“Alice in Wonderland” (不思議の国のアリス), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1953, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O687
A striking original 1953 first-release Japanese B2 for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland—an unusually “musical” piece of design, built around a collage of animation stills laid over a full field of printed score paper (complete with chord grids). The result is part film poster, part songbook aesthetic: a perfect visual match for a picture marketed in Japan as a colour, feature-length musical fantasy.
For collectors, it’s a standout early-1950s Disney sheet: bold, calligraphic title treatment in vermilion, Technicolor-era colour stills, and period RKO branding that firmly anchors it in the film’s original distribution era.
Sourced by Japan Poster Shop from a private collection, this is an extremely rare poster that (from our research) has not sold at any major auction platform in the West or Japan.
Date & Japanese Theatrical Release
Alice in Wonderland premiered internationally in 1951 and was originally released by RKO Radio Pictures.
This poster is an exceptionally rare survivor from the film’s first Japanese theatrical release in August 1953 - over 7 decades ago!
The Film & Its Place in Disney’s Legacy
Produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO, Alice in Wonderland is a fully animated musical fantasy-comedy adaptation drawing on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
Its reputation has a famously “two-stage” life: the film struggled on first release, then gained a larger afterlife through subsequent reissues, television exposure, and later reassessment—one reason original first-run national posters remain particularly appealing to collectors.
Design Notes
This sheet is a beautifully idiosyncratic example of early Japanese Disney advertising:
Music as surface: the entire design is printed over staff paper and chord diagrams—turning the poster itself into a kind of visual soundtrack, echoing the “musical wonderfilm” pitch printed at top.
Central title as performance: the enormous vertical 不思議の国のアリス (“Alice in Wonderland”) is rendered in thick, textured red that reads like stamped ink or brushed lacquer—graphic, physical, and unmistakably Japanese.
Stills as storyboard: instead of one hero image, multiple film moments are presented as framed vignettes—bottle-and-tears chaos, garden encounters, flamingo croquet energy, and the Queen’s court—selling variety and spectacle.
Period hybridity: English headline typography (“Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland”) sits comfortably alongside vertical Japanese credits (ウォルト・ディズニー作品), producing that classic mid-century import-poster blend: international prestige, localized impact.
Disney, RKO, and the “Imported Wonderfilm” Pitch
The top-left RKO Radio Pictures mark is more than decoration—it’s an historical fingerprint. Disney features of this era were distributed through RKO, and Japanese film databases likewise credit RKO’s Japan branch for the initial 1953 theatrical release.
Japanese Tagline
すばらしいかな！ふしぎの国の大冒険!! — “How wonderful! A great adventure in the land of wonders!!”
Condition Report
Overall condition: Very good to excellent for age (period-used example).
Original fold lines visible (notably a central vertical fold and additional fold creasing), consistent with how Japanese posters were commonly handled and stored.
General light edge wear and surface handling consistent with decades of storage; colours remain clear and attractive in the image areas.
Verso shows age-related toning and fold reinforcement/tape remnants in places (as visible in the reverse photograph); now stable.
