney Studios. In addition to releasing animated films such as Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and Sleeping Beauty (1959), the studios began producing live-action films with Treasure Island (1950), and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Disneyland was also built and opened on July 17th, 1955. Business couldn’t have been going better for Walt Disney at this time, which was terrific considering the outbreak of World War 2, as well as the unfortunate studio strike in the early 1940s. The studio had been on the verge of closing because of both of those things, but Walt was able to keep his studio afloat, primarily because of the success of Cinderella (1950).
After coming off of Cinderella (1950), Walt produced Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). Alice in Wonderland (1951) flopped in its initial release, but has gone on to gain popularity today. Peter Pan (1953), on the other hand, was a huge hit in its initial release, and has gone on to be considered a true Disney classic to this day. Did you know, however, that Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) share two remarkable connections?
The first connection between these two films is the voice talent. 3 actors who voiced characters in Alice in Wonderland (1951) also went on to voice characters in Peter Pan (1953). Kathryn Beaumont who played Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951) went on to play the role of Wendy Darling in Peter Pan. Heather Angel who voiced Alice’s sister in Alice in Wonderland (1951), portrayed Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan (1953). Bill Thompson, who voiced the White Rabbit and the Dodo Bird in Alice in Wonderland (1951), voiced Mr. Smee and the Pirates in Peter Pan (1953). Thompson provided the voices Jock, Bull-the Bull Terrier, and the Policeman at the Zoo in Lady and the Tramp (1955), King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty (1959), and Uncle Waldo in The AristoCats (1970) as well.
The other thing that connects Alice in Wonderland (1951) to Peter Pan (1953) is a song that originally was called “Beyond the Laughing Sky.” It was a song with music by Sammy Fain (Composer of Peter Pan (1953) and The Rescuers (1977)) and Lyrics Bob Hilliard. Many songs were written for Alice in Wonderland (1951), not just by Fain and Hilliard, but also by Mack David, Gene de Paul, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, and John Ray. Many got thrown out, including one by Fain and Hilliard entitled “Beyond the Laughing Sky.” That was to be the song that Alice would sing at the very beginning of the movie where she fantasizes about what it would be like to live in a world of wonderland, where nothing would be impossible. It was decided, fairly early on, in the production of the film, for that song not to be used, because it was feared by the filmmakers that it was too reminiscent of the song “Over the Rainbow,” in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The filmmakers decided that they needed a song that would be different of melody and lyrics and Fain and Hilliard wrote a new song for the beginning scene of Alice in Wonderland (1951) entitled “In a World of My Own,” and that wound up being the song in the final cut of the film.
When Peter Pan (1953), which was around the same time as Alice, Sammy Fain decided to revisit the melody he had written for “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” when he was assigned to Pan, along with Sammy Cahn (who’s wrote many Frank Sinatra hit songs, i.e. “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “All the Way,”) to write the lyrics. Together they wrote different lyrics, and “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” became the song heard over the main titles of Peter Pan (1953), “The Second Star to the Right.”
Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) are both unique cartoon movies for their own reasons, and yet it is quite interesting what they have in common with each other. Both movies celebrated their 60th anniversaries not too long ago, and Alice in Wonderland (1951) was given the live-action treatment by Disney in 2010, with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Peter Pan has been adapted numerous times for live-action, on film and on stage, though none of which have been done by Disney. Disney has, however, produced several sequels to Peter Pan (1953), including a theatrical sequel, Return to Neverland (2002), six C-G-I Tinker Bell Movies, and a television series called Jake and the Neverland Pirates (2011). Even though Peter Pan (1953) has received much more popularity than Alice in Wonderland (1951), the similarities of the movies can increase one’s respect and appreciation for both movies even if they favor one above the other.
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