A young girl is transported into a magical world of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice…
The Nutcracker and The Four Realms releases at the perfect time, right as the holiday season approaches. The Disney movie weaves the famous ballet into the mystical story of Klara and her journey through the realms.
The movie had elements of an Alice in Wonderland alternate dimension with its silly characters met on the way. It also reminded us of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’s with its snowy landscape, instead in this film Klara arrives to this land by walking through a tunnel made of tree bark.
The realms co-existed in harmony, excluding one, the fourth realm, where the supposed evil queen lived. The movie takes the audience on the protagonist’s adventure through this land, where her mother was once the happy leader. As Klara arrives in this magical universe, she is greeted by a nutcracker who is enthusiastic about joining her for her protection. She is then warmly welcomed by people of the universe decadently dressed in flowers and candy floss.
During those two hours the audience is transported to this world of make believe. The film allows audiences to embark on an expedition of self discovery. As we live in a society where children spend a lot of time on their electronic devices where the scope of imagination is limited, this film fosters an exploration of the mind and believing in magic.
Even though the ballet was featured, it wasn’t the primary focus of the film. Instead, it was heavily focused on Klara’s struggle to follow in her mother’s footsteps by saving this universe and receiving the key that would ultimately solve all her problems. While it sounds a bit cliché, the character performances made it more enjoyable.
This is definitely a great film to watch on a cold winter day, with some hot chocolate and snuggled with your family. The film is now playing.
