There are few stories more iconic and well-known than Alice in Wonderland. In Alice Through the Looking Glass, out May 27th, Alice Kingsleigh slips through a mirror and finds her way back to Underland. Reunited with her favorite friends, she travels through time and steals the cronosphere to help the Hatter with urgent family matters. I had the chance to participate in a conference interview with Director James Bobin, where he gave us more insight into the film.

Shooting a film is always a complex and multifaceted process, but Bobin’s tendency to look ahead and stay organized has proven successful. He notes, “I’ve always been a stickler for planning… you really have to know way ahead of time what you’re doing that day and how it’s gonna work.”

However, knowing what he wants doesn’t mean Bobin requires a calculated and overdone performance from his actors. “I’m not a huge believer in rehearsal,” he told us. “I mean, I do it occasionally… but I like a spontaneity performance.”

With incredible performances from Mia Wasikowska (Alice Kingsleigh), Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter), and Helena Bonham Carter (Iracebeth) among others, this movie is sure to be an unforgettable one. Bobin noted that Johnny “plays [The Mad Hatter] in a very vulnerable way… Johnny’s done the job before, he knows his character very well.”

Alice in Wonderland as a whole is almost 120 years old from the time Lewis Carroll created it. As a director, one must stay true to the original meaning of the story while still exercising his or her creative freedom. Bobin agreed, noting “you are aware of the responsibility because obviously I’m not the only person who loves these characters… everyone loves these characters.”

Nevertheless, it’s important to bring a modern twists to stories such as Alice in Wonderland, so they can appeal to old and new fans alike. James Bobin told us his goal was to “reintroduce [the characters]. I want to be true to Lewis Carroll… but at the same time, making it relevant is my job.”

Alice Through the Looking Glass takes audiences to places they’ve never been. James Bobin mentioned staying true to the “original design” as an important part of directing, so “it feels like the same universe and the same world.” However, that doesn’t mean its repetitive. “Geographically it’s in a different location and we visit different places we haven’t been to before.”