After six long years, we are finally returning to Wonderland this weekend in Alice Through the Looking Glass. The sequel to Tim Burton’s 2011 Alice in Wonderland, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, hits theaters today and brings with it a host of familiar faces. Except something is rotten in the state of Denmark Wonderland, as the Mad Hatter seems to be fading away. Naturally, there’s only one person who can save the headwear-hemming haberdasher: Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska). After her last journey to Wonderland, Alice has come into her own, serving as a sea captain and helming her late father’s ship on voyages around the world. In fact, the film opens with Alice evading pirates looking to steal the treasures she and her crew have stored below deck. (Side note: I would watch a whole Master and Commander-style movie about Alice.) Now more confident, more capable, and more assured than ever, Alice must return to Wonderland and confront Time itself (Sacha Baron Cohen) if she wants to save her friend before it’s too late.

While in London, I made sure not to be late for a very important date with the cast and filmmakers behind Alice Through the Looking Glass. Sitting down with producer Tim Burton, director James Bobin, and star Mia Wasikowska, we talked about returning to Wonderland after six years, the rigors of shooting in the Chronosphere (the Bioshock-esque device through which they travel the time-space continuum), and much more.

Alice Through the Looking Glass is in theaters now.

Will you be seeing Alice Through the Looking Glass? Let us know in the comments below.

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).