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It’s been a while since I’ve written this style of blog. Only so many IPs can even get close to the weight class of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This time, I think I’ve found a good contender to face off against the rabid Jabberwock that is Lewis Carroll’s creation. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce our contender. In the red corner, with a combined total of seven books, we have, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Oh, wait a second, what’s this? It turns out that The Chronicles of Narnia isn’t going into this bout alone. No, it seems as though Narnia has brought the (religion-dependent) son of God himself, Jesus Christ, to help with the battle. While I’m not too sure about the legality of this, I’ve been told by many bumper stickers and people with megaphones on the street that having Jesus in your corner is a good thing. You’re in for a good one today folks, it’s Lion vs. Cheshire Cat, Witch vs. The Red Queen, Wardrobe vs. Dormouse, allegories for the Bible vs. allegories for the absurdities of Victorian society. Will Alice, our raining champion add another win to its belt or will Jesus be enough to sway the judges? We will find out below.
In this first round of our showdown, we’ll examine the global impact of these two massive franchises. Both have made a good case for themselves, but only one can be victorious.
Verdict: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - We have a clear winner. While Alice and Narnia both have had a profound cultural impact, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has influenced various artistic mediums and has become a symbol of whimsy and imagination. Whereas The Chronicles of Narnia, which has deeply impacted readers with its allegorical themes and expansive fantasy world, has not shaped the culture of the world in as meaningful a way. Some may argue that spreading Christian values is more meaningful, but I’m not “some.”
In this category, let's delve into the critical acclaim of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Verdict: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Alice is the clear winner here. While both works have received critical acclaim, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wins based on pure originality alone. Another reason Alice takes this round is some critics don’t like religious undertones. There are plenty of reviews one can find ripping into Chronicles of Narnia because of this. While others will inherently love this book due to the religious bent, the divisiveness of a religiously themed children’s story hurt Narnia’s chances.
Let’s talk about language. Both franchises have left linguistic marks with unique phrases and terminology.
Verdict: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Really, are we surprised here? Off the top of my head, I don’t believe Alice has ever lost this section in past blogs. I mean, Aslan is a cool name but it’s just that, a name. It’s not a new word and I definitely haven’t used it recently. Turkish delight is a real thing and introducing the perfume-y treat to children is a disservice. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t even remember that the people of Narnia were called, “Narnians”.
It's worth noting that both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia have faced controversies related to their content and themes.
Verdict: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Oof…Are we going to have a sweep here? Look I know I’m biased because I’m paid to write about Alice and I’m the only judge here but…C’mon. Debating the appropriateness of abstract themes for younger audiences is dumb. I would argue teaching kids to think abstractly allows them to experience the world for more than what is immediately visible on the surface level. It’s a dumb debate. I really had to scrape to find controversy relating to Alice. Whereas the Chronicles of Narnia: The Racist, The Sexist, and The Indoctrination over here…Do I need to get into this?
Now, let's turn to book sales and the impact of the printed word.
Verdict: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - No, it’s not a tie and I can prove it with my incredibly limited grasp of mathematics. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a single (1) book, has sold over 100 million copies. The Chronicles of Narnia series, which is seven (7) books, has sold over 100 million copies. It’s just less. Even if we just compared the Narnia series’ best-selling installment, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (85 million copies sold), with Alice, Narnia still falls short.
Next, we compare the box office success of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Verdict: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - In terms of total box office earnings, The Chronicles of Narnia edges out Tim Burton’s Alice adaptation. But, I evened the playing field for Narnia, so it’s got to even the playing field for Alice. The first film in the Narnia series grossed $745 million. And, 2005 was the first time Narnia graced the silver screen, whereas Alice was first put on film in 1903. What I’m saying here is that more people came to see a movie that has been adapted multiple times more than a first-time adaptation. Alice wins here.
Finally, we explore theme park experiences inspired by these beloved franchises.
Verdict: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - While I’ve made my hatred of the teacups known in past blogs, that torture device disguised as a theme park ride did not hurt Alice’s chances here. I think sweeping a category is a fitting way to end a sweep of a competition here.
Okay, I just want to say a couple of things before I get to my conclusion. I know it seems like I just ripped on The Chronicles of Narnia for a while and was handing points to Alice. But, I actively tried to find a way to have Narnia be closer. And look, when I rip into Narnia for its Christian values, I know, it’s low-hanging fruit. From what I remember, most of those values are not bad. Christian values aren’t bad or worse than other religions’ values. It’s the Christians pushing them onto non-Christians that give Christian values a bad name.
Normally, I don’t go into explaining my reasoning on why Alice won because, duh, we’re on an Alice-related website. But, I do have a soft spot for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie specifically. My family friend Alejandro took me to see the movie on its opening day, December 9th, 2005. Four days before this, my father had passed away. Going to the theater and watching this movie allowed me to have some fun at a time that was, for lack of better phrasing, not fun. Due to this, I will award The Chronicles of Narnia a point in this contest. I’m not a massive fan of the books and I don’t really care about the film franchise but at the time, the movie took me somewhere else and that was nice. Ok, back to me being rude.
In all this excitement of seeing a sweep, I blacked out for a second. Wait… What’s this? The Chronicles of Narnia scored a point? What for? Making a sad kid happy? I would assume Alice has done this more than Narnia. Whatever, the judges were obviously bribed. I guess Alice does not get a sweep but it does still come out on top as the WORLD CHAMPION. I hope you enjoyed the fight. If you agree, disagree, liked, or disliked any of the judge’s rulings let me know.
Jared Hoffman graduated from the American Film Institute with a degree in screenwriting. A Los Angeles native, his brand of comedy is satire stemming from the many different personalities and egos he has encountered throughout his life. As a lover of all things comedy, Jared is always working out new material and trying to make those around him laugh. His therapist claims this is a coping mechanism, but what does she know?