Like many previous adaptations and retelling of the story, it stays true to the original in some places and deviates in others. Hoffmann, who died 70 years before Tchaikovsky's ballet made his story famous, had even an inkling of how influential his writing would become.ĭisney's latest adaptation of the original, the movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, came out in 2018. Sometimes, a piece of fiction takes on a life of its own, and that is certainly the case with "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." It's unlikely that E.T.A. The Story of the Nutcracker is an audio production that pairs the original story with music from the ballet, and it is only one of many Nutcracker books available to enchant kids. In the more than 200 years since its birth, the story has come alive again and again in countless ways: in ballets performed all over the world, in animated TV series and cartoons, in radio broadcasts, and in live-action movies. "The Nutcracker" is a story full of whimsy and magic, by turns eerie and heartwarming. It's not difficult to understand why this one short story by a German Romantic author is still so beloved over generations later. Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker is actually based on a retelling of the story by Alexandre Dumas, though Dumas's version is nearly identical to Hoffmann's original. (It's his best known work, though several operas and ballets have been based on his other writing as well.) The most famous adaptation is, of course, the ballet. His 1816 short story " The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" has inspired dozens of adaptations. Hoffmann left the world a wonderful holiday gift. Don't fall for it.A Prussian writer of fantasy and gothic horror, E.T.A. Directors Lasse Hallström ("The Cider House Rules") and Joe Johnston (1995's "Jumanji") can't find any heart to put in the story, so "The Nutcracker" is exposed for what it is: an expensive looking cash-in on a pre-existing property, masquerading as a whimsical adventure promoting girl power and ingenuity. The film's visuals are so overactive that it may appear there is something going on - look, a giant mouse made of mice! Over there, toy soldiers come to life! - but it's all distraction. There, it's up to her to restore good to the land and defeat the sweet then sour Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley, who at least has a ball hamming things up). On Christmas Eve, she wanders into the world of the Four Realms, a magical land she discovers was once ruled by her mother. Mackenzie Foy (no relation to Claire) stars as Clara, a bright young girl who keeps to herself following the death of her mother. Hoffmann's short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and Marius Petipa's "The Nutcracker Ballet." It's basically a Tim Burton monstrosity run amok, minus Burton's ghoulish flare, and it resembles what happens when costume designers are given more influence over a story than screenwriters. Spoiler alert: It doesn't work.Īccording to its end credits, this take on the Nutcracker story is "suggested by" E.T.A. It tries to color its backgrounds with so much gadgetry and expensive-looking busywork that it covers up the fact that very little about it makes sense. The unruly, incoherent "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is like an explosion of special effects and set design in search of a story.
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