Honestly, the cast of Alice Through the Looking Glass is a bit of a miracle when you look at it. You’ve got Oscar winners, comedy legends, and a late icon all squeezed into 113 minutes of neon-colored chaos. It's weird. It’s loud. But the people behind those CGI-heavy characters are actually some of the most dedicated actors in the business.
Most folks remember the 2016 film for its dizzying visuals. I get that. But if you strip away the green screen, you’re left with a group of actors who were trying to do something pretty deep with Lewis Carroll’s nonsense.
The Core Players of Underland
Mia Wasikowska came back as Alice Kingsleigh, but she wasn’t the wide-eyed girl from the first movie. She’d spent three years as a sea captain. Think about that for a second. In 1874, a woman commanding a ship? Mia played her with this steeliness that honestly kept the movie grounded when things got too "Disney-fied."
Then there's Johnny Depp. His Tarrant Hightopp (the Mad Hatter) is basically a human mood ring.
Depp didn't just put on a wig. He and director James Bobin decided the Hatter’s clothes and even his skin tone should change based on his emotions. When he’s depressed about his family, he literally turns grey. It’s a bit heartbreaking if you actually pay attention to the nuance he’s trying to bring to a guy who usually just shouts about tea.
Who played who?
- Alice Kingsleigh: Mia Wasikowska
- The Mad Hatter: Johnny Depp
- The White Queen (Mirana): Anne Hathaway
- The Red Queen (Iracebeth): Helena Bonham Carter
- Time: Sacha Baron Cohen
Why the White and Red Queens Matter
Anne Hathaway’s White Queen is... well, she’s a lot. Some people found her "floating" hands and airy voice a bit much. But that’s the point. Mirana is performing "goodness" while hiding a pretty nasty childhood secret. Hathaway plays her like someone who is perpetually on the verge of a panic attack but has to keep the crown straight.
Contrast that with Helena Bonham Carter.
She’s incredible. The Red Queen isn't just a villain who screams "Off with their heads!" anymore. In this sequel, we actually see why her head is so big—literally. It was a childhood accident involving a clock and a lie told by her sister. Carter brings this vulnerability to a character that could have stayed a caricature. You almost feel bad for her. Almost.
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Sacha Baron Cohen as Time
Adding a brand new character to the cast of Alice Through the Looking Glass was a risky move. Sacha Baron Cohen played Time, and he’s basically a god-like clockwork hybrid.
He lives in a "Castle of Eternity" and has a German-ish accent that Cohen supposedly modeled after some of the more eccentric people he’s met. He’s the antagonist, but he’s not "evil." He’s just a guy doing a very stressful job while being harassed by a spoiled Red Queen.
James Bobin, the director, actually got the idea for the character from a single line in the original book where the Hatter says he's been stuck at tea since he "quarreled with Time." That’s some deep-cut nerdery right there.
The Voices You Might Have Missed
The voice cast is where the real heavy hitters hide.
- Alan Rickman as Absolem. This was his final film role. Hearing his deep, gravelly baritone as the blue butterfly is bittersweet. He recorded his lines shortly before he passed away in early 2016.
- Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat. Fry’s voice is like velvet. He captures that "too smart for his own good" vibe perfectly.
- Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit. You probably didn't even realize it was him. He’s known for playing Tony Blair or David Frost, but here he’s just a panicked bunny with a pocket watch.
- Timothy Spall as Bayard the Bloodhound.
There’s also Matt Lucas. He played both Tweedledee and Tweedledum. That’s a lot of physical comedy involving a motion-capture suit and a very large prosthetic belly.
The Real Genius of the Casting
What most people get wrong about this movie is thinking the actors were just there for a paycheck.
Rhys Ifans plays Zanik Hightopp, the Hatter’s father. His performance is actually quite grounded and heavy. He represents the "adult" world that Alice is trying to navigate—stiff, traditional, and unable to understand his son's "muchness."
The film deals with time travel, obviously, but it’s really about family trauma. That’s a heavy lift for a movie where people wear hats made of literal tea sets.
Quick Facts
- Budget: 170 million USD.
- Director: James Bobin (replacing Tim Burton, who stayed on as a producer).
- Costumes: Colleen Atwood (she won an Oscar for the first one).
- Music: Danny Elfman returned with his signature creepy-whimsical score.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re planning a rewatch, don't just look at the colors. Watch the eyes.
Specifically, watch Johnny Depp’s eyes when he’s talking to his father, or Helena Bonham Carter’s face when she’s confronted with the lie her sister told. The cast of Alice Through the Looking Glass put in a lot of emotional work that often gets buried under the CGI.
Start by looking up the "making of" clips for the Red Queen's palace. Seeing Helena Bonham Carter act against a giant green wall while wearing a massive prosthetic head really highlights how much imagination these actors had to use. It’ll give you a whole new appreciation for the "nonsense" they were creating.
Next, check out the late Alan Rickman’s final interview about the film. It adds a layer of poignancy to Absolem’s scenes that makes the ending of the movie hit a lot harder.
Next Steps for You: Check out the costume design sketches by Colleen Atwood. She actually designed different outfits for "Young" and "Old" versions of the characters to reflect how the timeline shift changed their personalities. It's a masterclass in visual storytelling.