Film Review: Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
The Disneyfication of The Nutcracker: Successful or not?
A quick disclaimer before I accidentally shoot my mouth off:
I’ve never watched The Nutcracker ballet, and I’ve been spending the last hour trying to understand the many different iterations of the ballet that are produced around the world.
So, after a couple of decades of princess stories taken from the Brothers Grimm, Disney has gotten its hands (or grubby paws, depending on how you feel about the Mouse House) on another beloved story.
This time, though, it’s based on a iconic ballet with music that everyone will recognise.
Does Disney succeed in adapting this tale for their audience? Let’s see.
What is the plot of this movie?
Instead of following the original ballet’s story of a Nutcracker toy coming to life on Christmas Eve, Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms moves the story into decidedly more Narnia-esque territory.
The result is a plot that’s straightforward, kid-friendly, and easy on the eyes.
On Christmas Eve in London, Clara, played by Mackenzie Foy, goes looking for a key to a box (given by her mother, whom has just passed away). That quest leads her to a fantasy world, where she finds out that her mother was the queen of four realms:
The Land of Sweets (ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy), The Land of Snowflakes (ruled by Shiver) , The Land of Flowers (ruled by Hawthorne) and the Land of Amusements (ruled by Mother Ginger).
Upon further digging, she realises that all these ‘people’ were toys that were brought to life by a machine her mother built, imbuing them with human emotions in the process.
At the same time, Mother Ginger seems to be waging a war against the other three regents, which is how Clara starts fighting.
Seems simple and easy to watch, right?
If you switch off the analytical part of your mind, yes.
This film is odd to watch because its premise includes scenes which are clearly reminiscent of other fantasy films:
The first scene opens with an owl flying through the London night sky: Harry Potter?
Clara comes out of a covered area into a snow-covered wood: Chronicles of Narnia vibes
That familiarity sets you up for a comforting, classic, mindless fairy tale. You feel your body just relaxing into the theatre seat.
And as the story progresses, that sense of deja vu just intensifies.
The fight between Good vs Bad? check.
Internal conflict of our heroine? check.
Amazing sidekick? check.
Tiny twist that was visible a mile away? check.
Happy ending? check.
The only thing that is different is the inclusion of a ballet within a film.
And that’s where Misty Copeland comes in.
Who’s in the cast?
If you don’t know who Misty Copeland is, she’s a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. She made headlines in 2015 when she became the first African-American dancer to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s history.
She has 121k followers on Twitter, 1.6m followers on Instagram, and is a pretty big deal in the world of ballet.
She also plays the Ballerina Princess in Disney’s The Nutcracker, and performs a piece halfway through the movie.
She basically gives the film its ‘ballet credentials’, if you will, and helps to satisfy the Nutcracker purists’ need for a performance.
However, while her performance is spectacular, it might confuse general audiences who don’t know about the history of this film.
So, for example, I’m happy when the ballet begins, because I know who Misty Copeland is, and it’s a free performance by a star dancer! For audiences who don’t know what The Nutcracker was based on, though, that might seem like a prolonged piece that can break the momentum of the film.
After all, she’s the only character who actually dances.
The sugar plum fairy doesn’t look like this anymore:
Instead, she’s played by Keira Knightley, who has gone full ‘Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland’ with her costume, completely with a high-pitched, sickly-sweet voice:
While the voice was crafted on purpose, I can’t admit that it was grating, especially when combined with the candy-floss hair.
Knightley succeeds in creating a character who is three-dimensional, but she’s let down by a cliché ending.
Other regents of the four realms aren’t even as lucky as her, and have to grapple with a lot less screen time.
Even Helen Mirren has to depend on her costume (and a haunted look) to help her convey emotions:
But let’s move to our main character, who is NOT the title character.
MacKenzie Foy plays Clara, whose wide-eyed determination carries the film through. She does quite a remarkable job, and is paired well with Jayden Fowora-Knight, who plays the Nutcracker.
They are both extremely likeable, and I can see this film being a mainstay on their portfolios for years to come.
So, did you like it or not?
It was…okay?
I didn’t hate it, because I knew, going in, that it would be a Disneyfied version.
I didn’t love it precisely because of the same reason.
However, the ballet was a nice touch, the music was fabulous, and the cast did an adequate job of making this film stand out. I don’t think I’m going to forget Sugar Plum Fairy’s voice, no matter how hard I try.
Rating:
6.5/10 Stars
