1st- to those who say some of the characters were surprises and have never seen them, then you need to read Through the Looking Glass (the continuation of Alice in Wonderland)
2nd- this was not meant to be a re-make of Alice in Wonderland, so don't expect it
3rd- TIm Burton did a wonderful job with the characters and the story line. I saw it in IMAX 3D and am ready to go again. The colors were bright and it wasn't the dark kind of movie I was expecting. Johnny Depp played a great Mad Hatter.
4th- Yes kids can see it and it's not too scary, just a small scene that's not very frightening at all. I had a 7 yr old with me who has now planned her birthday party around the movie because she loved it so much.