For the first iteration of Wonderland, see Wonderland. |
New Wonderland[1] is a world on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the eighth episode of the seventh season.
New Wonderland is based on Wonderland from the novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Wonderland from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland, Underland from the live-action Disney film Alice in Wonderland; and also on the looking-glass world from the novel Through the Looking-Glass.
History
One point in time, Gothel visits New Wonderland and unearths a special mushroom that can be used for the Curse of the Poisoned Heart. ("One Little Tear")
Rapunzel, succumbing to her envy, squeezes liquid from the mushroom into Cecelia's drink, poisoning the woman's heart. Cecelia, in turn, runs away to New Wonderland to protect her loved ones. ("One Little Tear")
Marcus uses his locket to track her for an entire year to that realm's Infinite Maze, but before he can go searching for her, his locket stops glowing, causing him to believe Cecelia has stopped loving him. ("Pretty in Blue")
At some point, Alice visits Wonderland. ("Hyperion Heights")
In the Infinite Maze, Cecelia ends up at a tea party where she meets Alice. Cecelia tells Alice about how she had to leave her husband and her daughter, Ella, because of the curse of the poisoned heart, the very same curse Alice's father has. At some point after that, a jabberwock attacks them and the other party guests, during which Cecelia fights back but is killed in the battle, leaving Alice as the sole survivor to slay the beast. ("Pretty in Blue")
Years later, Alice runs away and Cinderella and Henry follow her through a portal to New Wonderland along with Drizella later looking to poison Henry's heart. Upon arrival to this realm, Ella leads Henry towards a cottage she believes Alice went into, only for them to be caught in a net trap. Much to Ella's bemusement, Henry finds the situation funny as he recalls how his grandpa caught his grandma in a similar trap after she hit him with a rock. Ella grabs Henry's sword, but the blade accidentally slices the rope, freeing them and sending them tumbling. Henry maintains high hopes that Alice and her father will be together again and shares his grandparents' famous motto, "I will always find you." However, Ella thinks he is a bit naive as he comes from a place where true love prevails, while her world is one of broken promises. Inside the cottage, Ella finds the Infinite Maze entrance, which makes Henry realize she is in Wonderland for other reasons. She admits she means to track down her mother Cecelia, whose abandonment broke her father's heart and she wishes to find out her reasons for leaving. After downing a shrinking potion, she rushes into the maze and stumbles into a tea party, where Alice is hiding. When Ella spots her mother's locket on a teapot, Alice reveals Cecelia was killed by a Jabberwock, but she left her family because she had the curse of the poisoned heart. Ella also learns Alice was misled by Drizella into believing she was shielded from Hook's curse. As she realizes Henry is in danger, her mother's locket starts to glow, to which she makes it in time to save him from her stepsister, who is sent home when Alice dumps a looking glass on her. Seeing both pendants glowing in sync, Ella reciprocates Henry's feelings for her by kissing him. ("Pretty in Blue")
Locations
For detailed location information, please see the list of minor New Wonderland locations.
Trivia
Disney
- Alice travels to Wonderland a second time, just like the titular character does in the 2010 live-action film Alice in Wonderland. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The design of New Wonderland, with the dark, cloudy skies,[3] dark green color theme,[3] and the design of the giant mushrooms,[4] is similar to Underland, the version of Wonderland from the 2010 live-action film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The gate leading up to the cottage[5] looks similar to the gates that the titular character walks by when she first arrives in Underland in the live-action film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The label on the bottle that Cinderella consumes, says "Drink Me,"[6] just like in animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland; as opposed to the novel, where it says "DRINK ME" in capital letters. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The Drink Me bottle that Cinderella consumes,[6] has the same design (shape) as the Drink Me bottle from the live-action film Alice in Wonderland. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The Infinite Maze is based on the Queen of Hearts' labyrinth garden from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland (in the novel, it is a beautiful garden with flower beds and fountains). ("Pretty in Blue")
- The signs in the Infinite Maze[7] are similar to the ones that Alice walks past in the animated Disney film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- A Star Wars backpack is hanging on a chair during Alice's tea party.[8] ("Pretty in Blue")
- The chairs at the tea party are mismatched, the table is situated amidst trees and hedges, the tableware is mismatched, and there are multiple teapots,[9] just like in the animated Disney film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- A Mickey Mouse telephone is lying in the grass during Alice's tea party.[10] ("Pretty in Blue")
- A tower of cups stacked on top of each other, is sitting on the tea party table,[11] just like in the Disney film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- The yellow teapot with a red floral motif[12] is similar to the one the Dormouse is inside in the animated Disney film. ("Pretty in Blue")
- During the tea party, Alice eats a slice of cake, a reference to the animated film, where the Mad Hatter and the March Hare gives the character a cake during the same party (in the novel, the tea party only consist of tea and bread-and-butter). ("Pretty in Blue")
- Alice says that she slew a Jabberwock, a reference to the 2010 live action film, where the character does just that. ("Pretty in Blue")
Props Notes
- According to a prison book prop page auctioned off on eBay in January 2020, the unhappy ending Wish Rumplestiltskin had in mind for Rogers involved being stuck in New Wonderland:[13]
of skirmishes. He was quite experienced in the common
tavern brawl. And the Jolly Roger had been boarded by
enemy pirates more times than he liked to recall. But
perhaps he had met his match in Wonderland, where
nothing made any bloody sense to him. In fact it was all
quite upside-down. Hook feared he would be lost in this
absurd place forever. It was a miracle at all that he
managed to escape from the rabid Bandersnatch. If only
that ridiculous Caterpillar hadn't been so out of his mind
as to point Hook into a bloody den of them! Hook
climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land
around him. In the distance, he could see the Infinite
Maze. Should he try his luck in that dastardly labyrinth?
