# Alice in Wonderland (Алиса в стране чудес) (2025 film)

**Alice in Wonderland** (Алиса в стране чудес) is a 2025 Russian musical fantasy film directed by Yuri Khmelnitsky, in which a 15-year-old schoolgirl named Alisa falls into a [Wonderland](https://www.edgepedia.org/wonderland) where the sun always stands at its zenith and time does not pass, and the residents, who call themselves antipodes, resemble her family and friends but do not recognize her.<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup> The film is not a direct adaptation of [Lewis Carroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/lewis-carroll)'s novel; it is built on the 1976 Soviet audio play of the same name, with songs written by [Vladimir Vysotsky](https://www.edgepedia.org/vladimir-vysotsky), which was itself inspired by Carroll's book.<sup>[2](https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2025/11/08/1153195-kinoskazka-alisa)</sup> It was released in Russian theaters on 23 October 2025 and became one of the highest-grossing Russian films of the year.<sup>[3](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and country | Russian fantasy, adventure, family musical; age rating 6+; running time 1 hour 48 minutes<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup> |
| Director and writer | Yuri Khmelnitsky (previously "Ice 3"); screenplay by Karina Chuvikova<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)</sup> |
| Source material | The 1976 Soviet audio play with songs by Vladimir Vysotsky, based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland<sup>[2](https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2025/11/08/1153195-kinoskazka-alisa)</sup> |
| Theatrical release | 23 October 2025, distributor Central Partnership<sup>[3](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)</sup> |
| Box office | 1,249,356,458 rubles in Russia and CIS with 3,078,941 admissions as of 31 December 2025; $16,018,703 in Russia, 9th highest-grossing release of 2025<sup>[3](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/index.php?level=6&view_best_box=1&view_best_box=3&view_year=2025)</sup> |
| Digital release | 31 December 2025 on Okko, KION, Kinopoisk, PREMIER, and Ivi<sup>[6](https://kinotv.ru/read/news/film-alisa-v-strane-chudes-vyshel-v-onlayn-kinoteatrakh/)</sup> |
| Reception | Kinopoisk user rating 6.3 from over 557,000 votes; 27% approval among Russian film critics (4 positive, 11 negative of 15 reviews)<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Plot and premise

The heroine, Alisa Koroleva, is a 15-year-old schoolgirl preparing to retake the OGE state exam. Instead of studying, she runs away to a park, where she meets a man in white and falls into Wonderland.<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup> In this world the sun hangs forever at its zenith, time does not flow, and scattered doors connect different corners of the fairy-tale land.<sup>[8](https://t-j.ru/alisa-v-strane-chudes-2025-review/)</sup> Among the residents, called antipodes, Alisa recognizes her own parents, teachers, and friends, but none of them recognizes her; to her they are strangers.<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup>

To return home, Alisa must pass a series of trials, including a sea of her own tears, the treacherous paths of a magic forest, and a deadly avalanche, and she must also grow up, because only then can she save Wonderland from a real catastrophe.<sup>[9](https://www.alisa-film.ru/)</sup> A romantic storyline runs through the film: her school crush Kostya Dodolev (Oleg Savostyuk) turns out to be the guide into Wonderland, echoing the Dodo bird, the narrator of the original 1976 recording.<sup>[10](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/media/news/4011992/)</sup>

The double roles given the adult cast map the two worlds onto each other: Milos Bikovic plays Alisa's father and the Hatter, Irina Gorbacheva her mother and the [Queen of Hearts](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-of-hearts-alices-adventures-in-wonderland), Paulina Andreeva the school director and the Duchess, Ilya Lykov the literature teacher and the [Cheshire Cat](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheshire-cat), and Sergey Burunov the Blue Caterpillar.<sup>[11](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/cast/)</sup>

## Origin in the 1976 audio play

The film's foundation is the famous Melodiya record of 1976, a two-disc audio play based on Carroll's story with songs by Vladimir Vysotsky set to music by Evgeny Gevorgyan.<sup>[12](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-09-23-chto-izvestno-o-novom-filme-alisa-v-strane-chudes/)</sup> The staging idea came in the 1970s from the theater actor and director Oleg Gerasimov, who asked his student Vysotsky to write the song texts and melodies.<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup> The record's allegorical songs met resistance: a children's theater demanded the discs be withdrawn from public access, and only the intervention of the poet [Bella Akhmadulina](https://www.edgepedia.org/bella-akhmadulina) kept them on sale.<sup>[12](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-09-23-chto-izvestno-o-novom-filme-alisa-v-strane-chudes/)</sup> At a final art council, the director Natalia Sats accused the recording studio of "corrupting children with Vysotsky's monstrous songs," according to Kommersant's account.<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup> Despite this, the album became a bestseller and entered the canon of Soviet children's culture.<sup>[10](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/media/news/4011992/)</sup>

