Print

Oxford becomes Hollywood Wonderland

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Catherine Deshayes

Tim Burton's new film, Alice in Wonderland, is set to send Oxford tourism through the roof as much of the film is set in the city of dreaming spires - so just what can we expect from the latest Hollywood blockbuster?...

Tim Burton isn't one to stick to conventions and his latest film, Alice in Wonderland, proves that. The movie is a mind-bending take on the original and is set to do for Oxford what the new Sherlock Holmes has done for London.

Tourists from all over the world are expected to flock to Oxford to check out the locations used in the film, from Christ Church College to Binsey Village.

The original Lewis Carroll book was inspired by the city of Oxford and both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Alice through the Looking Glass (1871) were set there.

Lewis Carroll was the pseudonym for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a maths academic who attended Christ Church at Oxford University in 1851. He based the character of Alice on Alice Liddell, the daughter of his college dean.

Hollywood's new Walt Disney version stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (wife of Tim Burton), reunited on screen as the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen.

The city already has an Alice trail for interested visitors, which highlights key locations in Carroll's books and officials are optimistic new fans will enjoy the historic locations.

Tourism manager for the city council, Joanne Butler, said, "At the moment we run the Alice tour several times a month, but we will increase that frequency when demand picks up.

"The new film is bound to increase the number of people coming to Oxford to find out more about Alice and Lewis Carroll.

"Christ Church is one of the main locations on the two-hour tour and we also visit Christ Church Meadow, and the Museum of Natural History because of the Dodo connection," she added.

"Alice and Lewis Carroll are an absolute asset to Oxford and a key part of the Oxford brand," says Colin Cook, an executive member for the city centre.

"The Alice story is intimately associated with the city and many of the things that inspired him are still around. You can still see the treacle well in Binsey village and the fireguards in the hall at Christ Church. The Jabberwocky tree is also still in Christ Church and Alice and her sisters could see it from the Dean's lodgings.

 "Visiting these different locations on a themed tour are a very good way of getting closer to the story and understanding the context in which it was first told in a punt on the River Thames. Tourists will be getting off the coach and instead of asking for Harry Potter's college they will be now be asking for Alice's college," he added.

The film will be released in the UK on March 5^th.

Check out homes for sale all across the UK at http://www.themovechannel.co.uk/property/england/

Picture by Porcelaingirl

Bookmark This Page

Tag, share or bookmark this page:

Recent Related Stories

Subscribe to Newsletters