Dubbing Alice in Wonderland for Indonesia requires transforming logical absurdity into culturally coherent silliness. The 1951 and 2010 Indonesian dubs demonstrate that successful localization prioritizes laugh triggers over lexical loyalty. Future research should examine audience reception among Indonesian children: Do they perceive the dubbed Wonderland as “weird” in the same way English-speaking audiences do? And how do dubbing studios handle newer adaptations, such as the 2021 Alice’s Wonderland Bakery series, which introduces modern slang?
The 1951 dub omits the character “Bill the Lizard” entirely in one scene where chimney-sweeping terminology is used. Instead, the dialogue refers simply to “kadal itu” (that lizard). Similarly, the 2010 dub replaces “treacle well” (unknown in Indonesian culinary context) with “sumur madu” (honey well), shifting from a molasses-based reference to a locally recognized sweetener. alice in wonderland dubbing indonesia
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland presents unique challenges for dubbing due to its heavy reliance on English puns, Victorian cultural references, and logical absurdities. This paper examines how Indonesian dubbing of the 1951 Disney animated film and its 2010 live-action sequel adapts Carroll’s linguistic chaos for an Indonesian-speaking audience. Using a comparative analysis of source and target dialogues, the study identifies three primary strategies: domestication of puns, structural neutralization of nonsensical syntax, and the localization of character honorifics. Findings suggest that Indonesian dubbing prioritizes comprehensibility and humor retention over lexical fidelity, often replacing English wordplay with locally relevant rhymes and cultural metaphors. And how do dubbing studios handle newer adaptations,
A notable gap: Indonesian lacks the layered class distinctions of Victorian England. The Duchess’s moralizing (“Speak roughly to your little boy”) loses its satirical edge when translated literally, as Indonesian parenting proverbs do not map neatly to Carroll’s parody of didactic verse. Similarly, the 2010 dub replaces “treacle well” (unknown