Producer Danila Sharapov knew the record from his own childhood and decided it was good material for a screen adaptation; he described updating Vysotsky's poetry in contemporary music as both "pride and responsibility."<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://doc.ru/kino/alisa-v-strane-chudes/)</sup> Kommersant's reviewer noted that the film has almost no relation to Carroll's novel itself: the Vysotsky songs are joined by a new plot.<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup>

## Production

The film was produced by the company Mediaslovo, the online cinema KION, and Gazprom-Media Holding.<sup>[4](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)</sup> Producers included Danila Sharapov, Tina Kandelaki, Igor Mishin, and Pyotr Anurov.<sup>[4](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)</sup> Director Yuri Khmelnitsky had previously made the sports drama "Ice 3," which earned almost 2 billion rubles in theaters the year before; screenwriter Karina Chuvikova had debuted with the tragicomedy series "Chemistry Between Us." Both were graduates of the "Industriya" film school.<sup>[10](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/media/news/4011992/)</sup>

Composer Vladislav Saratovkin, known for the series "September 3," "Krasnaya Polyana," and "Unprincipled," wrote the music, adapting Vysotsky's songs to new arrangements.<sup>[4](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)</sup> Khmelnitsky said in an interview that the musical numbers were the most serious challenge, since there were many of them and each carried Vysotsky's demanding poetry; the Caterpillar's number, for example, was reworked from an intended pop-diva style into a melancholy composition with [Johnny Cash](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-cash) notes once Sergey Burunov was cast.<sup>[14](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-10-30-rezhisser-alisy-v-strane-chudes-yuriy-khmelnitskiy-intervyu/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.kursivom.ru/%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81-%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BC-2025-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F/)</sup> Saratovkin and music producer Evgeny Vorontsov later received a TEFI-Kids nomination for the film's music.<sup>[16](https://cicr.ru/nikita-vysotskiy-rasskazal-o-kinoversii-alisy/)</sup>

The lead role went to Anna Peresild, the 16-year-old daughter of the actress Yulia Peresild and the director Alexei Uchitel; it was her first major film role.<sup>[7](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/bitstream/1234/572040/1/Podruga_2025_N45.pdf)</sup> The trailer, released 2 September 2025, presented the cast including Peresild, Paulina Andreeva as the Black Queen, Sergey Burunov as the [Caterpillar](https://www.edgepedia.org/caterpillar), Milos Bikovic as the Hatter, and Irina Gorbacheva as the Red Queen.<sup>[4](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)</sup>

## Release and box office

The film premiered in Russian theaters on 23 October 2025, distributed by Central Partnership in digital format.<sup>[3](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)</sup> In its opening week it led evening screenings among Russian releases.<sup>[18](https://www.fond-kino.ru/documents/download/2651/)</sup> By 8 November its gross had passed 1 billion rubles, making it the third "billion-ruble" release of that autumn according to the state Film Fund's EAIS data.<sup>[2](https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2025/11/08/1153195-kinoskazka-alisa)</sup> By 31 December 2025 it had earned 1,249,356,458 rubles across Russia and the CIS from 3,078,941 admissions, of which 1,230,300,764 rubles came from Russia alone.<sup>[3](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)</sup> Kinopoisk's year ranking placed it 9th among 2025's highest-grossing films in Russia, at $16,018,703.<sup>[5](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/index.php?level=6&view_best_box=1&view_best_box=3&view_year=2025)</sup>

Two months after the theatrical release, on 31 December 2025, the film appeared on Russian streaming platforms: Kinopoisk, Okko, KION, PREMIER, and Ivi.<sup>[6](https://kinotv.ru/read/news/film-alisa-v-strane-chudes-vyshel-v-onlayn-kinoteatrakh/)</sup>

## Reception

Audience and critical responses diverged. On Kinopoisk the film holds a user rating of 6.3 from more than 557,000 votes, while Russian film critics gave it 27 percent approval, with 4 positive and 11 negative reviews out of 15.<sup>[1](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)</sup> Viewers praised the visual design and the ensemble; one recurring observation was the color work, with reality rendered plainer and colder and Wonderland richer but not the acid-bright palette usually used for Carroll's world.<sup>[19](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/reviews/)</sup>