Maybe the only way out was to go in. But Hook shook
his head to himself. There had to be some other way.
Hook turned and faced east where the Tulgey Woods lay
before him. The trees grew thick and menacingly in
those parts shrouding the woods in a perpetual darkness.
As Hook most often used the stars to navigate this way,
not being able to see them would present quite the prob-
lem. Perhaps his best chance would be to go through
the Meadow of Living Flowers. Hook had heard tales of
Bread-and-Butterflies large enough to swallow a grown
man whole. But with his cutlass by his side, this seemed
like a fight that he could win. The Meadow of Living
Flowers it would be. Hook climbed down from his
perch on the giant mushroom -- only to find himself
surrounded by more Bandersnatches! Bloody hell. Hook
raised his cutlass threateningly, but the Bandersnatches
only circled him more tightly. Should he fight them off
or make a run for it? Hook slowly counted down in
his head. Three.... two... one. And with that, he
bolted, the pack of Bandersnatches hot on his heel.
- Rogers' unhappy ending is a reference to his daughter Alice's trips to New Wonderland, as described in "Hyperion Heights" and "Pretty in Blue."
- The Bread-and-Butterfly, which does not appear on the show, is a creature from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass.
- The Meadow of Living Flowers, which also does not appear on the show, is based on the garden of live flowers from the second chapter of the novel Through the Looking Glass, and the meadow based on the same location, from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland.
Set Dressing
- A Mickey Mouse telephone is lying in the grass by the tea party.[14] The same prop was sitting in a case in Mr. Gold's pawnshop in "The Shepherd,"[15] "Desperate Souls,"[16] "The Return,"[17] "The Stranger,"[18] "An Apple Red as Blood,"[19] "We Are Both"[20] and "The Crocodile."[21]
- Alice says she slew the Jabberwock that attacked Cecelia. Interestingly, a sword[23] and a shield[24] can be seen propped against the trees surrounding the tea party.
- The design of the shield is almost identical to the coat of arms used by King Bors de Ganis and his son Sir Bors in Arthurian legend.[25]
- A wooden puppet similar to the one from The Adventures of Pinocchio[26] can be seen near the dining table at the tea party.[24]
- A sugar bowl in the shape of a red apple is sitting on the table during Alice's tea party.[27]
- During Alice's tea party, a black top hat is sitting on the table,[28] a reference to the Hatter and his hat.
Appearances
Once Upon a Time: Season Seven | ||||||||||
"Hyperion Heights": | "A Pirate's Life": | "The Garden of Forking Paths": | "Beauty": | "Greenbacks": | "Wake Up Call": | "Eloise Gardener": | "Pretty in Blue": | "One Little Tear": | "The Eighth Witch": | "Secret Garden": |
Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Mentioned | Absent | Absent |
"A Taste of the Heights": | "Knightfall": | "The Girl in the Tower": | "Sisterhood": | "Breadcrumbs": | "Chosen": | "The Guardian": | "Flower Child": | "Is This Henry Mills?": | "Homecoming": | "Leaving Storybrooke": |
Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Archive | Absent | Appears |
Other Appearances | ||||||||||
|
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
References
Worlds and Major Locations | |||
---|---|---|---|
|