2016 Is Only a Matter of Time: Through the Looking-Glass Trailer Breakdown!

O' Frabjous day! The trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland sequel has finally arrived. Through the Looking-Glass, directed by James Bobin, is still exactly what you'd expect - whimsical, strange, beautiful, and a little bit of tragic.

Watch the trailer below:

Judging by the first trailer, this is nothing like Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. This... this is darker. Firstly, Alice gets back from god knows where, is summoned back to Wonderland, and finds it in ruins?

Now, there's also a new enemy on the loose, and he's not someone you want to trifle with. . .

You've been gone too long, Alice.

The trailer opens with a blue butterfly, probably the same one that landed on Alice's shoulder as she prepared to set off on the trading ship in the first film. Alice in Wonderland (2010) ended with that very same butterfly, which was (probably) Absolem.

Anyway, has it really been that long? Movie-wise it has. But, story-wise, if we follow the timeline of the book and the movie, it's probably been 6 months, more or less. What's happened to Wonderland?!

Friends cannot be neglected.

Alice's gaze follows the butterfly until, whoosh - it goes inside the mirror, as we hear Alan Rickman talk about neglected friendships. Has Alice forgotten about Wonderland (especially the Hatter) when she promised not to? And then, we see this quick scene of The Mad Hatter.

As we all know, Wonderland was left in ruins after Alice's battle with the Jabberwocky. The Knave of Hearts and the Red Queen were thrown into exile, the White Queen became the queen of Wonderland once again... and the Hatter, well...

He did an amazing Futterwacken on Frabjous day!

But after all this time... why the hell is Wonderland still in ruins? Or worse?!

Watch where you step.

So Alice puts her face inside the looking-glass (or a mirror if you please) she steps inside, into what looks like an extension of her house, opens the door, still staring in awe at everything... and then, falls.

Really, you gotta watch where you step. Especially, with the following events that will ensue..

There's no time.

“"When the day becomes the night, and the sky becomes the sea, the clock strikes heavy... there's no time for tea."”

*Loud gasps* it turns out, Alice probably didn't forget about Wonderland after all. They've been expecting her. Looks like we shall see more moments with Alice and White Queen (I sincerely hope there's a boat-rowing scene in this movie).

Hatter vs. Time

"If you knew Time as well as I do . . . you wouldn't talk about wasting it. It's him."

"Ah! That accounts for it," says the Mad Hatter. "He won't stand beating!"

In this scene, we meet Time.

Knowing Time, he won't stand beating. Also, it appears that he's acquainted with the Red Queen - who in the first book, accused the Hatter of murdering her friend, Time. And without "him", it was forever six o'clock. Does this mean the Hatter was framed? Why is he in trouble with Time? Are Time and the Red Queen teaming up against him? It seems quite likely.

Young lady, your time is up.

Ooooh, this cannot be good! Saving the Hatter is only a matter of Time. Really, does she have to race against time? What does Alice need to do to save the Hatter? It is a well-known fact that you can be friends with Time. Hatter was once friends with Time, and then they got into a feud. Now, he's friends with the Red Queen, who has reversed him... and it's up to Alice "to reverse the hands of time".

Also, we see a number of returning characters, my least favorite being the Jabberwocky - who I thought Alice had slain already.

Alice needs to be Queen

It looks like Wonderland has become one giant chessboard and Alice has to play, starting from the bottom (white pawn), advancing her rank in order to become Queen. When she's queen, she'll be more powerful than "Time"!

The Red Queen is so totally back... and Alice, might lose her head. I guess you could say The Red Queen bought herself some time! It was a dramatic entrance and the Hatter's reaction was priceless:

Though, you probably can't apply that logic here because a) there's already an established Red Queen, b) this is nowhere near the book (it's fun to speculate, though!).

Obviously there's no Red King, so probably, the Red Queen found herself a King in Time. Thus, just like in the book, Alice has to conquer this gigantic elaborate chess board that is now Wonderland, in order to save the Hatter and get back home.

If the trailer is any indication, this movie would be even more breathtaking and magical than the first one! I've always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland and Burton's adaptation gives it a fresh twist that would make Carroll proud.

Poor Alice, though. I do hope nobody's head gets chopped off just because of stolen tarts in this movie! But of course, I'm just kidding. There's no arguing with that bloody big head.

Save the date for Through the Looking-Glass, May 27, 2016 - it's only a matter of time.