Disney launches Oscar campaign for 'Alice'

Disney has announced that it will launch an Oscar campaign for Alice in Wonderland, it has been reported.

Alice in Wonderland was released in March, starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. A major advertising campaign has been initiated in order to help Alice achieve Best Picture and Director recognition, in addition to the expected technical nominations such as art direction, makeup, visual effects and costumes, writes Deadline.

The movie's producers Joe Roth and Dick Zanuck claim that the campaign is not about money, but rather about recognition.

"I think it would be terribly disappointing not to make the top ten," Zanuck admitted. "We’re not just mercenary about that. You can’t make a billion dollar gross unless millions of people are satisfied with a picture.

"The whole point of the new rule of ten Best Picture nominees was not to exclude the most popular pictures of the year such as The Dark Knight. It was like pooh-poohing the audience.

"There should be recognition that you don’t get that business unless there were a lot of repeats and broad-based appeal and true creative accomplishment. That was the point of that discussion."

Co-producer Roth added that the March release date could have hindered the film's chances of remaining fresh in voters' minds. He said: "Disney has the challenge of reminding people. Things move so quickly now. In our world, nine months feels like nine years."