ickaimp | Mad Hatter as a Mood Ring (Reply)

"The Mad Hatter is an interesting character. You see instantly what he's feeling. Like a mood ring, his emotions are very very close to the surface."
-Johnny Depp on playing the Mad Hatter

I've been wondering since I first saw the movie about Hatter's constant colour shifts, symbolism, and what they might mean. So I did some screen caps of the trailers, pulled up a couple of Mood Ring sites and figured I'd see what it has to say.

Surprisingly Accurate, really.

"It's absolutely Alice! You're absolutely Alice! I'd know you anywhere! I'd know him anywhere!"

Here we have Tarrant at the beginning when we first meet him. The predominate colours are brown and pink.
Brown is 'Restless, Jitters, Anticipation'
Pink is 'Fear, Uncertainty'.
Orange is 'Simulating, Daring'. This is a common colour thread for him throughout the movie due to his hair, just as Alice has her light blues.

Flashback Time! Primarily for reference here, notice the colours around his eyes, or the lack there of.
Amber is 'Unsettled, Mixed Emotions'.
Noting the Amber colour because of the occasional colour shift of his eyes, from Green to Orange-ish when enraged.

'Downal wyth Bluddy Begh Hid!'
Gonna touch on Black here since his Pink shirt is no longer visible.
Black is 'Tense, Nervous, Harassed'.
Also, notice that the shadows around his eyes have deepened quite a bit, they're more solid than when we first met him or in the flashback.

"What a regrettably large head you have. I would very much like to hat it."

This is an important shift. The jacket has changed to a Grey and the shirt is now Teal instead of Pink and White.
Grey is 'Extremely Nervous, Anxiety'
Teal, or Blue-Green, is 'Inner emotions charged, somewhat relaxed'.
Teal is a colour we see a lot more after he has met up with Alice.

"Why is it that you're always too small, or too tall?"

Lack of coat, more informal, no more Grey! More Teal! Also, note eyeshadow. Previously, tended to have various Blues around the top of his eye, now he is wearing Green.
Green is 'Average, Normal, Not under any stress'.
Blue is 'Relaxed, at Ease, Comfortable'. Which is rather amusing because he's -not- earlier.

"This is impossible!" "Only if you believe it is."

Here's another important one. Grey coat is now Teal, and he's added a bright Red vest and White 'lashes' under the eyes. Also, the Pink theme (Fear, Uncertainty) is back with the return of the Magenta handkerchief and the pale Pink shirt that we first saw him in at the beginning.
Red is 'Adventurous, Excited, Energized'.
White is 'Frustrated, Bored, Confused'.

For more information on Mood Ring Colours, we used Mood Ring Color Meanings, Mood Jewelry.com and occasional pokings at This colour chart.

This was fun! crossposted to