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Alice Through The Looking Glass

The Spectacular Adventure

Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) has spent the past three years living her dream and sailing the high seas as captain of her own ship. Upon her return to London, she finds that, while much has changed in her absence, the antiquated views as to women’s role in society still remain and that the future she envisioned for herself may no longer be possible. While attending a reception at the home of Lord Ascot, Alice is overcome with emotions and storms out of the party and spots Absolem (Alan Rickman). Now a blue Monarch butterfly, Absolem leads Alice to a magical looking glass, through which she is able to return to the fantastical realm of Underland. There, she is reunited with her friends the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), the dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse), the Tweedles (Matt Lucas) and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who, unfortunately, is not himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana (Anne Hathaway) dispatches Alice to seek out Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen). A peculiar creature that is part human, part clock, Time lives in a void of infinitude and possesses the Chronosphere, a metallic globe which will allow Alice to go back in time to save the Hatter’s family, which the White Queen believes will in turn, save the Hatter. Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter) meanwhile, remains in exile, having been banished to the Outlands by her sister, where she has befriended Time and is plotting to steal the Chronosphere for herself. Alice returns to the past, crossing paths with friends and enemies at different points in their lives, and sets off on a perilous race across the Oceans of Time to escape Iracebeth and Time and save the Hatter…before time runs out.

Revisiting the World of Underland~

Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” captivated readers around the world when it was first published in 1865. Set in a curious world full of unusual characters, the book changed the landscape of children’s literature. The release of “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There” six years later further solidified Carroll’s reputation as one of the world’s most prolific authors.

Disney’s animated version of “Alice in Wonderland” hit theaters in 1951 and introduced a whole new legion of fans to the genius and eccentricity of Carroll’s classic tale. In 2010, the epic 3D live-action film “Alice in Wonderland,” directed by Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Beetlejuice”), was released and became a global blockbuster and cultural sensation. Today, the story and characters are indelible fixtures in the landscape of pop culture and have inspired countless stage, television and film adaptations and have made an indelible mark on fashion, music, art and literature.

For years the producers of “Alice in Wonderland” talked of a second film, but knew one thing for certain: the film would not be a straight adaptation of Carroll’s second book. “The ‘Looking Glass’ book is essentially a bunch of random and bizarre episodes from Carroll’s life which don’t bear any relation to one other,” explains producer Suzanne Todd (the “Austin Powers” films, “Memento,” “Across the Universe”), “So we had discussions about what would be interesting thematically and what we wanted the story to convey, but we just weren’t there yet.”

Reuniting the Unforgettable Characters~

The colorful characters inhabiting Underland are brought back to life by the all-star cast from “Alice in Wonderland.” Johnny Depp (“Black Mass,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) is Hatter Tarrant Hightopp, better known as the Mad Hatter, whom Alice finds more mad than usual upon her return to Underland. Desperate to find out what has happened to his family, he is out of his mind with grief when Alice first arrives.

Anne Hathaway (“Les Miserables,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) returns as Mirana, the mild mannered and kind White Queen and beautiful younger sister to the spiteful Red Queen.

Mia Wasikowska (“Crimson Peak,” “The Kids Are Alright”) is Alice Kingsleigh, the head-strong young woman raised in Victorian London who is a dreamer and a noncomfortist. Now on the cusp of adulthood, she continues to struggle with balancing her inherent curiosity and conforming to other people’s expectations.

Adds Bobin, “Alice, as written by Lewis Carroll, was very forward-thinking for the time and almost out of place because she’s a strong female character in a very patriarchal, Victorian society…sort of a modern woman in an old-fashioned society.”

Iracebeth, the short-tempered Red Queen and former monarch of Underland who despises her younger sibling, Mirana, is played once again by Helena Bonham Carter (“Suffragette,” “Cinderella”) and Matt Lucas (“Paddington”) is back as the voices of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the tubby twin brothers who are childish and bicker constantly.

Joining the cast are Rhys Ifans (“The Amzing Spider-Man”) as Zanik Hightopp, the Mad Hatter’s conservative father, who holds his son to impossibly-high standards and Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) as the entity Time.

Alan Rickman (the “Harry Potter” films) returns as the voice of Absolem, the former blue caterpillar who is all-knowing and just a little pompous. Stephen Fry (“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”) once again provides the voice of Chessur, the Cheshire Cat, the cunning feline who is prone to grinning and disappearing. Michael Sheen (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2”) is back as the voice of McTwisp, the White Rabbit, who continues to be preoccupied with punctuality.

Timothy Spall (“Mr. Turner”) once again provides the voice of Bayard, the giant bloodhound who previously served under the Red Queen but is now an ally to Alice and her friends. Barbara Windsor (“EastEnders”) returns as the voice of the fiercely loyal Dormouse, Mallymkun. Paul Whitehouse (“Mortdecai”) is back as the voice of Thackery, the anxious and tempermental March Hare who hosts the Hatter’s tea parties. Joining them is Matt Vogel (“Muppets Most Wanted”) as Wilkins, Time’s right-hand man. Wilkins keeps all the clocks in Times’ castle in working order and helps create a make-shift time machine to chase Alice across the Oceans of Time.

The Production~

Production on “Alice Through the Looking Glass” took place in the Fall of 2014 on soundstages at Shepperton and Longcross Studios and on locations throughout the U.K., with several key members of the original “Alice in Wonderland” creative team returning. They include: three-time Oscar®-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Into the Woods,” “Chicago”), who won an Oscar and BAFTA Award, among other awards, for her work on the 2010 film; Academy Award®-winning visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston (“Men in Black,” “Forrest Gump”), who received an Oscar nomination for best visual effects for “Alice In Wonderland”; and GRAMMY®-winning composer Danny Elfman (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”).

New additions to the talented team of craftsmen include: Oscar®-nominated director of photography Stuart Dryburgh, ASC (“Bridget Jones’ Diary,” “Analyze This”); Academy Award®-winning production designer Dan Hennah (“King Kong,” “The Lord of the Rings”); Oscar-nominated editor Andrew Weisblum, ACE (“Noah,” “Black Swan”); visual effects supervisor Jay Redd (“Men in Black 3,” “Monster House”); and Academy Award-winning make-up and hair designer Peter Swords King (“Into the Woods,” “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”).

Synopsis

In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland to save her friend the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings a unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. We are also introduced to several new characters: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.