Alice Comedies


The Alice Comedies are a series of animated cartoons
created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape.

''Alice's Wonderland''

Disney, Ub Iwerks, and their staff made the first Alice Comedy, a one-reel 1923 short subject titled Alice's Wonderland, while still heading the failing Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri.
Alice's Wonderland begins with Alice entering a cartoon studio to witness cartoons being created. Alice is amazed by what she sees: the cartoon characters come to life and play around. After heading to bed that night, she dreams of being in the cartoon world, welcomed by all of the characters. Alice plays with them until a group of lions break free from a cage and chase her.
Though never released, this short helped set the stage for what was to come in the later Alice Comedies, as it established the world as a playful dream and also introduced the elements which would soon define the series. The idea of setting a real-world girl in an animated world was at this point in film history still unique. The design and voice of the later series were all set by this original film.

The ''Alice Comedies'' series begins

After completing the film, the studio went bankrupt and was forced to shut down. After raising money by working as a freelance photographer, Disney bought a one-way train ticket to Los Angeles, California to live with his uncle Robert and his brother Roy. In California, Disney continued to send out proposals for the Alice series, in hopes of obtaining a distribution agreement. A deal was finally arranged through Winkler Pictures, run by Margaret Winkler and her fianceé, Charles Mintz. Because of a recent falling out with Pat Sullivan, the studio needed a quick replacement for their centerpiece Felix the Cat animated series. Disney convinced Davis's family to bring her from Missouri to Los Angeles to star in the series.

Shorts and subsequent releases

Walt Disney both directed and produced all 57 films in this series. Animation was done by Walt Disney, sometimes assisted by Rollin "Ham" Hamilton. Over the course of the series, four actresses played Alice: Virginia Davis, Margie Gay, Dawn O'Day and Lois Hardwick. The film Alice in the Jungle contains only archival footage of Virginia Davis.
The shorts in this series are now all in the public domain. In 2000, Inkwell Images released Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney in VHS, and in 2007 in DVD as part of the Golden Classics series with ten of the films as well a documentary, poster gallery, and DVD ROM. In 2007, Kit Parker Films released another DVD called Alice in Cartoonland: The 35mm Collector's Set. In 2005 and again in 2007, ten shorts in the series were released as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series. Seven were part of the Disney Rarities that was released in 2005, while three more were released as part of The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, released in 2007.
In October 2016 it was announced that the Alice shorts held by the EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam had been restored for global re-release.
#Short filmDateActressDVD releaseNotes
1Alice's Wonderland1923' and Special "Un-Anniversary" Edition of Alice in Wonderland
2Alice's Day at SeaMarch 1, 1924Virginia Davis
3Alice's Spooky AdventureApril 1, 1924Virginia Davis
4Alice's Wild West ShowMay 1, 1924Virginia Davis'
5Alice's Fishy StoryJune 1, 1924Virginia Davis
6Alice and the Dog CatcherJuly 1, 1924Virginia Davis
7Alice the PeacemakerAugust 1, 1924Virginia Davis
8Alice Gets in DutchNovember 1, 1924Virginia Davis'
9Alice Hunting in AfricaNovember 15, 1924Virginia Davis
10Alice and the Three BearsDecember 1, 1924Virginia Davis
11Alice the PiperDecember 15, 1924Virginia Davis
12Alice Cans the CannibalsJanuary 1, 1925Virginia Davis
13Alice the ToreadorJanuary 15, 1925Virginia DavisAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney
14Alice Gets StungFebruary 1, 1925Virginia Davis'
15Alice Solves the PuzzleFebruary 15, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt DisneyAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
16Alice's Egg PlantMay 30, 1925Dawn O'Day'Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney and Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
17Alice Loses OutJune 15, 1925Margie Gay
18Alice Gets Stage StruckJune 30, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney
19Alice Wins the DerbyJuly 15, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney
20Alice Picks the ChampJuly 30, 1925Margie Gay
21Alice's Tin PonyAugust 15, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
22Alice Chops the SueyAugust 30, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
23Alice the Jail BirdSeptember 15, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
24Alice Plays CupidOctober 15, 1925Margie Gay
25Alice Rattled by RatsNovember 15, 1925Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt DisneyAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
26Alice in the JungleDecember 15, 1925Virginia Davis'Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney and Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
27Alice on the FarmJanuary 1, 1926Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney
28Alice's Balloon RaceJanuary 15, 1926Margie Gay'Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
29Alice's OrphanJanuary 15, 1926Margie GayAlice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt DisneyAlice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
30Alice's Little ParadeFebruary 1, 1926Margie Gay
31Alice's Mysterious MysteryFebruary 15, 1926Margie Gay'
32Alice Charms the FishSeptember 6, 1926Margie GayFirst Alice Comedies short to be distributed by the Film Booking Offices of America.
33Alice's Monkey BusinessSeptember 20, 1926Margie Gay
34Alice in the Wooly WestOctober 4, 1926Margie Gay'
35Alice the Fire FighterOctober 18, 1926Margie Gay
36Alice Cuts the IceNovember 1, 1926Margie Gay
37Alice Helps the RomanceNovember 15, 1926Margie Gay
38Alice's Spanish GuitarNovember 29, 1926Margie Gay
39Alice's Brown DerbyDecember 13, 1926Margie Gay
40Alice the LumberJackDecember 27, 1926Margie Gay
41Alice the Golf BugJanuary 10, 1927Margie Gay
42Alice Foils the PiratesJanuary 24, 1927Margie Gay
43Alice at the CarnivalFebruary 10, 1927Margie Gay
44Alice at the RodeoFebruary 21, 1927Margie Gay
45Alice the CollegiateMarch 7, 1927Margie Gay
46Alice in the AlpsMarch 21, 1927Margie Gay
47Alice's Auto RaceApril 4, 1927Margie Gay
48Alice's Circus DazeApril 18, 1927Lois Hardwick
49Alice's Knaughty KnightMay 2, 1927Lois Hardwick
50Alice's Three Bad EggsMay 16, 1927Lois Hardwick
51Alice's PicnicMay 30, 1927Lois Hardwick
52Alice's Channel SwimJune 13, 1927Lois Hardwick
53Alice in the KlondikeJune 27, 1927Lois HardwickLast appearance of Pete in the Alice Comedies.
54Alice's Medicine ShowJuly 11, 1927Lois Hardwick
55Alice the WhalerJuly 25, 1927Lois Hardwick'Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney and Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set
56Alice the Beach NutAugust 8, 1927Lois HardwickLast appearance of Julius the Cat.
57Alice in the Big LeagueAugust 22, 1927Lois HardwickLast Alice Comedies short to be distributed by the Film Booking Offices of America.