Thanks to Disney Studios I was able to attend Disney’s Nutcracker World Premiere on Monday evening. I shared my experience on the red carpet for Disney’s Nutcracker and at the premiere party, along with photos! My first impression of this film was how beautiful it was.
Watching the Nutcracker is a holiday tradition for many families and this movie will peek the interest of the younger generation to keep that tradition going. With only a touch of ballet, Disney’s Nutcracker focuses more on the story and showing live-action of Clara’s new world where she explores the four realms.
Disney’s Nutcracker Costumes
I was blessed with the opportunity to see some of the costumes in person and was blown away. The intricate details of each costume is mind-blowing. They even look heavy! So many details and gorgeous design. Clara wears numerous outfits throughout the film, each in a different color and style. It’s worth price of admission to see this movie for the costumes and set designs alone.
Disney’s Nutcracker Set Designs
I appreciate and can only imagine the amount of work that went into designing the sets for this film. Each realm is stunning and a land you wish you could explore. I know I could watch the movie many more times and still spot new things in each scene. Similar to the costumes, the set designs are filled with intricate details that are bold and bright. There are more colors in this movie than you can believe. It just makes you happy to see it.
Disney’s Nutcracker Life Lessons
With all Disney movies there is always a life lesson to be learned. In Disney’s Nutcracker we see Clara be a strong, independent, and unique individual. She is dealing with loss and struggling to be her own person no matter what others say or want. We watch several characters grow and develop throughout the film. The Nutcracker Soldier learns to build friendships, Clara learns to care for others while being strong, and her father learns patience and to open his heart.
Is Disney’s Nutcracker Scary for Kids
Back in April when Pixar’s Incredibles 2 came out, I read how many younger children got frightened during the darker action scenes. When I compare those scenes to Disney’s Nutcracker I feel like they are a little scarier. If your child enjoyed Incredibles 2 and wasn’t scared, I think they will enjoy Disney’s Nutcracker. However, let’s break it down since Disney’s Nutcracker is a live-action film instead of animation.
The Mouse King
Fun Fact: “Rat king” is a real term that describes a group of mice or rats living in close quarters whose tails become intertwined and bodies caked in mud to form what appears to be a single giant being.
Disney took a play off of this origin and created a villain made completely from CG that displays 60,000 mice crawling together to form an oversized rodent. Although you see the mice throughout the film, there is truly only one scene that may be deemed scary. The scene goes by rather quickly and is more creepy due to being mice than it is frightening.
Creepy Clowns
If you or your children are creeped out by clowns then scenes with Mother Ginger, the regent of the fourth realm, may bother you. There are Polichinelles which are clown-like characters that bounce around and protect Mother Ginger and the entrance to the fourth realm. If you are familiar with the ballet then you may remember these child-like guards. In this film, they are a little more creepy looking but overall harmless.
Again, the scarier scenes from these roles do not last very long and the storyline progresses to the next part rather quickly.
Beyond thinking the clowns were creepy, the main part that stood out to me as slightly scary for kids were the toy soldiers. You have the Nutcracker Soldier that is portrayed by a real man and then there are toy soldiers that come to life while still resembling toys. Their faces appear to have masks on them. They look like life-size dolls that are creepy and dangerous with swords. This could have stood out to me from watching Chucky as a child with my sisters, ha! Maybe I have a thing against dolls coming to life.
All in all, the film is rated PG, not PG-13, so you will not see any blood or people dying. Without giving away spoilers I will say the distress we see of the characters goes just to the edge without being severe. Similar to someone almost being caught in a short chase.
Disney did a fabulous job of making this movie colorful and bright. Even during the action scenes the movie never gets very dark. There is one part when the area gets foggy and this is about as dark as the movie gets.
Is Disney’s Nutcracker Worth 3D Admission Price
I have not seen the film in 3D but I always try to pay attention to scenes that will look better in three-dimension when screening a movie in 2D. If you think your kids may be scared or bothered by the scenes referenced above, I would not see it in 3D. I can imagine most of the 3D scenes will be of the action scenes. Where things pop off the screen and seem more life-like. If you have older tweens and teens or plan to watch the film with adults only, I say go for it.
The details in the sets and costume design can only be enhanced with 3D. I think watching some of the best scenes come to life from the screen in 3D will make the movie more exciting.
Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms
Now playing in theaters, plan your family outing for this weekend to kick off the holiday season right. After you see Disney’s Nutcracker, tell me what you think!
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