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We wanted to see something light and undemanding, and not too long. So we decided to watch this film, with little idea what to expect. We were, of course, familiar with the basic Nutcracker story, and to start with it looked as though it was going to be an expanded, non-ballet version of that traditional tale.
Clara is the main character, played by Mackenzie Foy, and she does a good job. She’s one of three children who, according to the film, have recently lost their mother. Clara is quite miserable and has no wish to go to the annual Christmas Eve ball given by her godfather. But her father hands out gifts which their mother left them for this occasion; Clara receives a locked container that looks like an egg, but the key is missing.
Morgan Freeman is her godfather, Drosselmeyer, and he - as ever - is superb in the role, though sadly it’s quite a minor one. He is an inventor. But Clara is also mechanically minded, and manages to fix a problem with one of his creations. At the party she follows a golden thread that leads to the key to the box… but it’s stolen by a mouse, and in trying to get it back she is led into adventures in the ‘four realms’ of the title.
There’s more than a nod to the original ‘Nutcracker’, in the places Clara goes, and some of the people she meets. The scenery is stunning, and the CGI so well done that it mixes seamlessly with the real people. There’s an extra plot, involving an old woman - Mother Ginger, played by Helen Mirren, although I didn’t recognise her, which is more Mother Goose than Nutcracker.
But it’s Disney, and they’re not known for sticking to storylines. In the original ‘Nutcracker’ ballet, Clara’s visits to other realms are basically in order to showcase different styles of dancing. In this film they’re an integral part of the story. It felt a bit convoluted in places, with some silliness, but as we reminded ourselves, it’s really intended for children.
There’s a hero - of sorts - in the story, although no romantic development. Philip (Jayden Fowora-Knight) is supposedly the ‘nutcracker soldier’, whom Clara meets as she is trying to cross a bridge. He joins her in her journey, but his acting isn’t very strong, and there didn’t seem any reason for the ‘nutcracker’ name - there’s no back-story, as in the ballet, and he’s an ordinary person, albeit not in a very interesting job.
The other minor annoyance is that the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightly - and, again, I didn’t recognise her) is frankly irritating, and bears no relation to the original in the ballet. There’s no ballet to speak of, but plenty of the original Tchaikovsky music, connecting the ballet story with the Disney film, and that was well done, although it would have been nice to have a bit more of it.
As well as the adventure story, with the quest to save the realms (and to find Clara’s key) there’s a ‘real world’ story, involving Clara and her father. At the start of the film she is moody and irritable, convinced that he doesn’t care at all about having lost their mother. Towards the end, they manage to reconnect in quite a moving scene.
The rating is PG, which is about right; there are two or three instances of minor bad language, and some slightly tense scenes that could disturb a sensitive child, but since it’s all fairytale fantasy it’s not particularly realistic - other than one scene on a cliff-face, where I had to hide my eyes for a few moments! There’s no real violence and nothing romantic; possibly there were some mild innuendoes, but they would go over the head of most children, and I don’t recall any of them as being offensive.
Overall, we liked the film. Knowing the ‘Nutcracker’ storyline and recognising the music is an advantage in seeing it, but not necessary. If you’re a fan of Disney movies, then this isn’t a bad one; for family nights or children’s viewing I would recommend it. Indeed, I look forward to introducing my grandchildren to it one day.
Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews
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