Tim Burton's 3D fantasy adventure movie Alice in Wonderland has premiered in London with Aussie rising star Mia Wasikowska in the lead role.
The movie also features Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Jhonny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.
Braving a torrential downpour, they strode along a sodden green carpet - replacing the usual red - as hundreds of screaming fans packed out the British capital's Leicester Square.
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla also turned out for the premiere in the square which was transformed into a magical wonderland decked out with topiary animals.
Hathaway, wearing a sequinned brown dress with a gold jacket and metallic shoes, described her character in the film as "the White Queen with a dark side".
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Asked whether the new film was a feminist take on the classic story, she said: "I definitely would agree with that.
"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."
The film is a fresh approach to the classic children's book by Lewis Carroll, and sends the main character back to the world of her childhood adventures to be reunited with old friends after a decade away.
Teenage girls turned out in force to see Depp, who arrived wearing a dark suit and open neck shirt and dashed up the carpet to greet some of them.
Director Burton is famed for his unconventional approach to classic tales, such as his 2007 movie Sweeney Todd and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from 2005.
Explaining the thinking behind his new version of Alice in Wonderland, he said: "I didn't think there was a definitive version of it, there's been 20 something versions of it and none of them ever connected to me.
"So the idea was to take that material, set it in a different story making her a little bit older and exploring the idea of someone's internal life."
Hours before Thursday's premiere, cinema chain Odeon agreed to show the film after earlier saying they would not screen it in Britain, Ireland and Italy in a row over Disney's planned DVD release date for the movie.
The Walt Disney Company is releasing the DVD of the film 12 weeks after its big-screen debut instead of the usual 17 weeks.
Wasikowska a rising star
Wasikowska was born and raised in Canberra. In 2004, she landed her first acting role with a two-episode stint on the Australian soap All Saints.
In 2006, she appeared in the film Suburban Mayhem for which she received a nomination for a Young Actor's AFI Award.
She also starred in several Australian short films and a horror movie, Rogue.
She became known for her critically acclaimed work on the HBO television series In Treatment, after which she ventured into American film.
A series of smaller parts led to starring roles in Gus Van Sant's film Restless (2011), and Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of Jane Eyre (2011).
She was a dancer until 15, when she decided to hang up her shoes and pursue acting.
