First Stills From Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

slashfilm.com has a few beautiful stills from Tim Burton's new version of Alice In Wonderland. There's some pictures of the main characters, as well as a couple of pieces of concept art.

I feel confident that the film will look amazing, but Alice is such an episodic story that it's going to be a tough nut to crack. It sounds like this film (like many Burton adaptations) will be taking a lot of liberties:

"... the film is actually a sequel to the original story, and follows Alice, now 17 years old, as she escapes from a snooty party and follows a white rabbit down a hole, back to Wonderland. The White Rabbit is convinced that he has the right girl, the one who had visited the magical land ten years prior. But Alice doesn’t remember her past visit to Wonderland."

We'll see... check out the links and enjoy!

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures, Yahoo! Movies and slashfilm.com.

Toy OTD: JUN Planning Corpse Bride Figure: Scraps

JUN Planning is still the king of Tim Burton merchandise - word has it that he was so happy with their Nightmare Before Christmas figures, that he personally requested them to make a Corpse Bride line. And they didn't disappoint!

It's another terrific figure - it looks like you snatched it right off the set. There's almost no paint work to speak of, and the articulation is pretty minimal. The sculpt and construction is so good, though, that it's still an awesome display piece (the loose, red-vinyl collar is a nice touch)!

I think the only minuses with this toy involve the base. I don't recall there being any instructions included with the figure, and setting it up isn't really intuitive. I improvised as best I could, but that leaves an awkward-looking hole in plain view, which I'm not sure is correct. Also, the base isn't really on theme with the movie - ideally, I would've preferred a cobblestone street, a wooden floor, or a patch of ground that would look more like an environment from the movie. This one strikes me as a bit generic and bland - like one you'd buy from an art supply store. Still, it's awesome that JUN included a base at all!

You can still get this figure easily and inexpensively - it costs $39.99 + shipping at wizardwebshop.com. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Dark Horse, Tim Burton's Tragic Toys For Girls And Boys: The Boy With Nails In His Eyes, Mummy Boy (2003)

Here's some great examples of how it's possible to take the trickiest of designs and make awesome toys from them.

At first glance, the original Tim Burton drawings would seem impossible designs for 3-D - at least for toys with no stop-motion armatures, or without feet bolted firmly to the floor. But Dark Horse does an incredible job! The sculpts are very true to the original art, and the paint work manages to convey some of Mr. Burton's watercolor style as well.

I've had these figures out of their packages for some time now, and there's no sign of sagging - very impressive, as that's a common problem with top-heavy toy designs. There's either some sort of armature inside the PVC, or somebody really did their homework and figured out how hard the plastic would have to be for long-term support without becoming too brittle in the process. Nice!

There's no articulation here, but that's a risky approach - joints can wind up making the figure more prone to breakage, while still not offering a lot of posing options (as we saw to a degree in McFarlane's Corpse Bride line). I'm happy to trade articulation for better stability, but that's always been my preference.

These two figures are actually part of two different three-figure sets, both of which are well worth the money, and still quite easy to find. You can get The Boy With Nails In His Eyes along with Oyster Boy and Junk Girl for $13.49 + shipping, and Mummy Boy packed with Toxic Boy and Jimmy the Hideous Penguin Boy for the same price at tfaw.com.

Burton Back At Disney

VARIETY: Burton, Disney team on 3D films
Director pairs with studio on animated duo
By MARC GRASER
Posted: Thurs., Nov. 15, 2007, 4:15pm PT

Tim Burton is pairing up with Disney to direct two 3D-animated toons, "Alice in Wonderland" and "Frankenweenie."

Two-picture deal with the Walt Disney Studios begins with "Alice in Wonderland," set to combine performance capture imagery with live action and shown in theaters in 3D.

Script by Linda Woolverton ("The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast") is based on the Lewis Carroll classic.

Richard Zanuck, Joe Roth and Suzanne Todd will produce.

Burton, who is currently wrapping "Sweeney Todd" at Paramount and DreamWorks, will tackle "Alice in Wonderland" in early 2008, with production set to wrap by May, making it a pre-strike pic.

After "Alice," Burton will helm and produce "Frankenweenie," based on his 1984 short film about a pet dog who is brought back to life by his loyal owner. Pic will be shot in stop motion animation and shown in digital 3D.

"Tim is one of the most dynamic and creative storytellers of our time and having him back at Disney is just great," said Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook.

Burton had helmed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Ed Wood" at Disney.