If you grew up in the mid-eighties, there’s a high probability that your core memories involve a very specific, slightly unsettling version of Lewis Carroll's world. I'm talking about the Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 television special. It wasn't just a movie; it was a two-night event produced by Irwin Allen. Yeah, the "Master of Disaster" who gave us The Poseidon Adventure.
It was weird.
Most people remember the first half—the Alice in Wonderland part—but the second night, focusing on the Looking Glass world, is where things got truly bizarre. It’s a massive piece of nostalgia that feels like a star-studded fever dream. You have Natalie Gregory as a pint-sized Alice, looking genuinely overwhelmed by a rotating door of Hollywood legends in heavy prosthetics.
The Irwin Allen Touch: Why Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 Felt Different
Usually, when we think of Alice, we think of the 1951 Disney animation or maybe the CGI-heavy Tim Burton versions. But the Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 production had this distinct "variety show" energy. It was filmed on massive soundstages with bright, flat lighting that made everything look like a high-budget school play, yet it featured some of the most terrifying creature designs of the decade.
The Jabberwocky? Absolute nightmare fuel.
Steve Allen wrote the songs. They were catchy in a Vaudeville sort of way, but they also felt strangely out of place against the backdrop of Alice trying to navigate a literal chess board. It was a bridge between the old-school Hollywood musical and the burgeoning era of dark fantasy films like Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal.
The pacing is erratic. One minute you’re watching a whimsical dance, and the next, Alice is being chased by a monster that looked way too real for a family broadcast. It’s this tonal whiplash that makes the 1985 version so memorable for Gen X and older Millennials. It didn't treat the source material with the "preciousness" we see today; it just threw everything at the wall to see what stuck.
A Cast That Makes No Sense (In a Good Way)
Honestly, looking back at the credits is like reading a "Who's Who" of 20th-century entertainment. You’ve got Carol Channing as the White Queen, screaming about jam every other day while literally turning into a sheep. It was camp. It was loud. It was exactly what you’d expect from a Broadway legend.
Then there’s Ann Jillian as the Red Queen. She played it with this sharp, aggressive energy that actually captured the "off with their heads" spirit better than most. But the real kicker for many was seeing Ringo Starr as the Mock Turtle or Sammy Davis Jr. as the Father William.
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Think about that for a second.
Sammy Davis Jr. doing a tap-dance routine in a Lewis Carroll adaptation. That’s the kind of crossover that simply doesn't happen anymore. The production value was high, but the "green screen" tech of the time (Chroma Key) gave everyone a fuzzy blue outline. It added to the hallucinatory feel of the whole experience.
The Jabberwocky Factor
We have to talk about the Jabberwocky. In the 1985 Alice Through the Looking Glass segment, this creature was a man in a suit, but it wasn't a "cheap" suit. It was a hulking, scaly, winged monstrosity that lurked in the woods. For a TV movie, the effects were surprisingly gritty.
Many kids who tuned into CBS those two nights were left with lingering fears of dark hallways. It’s a testament to the creature shop that they managed to make a poem come to life in such a visceral way. They didn't use CGI. They used rubber, smoke, and clever camera angles.
Why the "Looking Glass" Sequel Often Gets Overlooked
Usually, the first book gets all the glory. People know the tea party. They know the Cheshire Cat. But the Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 adaptation gave the second book its own dedicated space, which is rare. It followed the chess game structure—mostly.
Alice starts as a White Pawn and wants to become a Queen.
The move from the nursery into the Looking Glass world was handled with a simple, effective practical effect. Alice touches the mirror, it ripples, and she’s through. It’s a classic trope, but in 1985, it felt like magic. The narrative flow of the second night is much more somber than the first. There’s a sense of ending, of Alice growing up.
Behind the Scenes: The Master of Disaster Does Wonderland
Irwin Allen was known for blowing things up or sinking ships. Why did he do Alice?
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Basically, he wanted a hit. He saw the potential for a massive, multi-generational audience. He brought in his usual stable of actors—people he had worked with on disaster films—and placed them in the Tulgey Wood.
