Internet Shocked That Tim Burton Would Make Something Weird Out of Alice in Wonderland

As we all know, Tim Burton has a sober sensibility that surely will ground his upcoming 3-D motion-captured Alice in Wonderland in quotidian, naturalistic visuals. Oh wait, we don't know that? Because Tim Burton actually has a history of making things look weird all the time? So why is everybody freaking out about the trippy Alice in Wonderland character photos released today?

Far more interesting to me is the fact that Burton has revealed that his Alice is actually a sequel of sorts, placing a seventeen-year-old Alice back in Wonderland long after she's forgotten the events of the first story. With a take like that, it's only natural for Burton to go the Return to Oz route with some outré character designs. And really, are we all that surprised that Johnny Depp would seize upon the Mad Hatter role as the chance to make himself look weird and employ a funny voice? It's Johnny Depp. At this point in his career, if handed a Johnny Depp biopic, he would probably play himself with kabuki makeup, a topknot, and an accent borrowed from late-period Sally Struthers.

· First look: What a weird 'Wonderland' Burton's made [USA Today]