If we want to take it a step further, we can consider the dormouse as a symbol of the proletariat so often mentioned by Karl Marx. He is constantly abused by the larger and more powerful Hatter and March Hare. The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland actually represented a person suffering from dementia.

The Dormouse

As she swims, she comes across a Mouse, whom she asks for help. The Mouse doesn’t understand Alice, so she tries to speak French to him. Alice apologizes but then absentmindedly chatters about her cat Dinah. The Mouse becomes offended, so she changes the subject to dogs.

Alice states that being three inches tall is a wretched height, which insults the three-inch-tall Caterpillar. The Caterpillar crawls away in a huff, but not before telling Alice that eating one side of the mushroom will make her grow larger and eating the other side will make her grow smaller.

Depp and Burton decided that the Hatter’s clothes, skin, hair, personality and accent would change throughout the film to reflect his emotions. In an interview with Depp, the character was paralleled to “a mood ring, [as] his emotions are very close to the surface”.

Mercury was used in the manufacturing of felt hats during the 19th century, causing a high rate of mercury poisoning among those working in the hat industry. Mercury poisoning causes neurological damage, including slurred speech, memory loss, and tremors, which led to the phrase “mad as a hatter”.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the original book, was published in the 1860s and has long since lapsed into the public domain. It can be freely used and reproduced. Disney’s movie version, and any images and music from it, will not lapse into the public domain for decades yet.

The original book is public domain but the Disney movies are not. You can make something with a unique version of the Cheshire Cat’s smile or the cat as a whole but it cannot be copied from the Disney movie or any other work that is based on the book. The disney version is copyrighted.

4 attorney answers The issue here is not copyright – it is trademark. What you are looking for is a trademark clearance opinion and you will have to hire an experienced trademark attorney to assist you.

Alice Pleasance Hargreaves

: a complexly bizarre or difficult state or situation conceived of as a hole into which one falls or descends I wanted to show this woman descending into the rabbit hole: this loss of self, becoming a servant to her job and to the work.—