The Wonderland Experience

Fall Down the Rabbit Hole and into Wonderland starting in Lewis Carroll’s Drawing Room where you will receive your Lost map of Wonderland. Continue through the Hallway of Doors, followed by the contemplative surrounds of The Pool of Tears and heading next to the quirky Looking Glass House. The whimsical environment of The Rabbit Sends in Little Bill welcomes you before you receive some Advice from a Caterpillar.

Get hands-on and join forces with other visitors to paint the roses red in The Queen’s Croquet Ground, before you are invited to immerse yourself in an audio-visual feast in A Mad Tea Party. Then, solve the mystery of Who Stole the Tarts before finding yourself looking at Alice’s Evidence.

Here are some highlights from selected galleries:

Wonderland, ACMI, Photo © Anne Moffat

Hallway of Doors

Taking its cue from the first chapter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this section introduces Alice Liddell, her siblings and the real-life inspiration of some of Carroll’s characters. There are also a selection of letters, contracts and books that narrates the publication of the Alice stories, their release and popular reception. An extraordinary array of the original drawings by Sir John Tenniel are featured in this section too.

Wonderland, ACMI, Photo: © Anne Moffat

The Pool of Tears

Focusing on the earliest Wonderland interpretation that moved the stories off the page, this section presents an incredible collection of original material including magic lantern slides and projectors, movie jecktor strips, and a projection that spotlights on the films that were released in 1910, 1915, 1927 and 1931.

Alice Au Pays des Merveilles (1949), courtesy of Lou Bunin Productions.

The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill

Featuring puppet creatures, set pieces, character sketches, posters and more from Lou Bunin’s 1949 production, Jan Svankmajer’s Alice (1988) and the Quay Brothers’ Alice in Not So Wonderland (2007), this section reveals the genius of stop-motion techniques.

Wonderland, ACMI, Photo: © Anne Moffat

The Queen’s Croquet Ground

Help to paint the roses red in the Queen’s Croquet ground by creating your own nonsense-inspired card solider. Developed by digital toymakers Mosster Studio in collaboration with Sandpit, this hugely fun and participatory interactive installation offers a chance to get crafty using Sir John Tenniel’s original illustration as inspiration.

Wonderland, ACMI, Photo: © Phoebe Powell

A Mad Tea Party

Developed by digital creatives Grumpy Sailor and using VFX-techniques and cutting edge projection mapping, this section literally inserts visitors into the madness and muchness of the Mad Hatter’s Tea party as it comes alive through a timed audiovisual feast.

Alice’s Evidence

The concluding section explores the identity of Alice through a powerful 18 screen audiovisual composition that uses various representations of Alice from different times, cultures and media.