Christmas brings with it many different traditions. Some of these are relegated simply to a family while others have become embraced among many, even those who may not even celebrate the holiday. For some The Nutcracker is just a pseudonymous with Christmas as what Santa or a Christmas tree is. Obviously when The Nutcracker is mentioned most will immediately thing of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet which generally seems to be performed during the Christmas season however upon doing a little research prior to writing this review, it seems that perhaps many of us may need to rethink our perception of its origins.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is an adaptation of the short story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King written by E. T. A. Hoffmann and the film also draws from the ballet. What I was unaware of however is that the ballet that we all immediately connect to is actually based on the short story. Hoffmann’s work was published in 1816 while the ballet didn’t hit stages until 1892 and even more interesting, the ballet actually draws its influence from Alexandre Dumas’ adaptation of Hoffmann’s story. Disney’s version of The Nutcracker draws from the original short story as well as the ballet. The tale is set in Victorian London where, on Christmas Eve, the Stahlbaum family is dealing with their first Christmas after the loss of a family member. Clara (Mackenzie Foy) has been taking the death of her mother just as hard as anyone else in the family but she’s also given a final gift from her which she finds strange. It’s an egg-shaped box minus the key to unlock it and she’s perplexed on how to open it or what it might mean.
The family leaves home to attend a Christmas party hosted by Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman) who is Clara’s godfather and while he’s a skilled craftsman, even he seems uncertain as to how to open the box. When Clara tries to find her present while following a long string, she soon finds herself in a snow-covered forest. Although she finds the key it is soon stolen by a small mouse and while she continues to chase it, she is joined by Captain Philip Hoffman (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a Nutcracker in the realm. The mouse escapes and the pair journey to the palace in the fourth realm where Clara meets Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez), Shiver (Richard E. Grant), and the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley) who inform her that her mother was actually the Queen of the realm. The realms however are at war with the Land of Amusement and their ruler, Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren) and the Sugar Plum fairy warns that if she gets ahold of the key, all hope will be lost. Clara rushes to regain the key only to find that what she’s has been led to believe about Mother Ginger as well as the key may not be true.
Originally my impression of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was that it was a theatrical retelling to the ballet for those who don’t have the patience to sit through one, but it wasn’t until I really started digging into the history of The Nutcracker where I discovered the truth. Disney takes The Nutcracker back to its original source which is the short story although the ballet is referenced a time or two as well but most of the film does rely heavily on the Hoffmann story. So, if you’re expecting this to be heavy on dancing, or perhaps were perplexed why the trailers seemed to lack that completely, this explains that. It’s too bad there are some professional reviewers who get paid that seemingly didn’t bother to research this. However, the movie also does make changes to the story as well.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is essentially a story that has been told a number of times, not simply because of the source material that it’s based on, but the general themes as well. It could be thought of as a young girl trying to overcome the grief of losing her mother but also being put in a situation where she realizes that she’s not nearly as powerless as she may believe. It’s more about finding yourself, your true purpose, as well as coming to the understanding that often, everything in the world isn’t necessarily as apparent as what it may seem. Clara is told of the evils of the Land of Amusements and when she initially pays a visit to the land, it does seem to be a rather bleak place as opposed to the very bright, vibrant, and cheerful alternative. It seems that there has been quite a bit of negative propaganda spread about Mother Ginger, Mouserinks, and the others in the realm, something that happened during the absence of the Queen but even the viewer can quickly figure out that what Clara is being told doesn’t sound as though it’s completely accurate.
The film does a great job of being a visually impressive experience. The costuming, the sets, the use of computer animation all blend together to make a very vivid world but the problem is that while it helps out, it doesn’t assist with making the overall story terribly memorable. Although the continued improvements in what can be done in cinema has allowed this story to be told in a manner which is much more fitting of the fantasy setting, the tale itself is a little lackluster. Even the actors who are involved really don’t add too much to the experience.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms includes in the following bonus features:
On Pointe: A Conversation with Misty Copeland
Unwrapping “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”
Deleted Scenes
Music Videos
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms that I would assume is not going to appeal to those who love the ballet and try and attend a performance each and every year. While the film isn’t bad, I also found that it isn’t something that really stuck with me afterwards either. It’s visually appealing and does feature some good acting but in terms of the overall story, it just comes up a little bit short even with the efforts to make some adjustments to the original source material. It may serve as a good starting point for those looking to possibly take their children to see The Nutcracker in ballet form at some point so they are at least familiar with the material and don’t constantly ask questions regarding the story but overall, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ends up being something of a forgettable experience much like getting socks or underwear for Christmas.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.