16. Alice in Wonderland, 2010

On the surface, a Disney live-action remake of Alice in Wonderland seems like a perfect fit for Tim Burton. While the 2010 Alice in Wonderland has everything that makes a Tim Burton movie so uniquely his—enchanting yet strange character designs, a Victorian Gothic aesthetic, and exquisitely-detailed, surrealistic sets—it still somehow manages to be lackluster.

The film’s standouts are its main characters, whose spooky qualities contribute to a more twisted version of Wonderland. Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, with his pale face, bright green eyes, and orange frizzy hair, resembles a crazed clown, while Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen has a giant CGI head to emphasize her haughtiness. Tweedledee and Tweedledum, with their eerie sunken eyes and rotund bodies supported by tiny, thin legs, recall The Penguin from Batman. But this version of Alice in Wonderland attempts to inject a bland, #girlpower brand of feminism into Alice’s character. She becomes a warrior leading boring battle sequences set against dull grayish hues.

This type of expansion on the original narrative, often in service of creating stronger female characters, would become a hit-or-miss trend in future Disney live-action adaptations. Despite all the visual abundance, Alice in Wonderland falls short.