Alice In Wonderland 3-D is not a remake of the first Alice In Wonderland, rather a continuation of the original story thirteen years later.  Much of the story is similar to the first with slight deviations. 
I went to see the film at El Captain in Hollywood with a group of friends.  This is truly an amazing experience and if you ever get the opportunity to see a film there, you need to.  The design the entire theater and have memorabilia everywhere.  It was kind of like going to an Alice In Wonderland 3-D museum.  We even got an Alice In Wonderland bucket of popcorn (VIP, but you can buy these, they aren't exclusive). 
Our groups thoughts on characters:
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) - no one loved her, no one hated her, no one really cared about her.  We cared much more for the other characters in Wonderland.
The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) -absolutely amazing.  He played this role so well and was so convincing, at times I struggled to remember that this character was actually a character and not just a real-life nut case.
Our Favorites:
Red Queen - Helena Bohman Carter - my personal favorite. 
Cheshire Cat - it was really cool how he appeared and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
White Rabbit - an absolutely neurotic creature (as were all :)

Click hereto see pictures from the theater.