The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Parent Guide

Watching a ballet performance of The Nutcracker has become a holiday tradition for many families. This 19th century fairy tale about a girl whose toy nutcracker comes to life is most famous for its unmistakable music and whimsical characters. It’s also gone through countless film and stage adaptations—something Disney is clearly mindful of in this latest installment. If you’re looking for a faithful retelling of the classic, you can forget it. This version is deliberately different.

Our protagonist is a young girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy) who’s devastated by the recent death of her mother and not too keen on joining her family’s Christmas celebrations. This puts her at odds with her father (Matthew Macfadyen,) who insists she attend an annual party hosted by her mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer, (Morgan Freeman.) And good thing too, because her godfather has prepared a very special gift for the gloomy pre-teen. At the end of a rather spooky hallway, Clara discovers the entrance to another world and steps out into the snowy forest of The Four Realms—lands of snowflakes, flowers, sugary sweets, and carnival amusements loosely inspired by the original ballet.

But all is not well. After exploring the icy landscape with no apparent discomfort (in dancing shoes and short sleeves—this is definitely magic snow) Clara stumbles across the movie’s namesake, a living, full sized nutcracker soldier, (Jayden Fowora-Knight.) The helpful chap explains that the carnival realm is at war with the other three and wandering about willy-nilly might be dangerous. When the stubborn girl insists on crossing the border into the troublesome territory anyway, she’s quickly attacked by a writhing monster made of hundreds of scurrying mice. This CGI creature is unsettling to say the least. If you have a phobia of rodents, you’ll want to sit this one out.

Parents with sensitive little ones might also want to note that giant, squirmy mouse-monsters aren’t the only frightening visuals. The land of carnival amusements has seen better days, and features plenty of leering sculptures and broken fair rides that emerge eerily from the fog. It’s also home to a host of hyperactive clowns who spring from one another’s rotund bodies like matryoshka dolls - those Russian nesting dolls that are actually pretty cool when they don’t wear creepy clown faces or crawl around on the floor. This nightmarish imagery is too dark for younger kids and makes moments of sword fighting action and even the hero’s peril in the final battle seem somewhat anticlimactic.

Though the movie attempts the heartwarming messages of self confidence and cherishing family relationships, these moments don’t have the support of the script to make them meaningful. Instead, the inevitable transformation of our hero from a timid and heartbroken girl to a strong and capable young woman feels forced and (dare I say?)…boring. With the film’s “believe in yourself” themes and strong dose of girl power, Clara proves an almost identical character to Disney’s other recent leading ladies, such as Moana or Frozen’s Anna or Elsa.

In contrast to the shallow plot, costumes and set pieces are lavishly over the top. Ballgowns are strung with lights and glitter, makeup and hairstyles are detailed and elaborate, and Clara’s fantasy world is drenched in color. The film is visually stunning, and while this adds to the experience, it can’t salvage the poor pacing and weak characters. Like a mouthful of cotton candy, this particular take on The Nutcracker is pretty and sugary sweet, but ultimately hollow.