Critics were split over how the adaptation handled its sources. Andrei Sidorchik of Argumenty i Fakty called the musical distinctive and well-made against the wave of domestic film fairy tales, while Lidia Maslova of Fontanka described it as a chaotic mixture of scraps of Carroll's fantasy, musical numbers from the old audio play, and familiar actors in ornate costumes.<sup>[20](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/press/)</sup> The Tinkoff Journal review found the film falling apart despite its visual merits, with the narrative switching among the paradoxical workings of Wonderland, coming-of-age and first-love stories, and Alisa's relations with parents, friends, and the world, without settling on one.<sup>[8](https://t-j.ru/alisa-v-strane-chudes-2025-review/)</sup> The same review noted that the satirical core of the Vysotsky and Gerasimov audio play, which had wittily recorded the absurdity of stagnant "timelessness," survives only in a few scattered jokes about mad courts and a country where "everyone is afraid to do anything."<sup>[8](https://t-j.ru/alisa-v-strane-chudes-2025-review/)</sup> Khmelnitsky, responding to viewer reactions, said he was glad that many people wanted to reread Carroll's book or listen to the Vysotsky records for the first time.<sup>[14](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-10-30-rezhisser-alisy-v-strane-chudes-yuriy-khmelnitskiy-intervyu/)</sup>

## References

1. [Алиса в Стране чудес (2025), Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/)
2. [Киносказка «Алиса в Стране чудес» собрала 1 млрд рублей, Ведомости (8 ноября 2025)](https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2025/11/08/1153195-kinoskazka-alisa)
3. [АЛИСА В СТРАНЕ ЧУДЕС: кассовые сборы, Кинометро](https://www.kinometro.ru/release/card/id/55234)
4. [Фильм «Алиса в Стране чудес» 2025: дата выхода, трейлер, актеры и сюжет, РБК Life](https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/68c5d5fe9a7947869e65b906?ysclid=mhq2tgelbl692356430)
5. [Лучшие кассовые сборы в России: 2025, Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/index.php?level=6&view_best_box=1&view_best_box=3&view_year=2025)
6. [Фильм «Алиса в Стране чудес» вышел в онлайн-кинотеатрах, КиноТВ (31 декабря 2025)](https://kinotv.ru/read/news/film-alisa-v-strane-chudes-vyshel-v-onlayn-kinoteatrakh/)
7. [В прокате «Алиса в Стране чудес» с Пересильд, Андреевой и Буруновым: рецензия, Коммерсантъ (22 октября 2025)](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8140512)
8. [«Алиса в Стране чудес»: отзыв, актеры, сюжет, Т—Ж](https://t-j.ru/alisa-v-strane-chudes-2025-review/)
9. [Официальный сайт фильма «Алиса в стране чудес»](https://www.alisa-film.ru/)
10. [«Алиса в Стране чудес»: суматошный мюзикл о потерянном времени, Кинопоиск Медиа](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/media/news/4011992/)
11. [Алиса в Стране чудес (2025) — актеры и съемочная группа, Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/cast/)
12. [Фильм «Алиса в стране чудес» с Анной Пересильд – что известно, TV Mag](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-09-23-chto-izvestno-o-novom-filme-alisa-v-strane-chudes/)
13. [«Алиса в Стране чудес», Документальное Кино (DOC.ru)](https://doc.ru/kino/alisa-v-strane-chudes/)
14. [Режиссер Юрий Хмельницкий рассказал, как создавалась «Алиса в Стране Чудес», TV Mag (30 октября 2025)](https://tvmag.ru/article/movies/2025-10-30-rezhisser-alisy-v-strane-chudes-yuriy-khmelnitskiy-intervyu/)
15. [«Алиса в Стране чудес» — фильм 2025 г.; Россия, КУР.С.ИВ.ом](https://www.kursivom.ru/%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81-%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BC-2025-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F/)
16. [Никита Высоцкий рассказал о киноверсии «Алисы в Стране чудес», CICR](https://cicr.ru/nikita-vysotskiy-rasskazal-o-kinoversii-alisy/)
17. [ПОДРУГА №45, ноябрь 2025](https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/bitstream/1234/572040/1/Podruga_2025_N45.pdf)
18. [ЕАИ, Фонд кино, 23.10–29.10.2025](https://www.fond-kino.ru/documents/download/2651/)
19. [Алиса в Стране чудес (2025) — отзывы и рецензии, Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/reviews/)
20. [Алиса в Стране чудес (2025) — отзывы критиков, Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6218104/press/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Musical and music films (individual works) › Musical films of the 2010s and 2020s › Released 2021 to 2026*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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