A town likes Alice... even in the rain

Hundreds of screaming fans braved the torrential rain to greet their idols Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and a host of British actors who also star in the film.

London's Leicester Square was transformed into a wonderland featuring topiary animals but the green carpet which replaced the traditional red was a sodden welcome for the celebrities.

Hathaway, who looked stunning in a sequinned brown dress with a gold brocade jacket and metallic shoes, agreed with suggestions the film was a feminist take on the classic story.

She said outside the Odeon Cinema: "This is Alice 10 years later...when she goes to wonderland she's experiencing a return to self and I think it's a wonderful take on it."

Many of the screaming fans were teenage girls who had come to see Depp and when the star arrived, wearing a dark suit and open neck shirt, he dashed up the carpet to greet some of them.

The movie features Depp as the Mad Hatter, Hathaway as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Australian rising star Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Little Britain star Matt Lucas who plays Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Director Burton described Alice as "quietly confused" about her life which is why she goes down a rabbit hole.