- Production Cost: It was one of the most expensive TV movies of its time.
- The Format: Spanning four hours over two nights allowed for a much more faithful (if bloated) adaptation of the text.
- The Music: Having Steve Allen compose was a bold choice that leaned heavily into the "Variety Hour" aesthetic of the 70s and early 80s.
The result was a sprawling, chaotic, and deeply sincere attempt to film the un-filmable. It wasn't "cool" in the way MTV was cool in 1985. It was traditional. It was theater. And that’s exactly why it feels so distinct today.
Technical Quirks and the 1985 Aesthetic
If you watch it now, the video quality has that distinct "shot on tape" look. It’s soft. The colors are slightly bled. For some, this is a deterrent. For others, it’s pure comfort food.
The use of scale was interesting. They used oversized props to make Natalie Gregory look tiny, a technique as old as cinema itself. But in the 1985 version, the contrast between the giant "talking flowers" (played by actresses like Imogene Coca) and the small child feels particularly surreal.
It’s worth noting that this version included the "Lion and the Unicorn" sequence, which many adaptations skip. It’s a weirdly political bit of the book that Allen’s team kept in, featuring a lot of shouting and a very large cake.
Comparing the 1985 Version to Modern Remakes
Modern audiences are used to the 2016 Alice Through the Looking Glass starring Johnny Depp. That movie is an action-adventure film. It’s about time travel and "saving the Mad Hatter."
The Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 version is much closer to the book’s episodic, nonsensical nature. It doesn't try to give Alice a "backstory" or a "destiny." She’s just a kid who is confused because a goat is talking to her on a train. There’s something refreshing about that lack of "hero’s journey" structure.
How to Watch it Today
Finding a high-quality version of the 1985 miniseries can be a bit of a hunt. It was released on VHS (which many of us wore out) and later on DVD. However, it hasn't received a massive 4K restoration.
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- Check specialty retro streaming services.
- Look for the "Archive" releases on DVD; these usually contain both nights.
- YouTube often has clips, specifically the Jabberwocky scene and the "Walrus and the Carpenter" sequence.
It’s a piece of television history that represents a very specific moment in time—the transition from the "Golden Age" of TV specials to the high-concept blockbusters we have now.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 1985 Special
A lot of people think this was a Disney production. It wasn't. It was CBS.
Others remember it being "darker" than it actually was. While the Jabberwocky was scary, about 80% of the runtime is actually quite lighthearted and musical. We tend to remember the things that scared us, though, so the "dark" reputation persists.
Also, Natalie Gregory’s performance is often underrated. She had to carry a four-hour movie while being surrounded by some of the biggest personalities in Hollywood history. She stayed grounded, which provided the necessary "straight man" energy for the chaos around her.
Actionable Tips for Revisiting the Looking Glass
If you’re planning a rewatch or introducing it to someone new, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch it in two sittings. It was designed to be seen over two nights. Trying to power through all four hours in one go can be exhausting because of the repetitive song structures.
- Look past the "fuzzy" effects. Treat the Chroma Key outlines as a stylistic choice. It helps emphasize the "dream" aspect of the story.
- Pay attention to the cameos. Half the fun is identifying the actors under the makeup. Keep an eye out for John Ferraro or even Red Buttons.
- Listen to the lyrics. Steve Allen’s lyrics are actually quite clever and incorporate a lot of the original puns from Lewis Carroll that are easy to miss on a first listen.
The Alice Through the Looking Glass 1985 miniseries remains a fascinating artifact. It’s a reminder of a time when TV movies were massive events that brought the whole family together to be simultaneously entertained and slightly traumatized by a man in a dragon suit.
Whether you’re a Lewis Carroll purist or just someone looking for a hit of mid-eighties nostalgia, this version offers a flavor of Wonderland you won't find anywhere else. It’s loud, it’s colorful, and it’s unapologetically weird. Just like a dream should be.