The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a movie that recently hit theatres on November 2, 2018. I got the opportunity to go see it myself in Altoona.

Summary of the Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The main characters of this movie are Clara, Clara’s father, Clara’s younger brother and older sister, Clara’s Godfather, and some of the people who are in the realms; Mother Ginger, Captain, and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms starts with Clara and her family preparing to go to the big Christmas party, just like the regular The Nutcracker dance. Clara’s mother has recently passed away. Her father gathers Clara and her siblings to their living room and tells them that their mother has left a present for them to open on Christmas Eve. Clara’s present from her mother is a golden egg; but it is missing the key to open it. Clara becomes frustrated because her mother leaves her a note saying “all you need is inside”.

Clara cannot remember anything about a key until she remembers that her Godfather is a toymaker and she will see him tonight at the Christmas party. Excited, she gets to the Christmas party and finds her Godfather. He tells Clara that it will be very difficult and that she will have to go to great lengths to open this egg. Their conversation is interrupted when all the kids are called to get their presents from Godfather.

Clara hurries to find her string that has her name on it that will lead her to her present. Clara finds it and follows the string up a flight of stairs and back multiple hallways until the string leads her outside. She enters a snowy forest full of Christmas trees, still following this string.

The string leads to a tree that has a key in it! Clara hurries to grab the key, but it falls and a mouse grabs it and runs away. Clara follows, frustrated that the little creature took her key. She stumbles upon a boy in a tall box and his horse. She knocks on his box and informs him that she needs help getting her key back.

The boy, Captain, tells her that the mouse has run into the Fourth Realm and that it would be far too dangerous for her to enter. Clara tells Captain her name and he immediately bows down to her, saying she’s the Queen’s daughter. He explains that the four realms are currently at war because of Mother Ginger. Confused but excited, Clara demands that Captain take her into the Fourth Realm to get her key. He hesitantly agrees. They enter the Fourth Realm and find the mouse with the key and chase him.

Suddenly, many mice join into a giant mouse and chase them. Mother Ginger and her clown army and the giant mouse chase Captain and Clara out of the Fourth Realm. Clara and Captain head to the castle to get an army to help her get her key. While there, Clara is treated like a princess because as it turns out her mother created this land and was once the Queen of it. The Sugarplum Fairy explains to Clara that once all four realms lived in harmony until Mother Ginger wanted too much power. Mother Ginger was forced to go live by herself in the Fourth Realm and was expelled from the castle. Now, The Sugar Plum fairy wants Clara’s help to bring an army to the Fourth Realm to banish Mother Ginger for good and Clara agrees because she will also get her key. I cannot summarize anymore or the movie will be spoiled.

My Opinion

This movie was so good, it really amazed me. If you go into it expecting it to be just like the regular Nutcracker, you will be disappointed and surprised.

The beginning of the film is just like the regular Nutcracker play with the exception of the viewer being aware that Clara’s mother has passed away. The party scene is very similar, with the man who hosted the party announcing that the children would each get their own gifts.

Once you get into the party a bit, the traditional Nutcracker is not similar at all to The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. One can see the similarities of the characters; with Captain being just like the Nutcracker, dressed like him and all. The Sugar Plum fairy and Mother Ginger are also in the original play, but not with the plot twist that occurs halfway through the movie.

One has to go into it with an open mind. Overall, if you have the time, I would recommend going to the movies and seeing The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.