TOURISM bosses are preparing for a rush of visitors who want to follow the Oxford trail of Alice in Wonderland as a new movie of the popular classic hits cinema screens.

Tim Burton is directing the Walt Disney movie, which will reach British cinemas on March 5.

The film boasts a strong cast, with Johnny Depp playing the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter the Red Queen.

And the city council is expecting a boost in numbers booking up for its Alice tourist trail, which follows different locations connected to the stories.

Colin Cook, executive member for the city centre, said: “Alice and Lewis Carroll are an absolute asset to Oxford and a key part of the Oxford brand.

“The Alice story is intimately associated with the city and many of the things that inspired him are still around.

“You can still see the treacle well in Binsey village and the fireguards in the hall at Christ Church.

“The Jabberwocky tree is also still in Christ Church and Alice and her sisters could see it from the Dean’s lodgings.

“Visiting these different locations on a themed tour are a very good way of getting closer to the story and understanding the context in which it was first told in a punt on the River Thames.

“Tourists will be getting off the coach and instead of asking for Harry Potter’s college they will be now be asking for Alice’s college.

“Scenes for one of the Harry Potter films were shot at Christ Church, so in fact they will be visiting the same college.”

Maureen Lee, assistant manager of Alice’s Shop in St Aldate’s, said: “There are still some people who do not realise that Alice comes from Oxford and I hope the film will address that.

“Customers are already very excited about the film because it has such a star-studded cast.”

Also appearing in the movie are Michael Sheen and comedian Matt Lucas.

Mr Burton and wife Helena Bonham Carter own a home in Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon.

Lewis Carroll, in real life Christ Church maths don Charles Dodgson, based Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Alice through the Looking Glass (1871) on Alice Liddell — the daughter of the college dean.

In the new film, the original story has been given a “girl power” makeover by writer Linda Woolverton.

Alice, 17, goes to a party on a Victorian estate, and finds she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of people. She dashes off, following a white rabbit down a hole and ends up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before, although she does not remember it.

The cast also includes Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Christopher Lee as The Jabberwock and Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat.

Disney made an animated version of the Alice stories in 1951 and other versions have been made since, including a two-parter for television in 1985.

Joanne Butler, tourism manager for the city council, said: “At the moment we run the Alice tour several times a month, but we will increase that frequency when demand picks up.

“The new film is bound to increase the number of people coming to Oxford to find out more about Alice and Lewis Carroll.

“Christ Church is one of the main locations on the two-hour tour and we also visit Christ Church Meadow, and the Museum of Natural History because of the Dodo connection.”

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For more information about Alice tours, call the Tourist Information Centre on 01865 252200, the tours line on 01865 252037 or go to visitoxford.org/tourtickets