The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)

In 1920s Vienna, a young girl receives a magical doll on Christmas Eve.

Director:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (as Andrei Konchalovsky)

Writers:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (screenplay) (as Andrei Konchalovsky), Chris Solimine (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Philipps, Fernanda Dorogi, Kriszta Dorogi

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Philipps	...	Dr. Freud
Fernanda Dorogi	...	Dr. Freud's Niece
Kriszta Dorogi	...	Dr. Freud's Niece
Dániel Mogács	...	Trolley Bus Orchestra Conductor
Elle Fanning	...	Mary
Stuart Hopps	...	Butler / The Rat Queen's Servant
Aaron Michael Drozin	...	Max
Nathan Lane	...	Uncle Albert
Richard E. Grant	...	Father
Yuliya Vysotskaya	...	Mother / The Snow Fairy (as Yulia Visotskaya)
Frances de la Tour	...	Frau Eva / The Rat Queen
Jonny Coyne	...	Gnomad (as Jonathan Coyne)
Shirley Henderson	...	The Nutcracker (voice)
Peter Elliott	...	Gielgud
Daniel Peacock	...	Gielgud

Storyline

1920s Vienna. Nine-year-old Mary lives in a home filled with lovely things and loneliness. Bothered by bratty brother Max and neglected by well intentioned, but distracted, parents, she yearns for companionship and adventure. On Christmas Eve, Mary's beloved Uncle Albert arrives with the gift of a wooden nutcracker doll. Later that night, Mary's imagination brings the doll to life. Introducing himself as "NC," he takes her on a wondrous journey through a stunning dimension where toys assume human form and everything appears ten times larger. But danger lurks. An army of toothy rat creatures, led by the flamboyant Rat King and his devious mother, has unleashed a plot to overthrow humanity. When NC is captured and placed under a paralytic spell, Mary, Max and a spirited band of toy sidekicks must rescue him from the Rat King's clutches and thwart his wicked plans to 'ratify' the world.

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Plot Keywords:

walking through a mirror | christmas | christmas eve | toy comes to life | 3 dimensional | 

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Genres:

Action | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material, scary images, action and brief smoking

Details

Country:

UK Hungary

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 2011 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

The Nutcracker: The Untold Story

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$65,894, 28 November 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$190,562, 12 December 2010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,178,959, 16 December 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vnesheconombank, Nutcracker Holdings, HCC Media Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

NC is short for Nutcracker.

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Goofs

When Gielgud shows Mary the secret passage through the mirror, he repeatedly touches the glass without leaving any fingerprints although the glass is covered in dust and Mary did leave fingerprints when touching it in an earlier scene.

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Quotes

The Snow Fairy: [as Mary watches the ballerina snowflakes dancing in the air] Aren't they beautiful?
Mary: Oh, yes.
The Snow Fairy: You can join the dance if you like.
Mary: But I can't fly.
The Snow Fairy: How do you know if you've never tried?

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Connections

Version of The Nutcracker (1977)

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Soundtracks

The Rat King's Song
Written by Tim Rice
Music adapted from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Sugar Plum Fairy" from "The Nutcracker"
Performed by John Turturro

User Reviews

A waste of time

Disappointing in most respects. Inconsistent plot, poor lyrics, poor music adaptation, unconvincing acting for most of the movie. Like most reviewers will probably acknowledge, the visual effects are OK, but have no cause to serve. The film is a waste of nice animation, exactly what I wouldn't have expected from Koncealovski. And now, for a few upsetting details...

It is very difficult to become attached to any of the characters, because they are so superficially introduced. I don't get the real feeling of a backstory, which actually damages the whole universe of the film. Mary is the only character which seems alive, for better or worse. Otherwise, they are all pale and unconvincing.

The techno-fairy tale / political satire mix doesn't help either. I'm thinking of loads of splices you'd be able to make, starting from an original fairy tale, and I can't understand why you'd combine a Disney style dramatization with an oppressed-toys(and humans)-against-evil-nazi-rats uprising. It's not fun enough for adults, it's not simple and clear enough for children. And it doesn't have so much to do with the original...

And talking about the original, the use of Tchaikovsky's music is uninspired, to say the least. The adaptation sounds simplistic, and voices may not have been a good idea. First of all, because it used to be a ballet and, call me a rigid type, but I'd have loved to see it developed on this line. Second, because the lyrics are dull, and the actors' voices sound really bad at times (ok, try to make it sound natural but do follow the notes!). Third, because the modern orchestration further reduces the charm of the original, turning it into a sort of kindergarten party song. As far as the musical part goes, I'm taking Sweeney Todd as a reference. And, compared to this, Nutcracker is way below.

Bottom line? Don't see it, even if the other guy is paying. It's plain loss of time and a poor reference about the classics, if you have any children.