Johnny Depp battles the ravages of Time in the spooky first trailer for Alice Through the Looking Glass

Johnny Depp is in trouble…and this time, it has nothing to do with illegally bringing his dogs into Australia.

The 52-year-old actor returns as the Mad Hatter in the first trailer for the upcoming Alice Through the Looking Glass, and his character is not quite himself.

He's been zapped of his old personality by the villainous Time (Sacha Baron Cohen), and it's up to a time-travelling Alice (Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska) to bring her friend back.

That might not sound very dramatic, but the colourful, scary action certainly is. Watch it unfold in the trailer above.

Alice Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to 2010's Alice in Wonderland, and several familiar faces and voices from the original have returned. Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen is the one who will be giving us nightmares until next Halloween.

Alice Through the Looking Glass is due to hit Australian cinemas in May 2016.