Anime “Alice in Wonderland” by P.A.WORKS

Stills from “Dive in Wonderland,” the first theatrical animation adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland,” have been unveiled.

This work is based on the beloved “Alice in Wonderland” all over the world, and is a “new Alice” story told from the perspective of Rise, a clumsy girl who struggles with her everyday life. While respecting the worldview of the original work, it is an original setting in which Rise, who lives in the modern age, gets lost in Wonderland. The staff includes director Toshiya Shinohara of “From Tomorrow the World in Color” and “Aquatope of White Sand”, and screenwriter Yuko Kakihara of “The Apothecary Diaries” and “Blue Box”. Animation is produced by P.A.WORKS, known for “SHIROBAKO” and “Project SEKAI: The Movie: Broken World and Miku Who Can’t Sing”. The theme song is a new song “Illustrated Book” by SEKAI NO OWARI.

The characters that appear in the film are brought to life by Nanoka Hara as Rise, a university student who gets lost in “Wonderland,” Mica Pyu as Alice, who travels with Rise and meets various people, and a star-studded cast of voice actors including Koji Yamamoto, Norito Yashima, Ryuichi Kosugi (Black Mayonnaise), Kappei Yamaguchi, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Takahiro Yamamoto, Mayu Matsuoka, Shotaro Mamiya, and Keiko Toda.

The newly released stills are a total of seven cuts that pay homage to the original “Alice in Wonderland”. They include memorable scenes that symbolize the worldview of Alice’s story, such as Alice drinking a bottle with “Own me” written on it, sitting on Rise’s shoulder stuffing her face with a cake with “Eat me” written on it, and the scene with Rise, Alice, and the Queen of Hearts holding hands and taking a step into an “unusual” world. While incorporating elements of the original work in many places, each cut depicts a “Wonderland” where “unusual” is the norm, creating visuals that exude the freshness that is unique to Japanese animation.

Director Shinohara Toshiya, who directed this film, commented on the reason why the original work continues to be loved across generations, saying, “The strong personalities of the characters and the absurd world setting. The work itself doesn’t have a real story, and there is a sense of anxiety as you don’t know where it will take you, but the world setting has a lot of room for creativity, and it is full of possibilities for artists to use the setting of ‘Wonderland’ to create new values, which is also a big attraction.”

“Alice in Wonderland” opens nationwide on August 29th.

Classic Fantasy Reimagined Through Anime Artistry

P.A.WORKS’ upcoming anime film adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” brings a refreshing Japanese twist to a beloved Western classic. The newly released stills reveal vibrant character designs, stunning backgrounds, and whimsical elements that pay homage to Lewis Carroll’s original while reinterpreting it through the lens of Japanese animation.

This project reflects a growing trend in the anime industry — the localization and reinvention of global fairy tales through anime aesthetics. By blending surreal fantasy with emotional storytelling and expressive animation, P.A.WORKS is poised to deliver a version of Alice’s journey that resonates with both global audiences and anime enthusiasts.