CareBears Adventure in Wonderland: Part 3- Alice, the Test, and the Hunger

The Book of Wonder- Princess Test

Before Alice can be crowned Princess, the Evil Wizard or the E.W. comes into the courtroom and yells,"Stop, she must first pass the Princess test." Dim and Dum stagger in carrying the very heavy Book of Wonder, an enormous book that apparently contains vital information regarding Wonderland tradition. The White Rabbit, being in charge of ceremonial activities for the kingdom and what not, is immediately shocked by this progression of events. Happy with the way things are going, the E.W. demands that he begin to read from the special and hefty tome. In the Book of Wonder states the following for "The Princess Test":

1. The Princess must travel into the Wasteland
2. She must climb Goodbye, Mountain to the very top
3. She must gather water from a well
4. She must use the water to awake the slumbering garden

Goodbye, Mountain and Hello Courage

Once Alice reaches the wastelands of Wonderland, she observes how uninhabitable this area of desolation really is. What Alice doesn't know is that Dim and Dum are plotting to cause environmental hazards for her while Tenderheart and Lotsaheart are watching over her during this dangerous undertaking. Looking down and feeling scared after slipping, Alice slows down her free-solo-climbing and then is refreshed by the Cheshire cat who once again raps his advice. He tells Alice,"while the other CareBears are using their heads you just remember to use your heart." As Alice continues to climb upward with her new sense of confidence because of the rap's energetic vibes, Dim and Dum unleash a huge snowball towards Alice. Lotsaheart and Tenderheart fire up their glowing bellies and create a rainbow trampoline over Alice's head, bounce the snow ball back into the sky, and turn Dim and Dum into snow men. Reaching the tippy-top, Alice sees that the secluded area is beautiful and in the distance the well the book mentions. Dim and Dum see this as another opportunity to thwart Alice by tossing her in the well. Before the two henchmen make it to Alice, once again Tenderheart and Lotsaheart use their rainbow power of care to cause Dim and Dum to run up a rainbow and fall into the well immediately after the rainbow vanishes. Alice gets the cup of water, makes it to the bottom of the mountain and then hears something crying nearby. When the CareBears suspect it's a trap, it turns out to be instead a little unicorn tangled in a patch of thorns. Alice, being a compassionate soul, uses her remaining water to quench the unicorns thirst and carries it back to the palace.

The Slumbering Garden Needs to Wake Up

The E.W. sits on the Queens throne thinking he has won as Alice immediately afterwards walks into the courtroom holding a baby unicorn in her hand. The Queen, the White Rabbit, and the citizens cheer because they think Alice has passed all the tests. "Not so fast," says the E.W. "She must still make the slumbering garden bloom." Alice upset says she used the water to help the unicorn. Turns out apparently this whole thing was a ruse because regardless of the water, a true princess apparently just needs to touch the flowers to make them awake. Here's where things get tricky for our little gang. The E.W. has the remaining CareBears put in sack clothes so they can't interfere with the final challenge. The Cheshire Cat turns into a spider causing Dim and Dum to freak out and then topple into the E.W. After all of this commotion we see Alice start to make the flowers awake with her gentle touch. Long story short Alice and the Princess switched places prior to the walking out of the garden because the other CareBears made it back in time after the mountain portion of the test. As the E.W. begins to chase her, the CareBears shout, "CareBear Stare" and then their glowing belly power blasts him with their caring goodness of heart rainbow beams. This may seem strange but hey it's a visual representation of the power of caring so cut the animators some slack. The E.W. looking highly constipated yells, "she can't be the real princess because I had the real princess kidnapped". At this point all of Wonderland boos the E.W. Our bad guy tries to run away but gets spooked by our friendly jabberwocky friend, Stan. The Queen's guards drag the E.W. away as he rants that he's the king.

Journey's End and Good Nights Rest?

The White Rabbit hands Alice a flower to show his kingdom's gratitude. The Princess of Wonderland thanks Alice and tells her to, "Remember you are as special as you think you are" because this whole adventure really has been a giant metaphor for Alice to gain confidence in herself. The Princess uses her Wonderland powers to heal the shattered mirror and Alice enters the looking glass one last time leading her back to her room with Dinah, her cat. The CareBears use their cloudcars and travel back to their Care-A-Lot base of operation where Grumpy Bear immediately races the whole gang back to the refrigerator. As Grumpy begins to eat, he starts to rap about how hungry he's been all day. During his rap and while the credits are rolling the Cheshire Cat starts eating Grumpy's food while invisible and then proceeds to rap about the conclusion of the movie. As a side note this is a great feature that needs utilized more: mainly the idea that the characters reflect on their experiences. Pixar often puts interesting things in their credits so kudos to them.

Now that you've read parts 1, 2, and 3 hopefully you learned something about this great classic. I am saddened that this dvd is only available to people in the Australian region and not for US dvd players. While many adults may complain about musical hits throughout the film, I believe the music in this movie helps strengthen the experience. It is also interesting the decision the animators made by separating the two groups frequently and reuniting them throughout the adventure. Also in terms of Fantasy, I believe shows like Adventure Time and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic are trying to tap into this absurd universe of pure fantasy with strange creatures, unique terrains, and silly characters. Now go forth my interns and make the world proud. Just remember to not accept rides from strangers, use your head, use your heart, and be special.