"The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland" finds voice cast with Emilia Clarke, Gerard Butler, and Simone Ashley

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is an upcoming animated musical produced by Universal Pictures Content Group and Lupus Films based on the bestselling book. Variety announced the voice cast for the project, featuring the likes of Emilia Clarke, Gerard Butler, and Simone Ashley. 

The movie will be based on the bestselling 2019 book written by Carys Bexington, “which mashed up two classic stories: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem Twas the Night Before Christmas (also known as A Visit From St Nicholas.)

While the book was written by Bexington, it features illustrations from Kate Hindley and was published by Macmillan. Gerard Butler, star of such projects as the Has Fallen film series and Greenland, will portray St. Nick. The Queen of Hearts will be played by Emilia Clarke, an actress notable for her leading television role on the hit series, Game of Thrones. Alice will be voiced by Simone Ashley, one of the stars of the acclaimed series, Bridgerton. 

The writing and directing team has also been put together, with Peter Baynton set to direct. He previously directed the 2022 short film, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Sara Daddy is set to write the script, with the unique feature of having the entire screenplay written in “rhyming couplets.”

Original music and songs will be provided by Guy Chambers and lyricist Amy Wadge, as Variety reported. The synopsis for the film has been released, with Variety reporting that, "The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is full of fun and festive twists…This time, it’s St Nick’s turn for an adventure down the rabbit hole. There he meets the Mad Hatter, recast as a high-fashion, reindeer-loving tea party host; the White Rabbit, an endearingly scatty and forgetful character; the Queen of Hearts, a Scrooge-esque tinsel-hater, her antagonistic sidekick, the Cheshire Cat and Alice herself, whose kindness helps St. Nick save Christmas.”

This won’t be the first time that both Lupus Films and Universal Pictures Content Group have worked together, as the two have previously created other film adaptations of popular books including Mog’s Christmas, a 2017 TV film that follows young Mog who feels ignored during the holidays by her family and refuses to leave her hiding place on a roof. 

Another adaptation of a book the two companies worked on includes, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, a 2019 TV movie that follows a young girl who, “befriends a tiger and invites him over for tea.” 

The production earned nominations for best voice performance (Clara Ross) and Long Form at the 2020 British Animation Awards, along with nominations from the 2021 Annie Awards for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Media Production and a nomination for Best Animated Short at the 2020 British Animation Film Festival. 

It won the 2020 Jury Prize for Best 2D short film at Animayo: The International Film Festival of Animation, Visual Effects, and Video Games, and was the 2020 Winner - Animated Encounters Grand Prix for Best Animated Short at the Encounters International Film Festival. 

Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin are the two producers of Lupus Films, and Fielding is excited about this latest project with The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland.

As reported by Variety, Fielding explained that  “It has been a joy to bring together this incredibly creative team and sprinkle some of Lupus Films’ animated magic into the mix…the wonderfully wacky characters, starry voice cast and toe-tapping tunes all come together in a fantastic festive fairy-tale for the whole family to enjoy.” 

With more on the production side, it’s noted that “Universal Pictures Content Group EVP Helen Parker exec produces alongside Butler and Alan Siegel for G-BASE and Clarke for Magical Thinking Pictures.”  

Parker also shares Fielding’s enthusiasm, adding that, “Bringing this original, festive story to life has been a beautiful journey. From the creation of the worlds of Alice in Wonderland and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to bringing in our fantastic cast to voice these beloved storybook icons, it has been a truly creative and heartwarming experience.” 

With previous projects under Lupus Films and Universal Pictures Content Group garnering acclaim and multiple awards and nominations, it looks as if the two companies are destined to follow in those footsteps and bring a new positive cinematic treat for the whole family and audiences worldwide.