Synopsis
All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale. In theatres on Nov. 2, 2018.
Cast
with Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman., Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Ellie Bamber, Tom Sweet, Meera Syal, Nick Mohammed, Charles Streeter, Jayden Fowora-Knight, Omid Djalili, Jack Whitehall, Gustavo Dudamel, Max Westwall, Aaron Smyth, Sergei Polunin, Anna Madeley, Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, Sophie Apollonia, Diogo Barbosa, Zoe Arshamian, Nicole O’Neill
Directors
Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston
Producers
Mark R. Gordon, Larry J Franco, Jeremy Johns, Alison Beckett, Marc Weigert, Sara Smith, Lindy Goldstein
Writers
Ashleigh Powell, E T A Hoffman, Marius Petipa, Tom McCarthy

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been waiting patiently to see this movie for such a long time that when offered the opportunity to review it… I almost peed my pants with excitement!

First and foremost, you have to watch this with 3D glasses to enjoy the full benefit of beautiful backdrops, extraordinary colors and costumes and just amazing special effects.

Some of you know that I held two passions throughout my lifetime: writing, and the performing arts.  As a performer for a large portion of my childhood, teen life and early twenties, followed by many fulfilling years as a choreographer and instructor, ballet writer and show producer/director, and finally finishing with twenty-two years as a studio owner before retiring from the field of dance, I think I can honestly say that I know the discipline of dance well.

As a published author, creator, illustrator and author of a new children’s series and many fictional projects for adults, a speaker on literacy in schools, and editor of written works by authors world-wide, I think I have a bit of knowledge about this discipline as well.

Being an avid, and I kid you not, lover of movies in many genres including: science fiction, fantasy, mystery and thrillers, sagas, and action, children and adult films… I think I can honestly say I hold a right to voice my thoughts regarding film productions.

The remake of a traditional children’s seasonal ballet had me a bit nervous.  I heard from others that I had to see this movie on the big screen and not wait for it to come out on DVD to fully appreciate the enormity of this particular production. The sets and scenery, the actors/actresses did such a phonemical job pulling off an amazing piece of entertainment that is sure to become a classic in its own right. Was there ballet, yes, even that was included. Did the original theme remain in this remake… wellllll, kind of.

Some of the original music was included and the names of characters remained the same, but the diminished focus on the Nutcracker was not what I was expecting, nor how dance characters were replaced with caricatures representing different lands or realms as they’re called in the movie. The four realms consisted of one of flowers, one of sweets, one of snowflakes and one of I’m not really sure… but it’s often referred to in the movie as the fourth realm, a bad place where strange nightmarish clowns bounce around and do some really disturbing antics and mice and vermin grow into a wriggling mass of tails and fur that will make your skin crawl.

Clara is adorable and and the villain was a complete surprise.  What you think is, isn’t really and what isn’t, actually is… Confused? Good! I won’t give you anymore hints, but go and see this movie, use the glasses, buy your popcorn, snuggle into your reclining seat and get ready for a Hell of a ride!

Oh… and the dancing part… Wow! The ballerina featured has the most perfect feet and can she dance!

I give this movie: