Have you ever seen a movie preview and thought, “I really don’t want to see that movie?” I was faced with this dilemma at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We were given the option of seeing an advanced screening of Alice Through the Looking Glass or a meeting with Doc McStuffins. My children are too old for Doc McStuffins, but, based on the previews, we weren’t sure of Alice Through the Looking Glass. This, my friends, is called a dilemma.

Alice in Wonderland is a novel written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. It tells the story of a young girl who follows a rabbit down a hole into a fantasy world full of talking animals and strange happenings. The sequel, Through the Looking Glass was published in 1871 and continues Alice’s adventures. In 1961 Walt Disney produced an animated version of the book, and I have seen the animated version. 

In 2010, Tim Burton directed a live-action film entitled Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Mia Wasikowska. In Alice Through the Looking Glass, Depp, Bonham Carter, Hathaway, and Wasikowska return in their roles. The story begins when Alice returns from sailing to Asia with her father’s ship. She is extremely excited to return to China to begin a trade partnership. However, before she has a chance to start another expedition, she finds herself jumping through a mirror and on an adventure to save The Mad Hatter. Alice, in a race against Time himself, is forced to take a look at her own life and make some difficult decisions. 

Since we had not seen Alice in Wonderland, and the previews for Alice Through the Looking Glass did not seem like a movie my children would enjoy, we were very unsettled. And please don’t hate me, but. . . I am not a fan of Tim Burton. However, one of the deciding factors in support of seeing the movie was that at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration we had the opportunity to hear from Suzanne Todd, Executive Producer. She is cute, spunky, and spoke with such passion about working on this film. She loves Alice and Alice’s spirit of trying the impossible. Alice is a strong woman who understands the importance of family, and she is not afraid of taking risks.

In addition to hearing from Suzanne Todd and seeing an advanced screening of the movie, we also had the opportunity to see the costumes and some of the set props. I regret that I did not truly appreciate this because I was so overwhelmed with the conference as a whole.

If you haven’t seen the Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, never fear. You can still see this movie and not feel like you missed anything. In fact, after viewing this film, my family watched Alice in Wonderland and quite frankly, this second movie is better than the first. I am so glad that my family decided to see Alice Through the Looking Glass. We enjoyed this movie immensely. The previews were dark and scary looking, and I have had many people tell me that they didn’t like the preview and didn’t want to see this movie. However, things aren’t always what they seem, and I am pleased that I gave it a try. It is visually stunning, a great storyline, and there are wonderful messages woven throughout.

Overall, I think this movie is suitable for ages 7-8 and up. Children younger than that may not understand the storyline. Plus there are a few scary scenes. My 11 year old autistic son asked to be “taken to the restroom,” which is his code for “Get me out of here.” He only asked once and came back in to finish watching the movie. If you would like to know which scenes I think may cause a problem, feel free to message me at [email protected] or on Facebook at A Mother’s Random Thoughts.

Disclosure: I attended the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and received discounted rates and tickets to events and attractions including entrance into the advanced screening of Alice Through the Looking Glass. All thoughts, opinions, and sentiment are my own.