The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
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A young girl travels to a magical land to retrieve a key for a gift from her deceased mother.
The story
On Christmas Eve in Victorian London, Clara Stahlbaum receives an egg-shaped box from her late mother that she cannot unlock. During a party hosted by her godfather, Drosselmeyer, Clara follows a string into a forest in a parallel world. There, she encounters Captain Philip Hoffman, the Nutcracker, who leads her into the Fourth Realm. They meet the regents of the magical lands and discover that Clara is the princess of this world. To save the realms from a looming threat, Clara and Philip must find a key to a machine that can turn toys into real people.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Victorian London, Clara Stahlbaum receives a locked egg-shaped box from her late mother, Marie. At a party hosted by her godfather Drosselmeyer, Clara follows a magical string into a parallel world where she meets Captain Philip Hoffman, the Nutcracker. They enter the Fourth Realm and meet the regents of the Land of Sweets, Snowflakes, and Flowers. They learn Marie was the Queen of this land and that Clara is its princess. The Sugar Plum Fairy claims she needs a key to a machine to defend the realms from Mother Ginger, the regent of the Land of Amusements. Clara and Philip steal the key, but discover the egg is merely a music box. Sugar Plum then reveals she lied; she intends to take over all realms and turn everyone into toys. She imprisons Clara and Philip. Clara discovers a mirror in her music box, realizing she is the key to her own salvation. With help from Mother Ginger's mice, Clara escapes and convinces Mother Ginger to help overthrow Sugar Plum. Clara shuts down the machine, turning Sugar Plum into a porcelain doll. Clara returns to London, where she reconciles with her father and they dance to the music of her mother's music box.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lasse Hallström; Joe Johnston
- Writers
- Ashleigh Powell · writer; Tom McCarthy · uncredited writer
- Cast and characters
- Keira Knightley · the Sugar Plum Fairy; Mackenzie Foy · Clara Stahlbaum; Eugenio Derbez · Hawthorne; Matthew Macfadyen · Benjamin Stahlbaum; Richard E. Grant · Shiver; Misty Copeland · the Ballerina Princess; Helen Mirren · Mother Ginger; Morgan Freeman · Drosselmeyer
- Genres
- Christmas; fantasy; adventure; mystery
- Themes
- Family; Legacy; Identity
- Tone and mood
- Visual; Fantasy
- Setting
- Victorian London and a magical parallel world of four realms.
- Premise and plot tags
- Fantasy Adventure; Christmas; Magic
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1816) and the ballet The Nutcracker (1892).
- Franchise connections
- Fantasia
- Reception
- The film was a box office disappointment and received generally negative reviews, though its visual effects and aesthetics were praised.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 39 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 49%
- Awards and nominations
- ReFrame Stamp · hiring women in at least four of eight key production categories · 2018 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was released on November 2, 2018, replacing the original date set for Disney's live-action adaptation of Mulan.; The film's status as a box office flop was attributed to a poor release date only two days after Halloween, a bloated budget and a lack of interest on the behalf of audiences in the Nutcracker concept.; The reshoots were written by Tom McCarthy, who went uncredited.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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