Customer Reviews

The Nutcracker Prince

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After wearing out my old video every Christmas in the 90's, this one took a while to show up on DVD. It was first out in Europe in 2002, so being able to play multi region DVD's, I quickly snatched it up. It was rather low budget, but finally, in 2004, a slightly better quality US version came out!

The incredible music, the vibrant colors, the excellent voice-overs, and of course, the story. A young girl is told by her Grandfather the tale about the wooden nutcracker he gave her as a gift. A boy soldier was turned into wood by the evil Mousequeen, and to become a real boy again, he must defeat the Mouseking.

With the voices of Phyllis Diller, Kiefer Sutherland, Peter O'Toole, and Megan Follows, you just can't go wrong with this cast. An excellent treat, meant to be watched every year!

When I was eleven, I remember watching this version of "The Nutcracker" when it first came out on video, and I fell completely in love with it. I agree with the other reviewers about the not so top notch animation ; however the story line was intriguing. It is a bit different when comparing it to Tchaikovsky's ballet. This portrayal of the Christmas classic comes close to E.T.A. Hoffman's book "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." (If you love the "Nutcracker" you should go read it. The best translation is by Ralph Manheim and illustrator by Maurice Sendak. Go check it out!!!) You have the leading character, Clara (Megan Fellows "Anne of Green Gables"), an adolescent girl who wants to hold on to her childhood. Nutcracker (Keiffer Sutherland), a young prince of the toys, who is cursed to live his life as a nutcracker. Uncle Drosselmier (I have no idea who play's this character) who is the instigator of Clara's and Nutcrackers meeting. Also, a handful of colorful supporting characters (the mouse queen played by Phylis Diller) that makes the story a delight to watch. Through out the story they have dance scenes and used Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" music as background music. What I mostly enjoyed in the movie is Clara's struggle to figure out what her true dreams are and whether to live in a fantasy world or face adulthood. The ending also leaves us questioning if Clara's adventures with her Nutcracker Prince was a dream or reality. Older children (as well as adults) will enjoy this movie. What I mean by older children (8 yrs and up) is that there is a bit of fighting and death scenes. Other than that, it's a great movie to watch during the holidays!!!

Forget what those snobby critics say, this movie is awesome. I saw it years ago on the Disney Channel and loved it, now my family watch it every Christams. I always loved the story of Clara and the Nutcracker but could never get into ballet. Sure ballet is nice to watch for the first several minutes to everything starts looking like it's repeated over and over. This movie has the plot with the Prince turning into the Nutcracker, the battle scene with the Mice and toys and the confrontation with the Nutcracker and the Mouse King (who I think is the best animated charactor, what can I say I am a mouse lover and owner!) and Clara's journey into Toyland without all the endless jumping up and down. There is one scene where the Prince and Clara dance in toyland which is well done with the music too. The ending is great and it should be played every year. I bought the video and since I liked it so much I wanted to buy it on DVD but it didn't come so I bought the DVD UK version since my player plays all DVD's and it's Great!! Please buy this movie and see it for yourself!

I've read some other reviews on the internet, and they said this movie was horrible, but I've never failed to watch it at least twice every Christmas season for every year I've been alive. The most blows are to the animation, but I don't think it's that bad, and come on, it's only 1990. But I fell in love with it the very first time I saw it. I've read the books, seen the ballets, own the soundtrack, and have Nutcrackers of my own. This is a wonderful movie for children and adult alike. It is close to the book, which I think is wonderful. It also has smatterings of humour, which is a nice touch. Drosselmeier was done fabulously, as were all the other characters. A must see for the holidays.

We originally saw this movie on television and my kids fell in love with it. My children have worn out the video we purchased. The music, animation, and of course the story are wonderful! It is a great family video for any time of the year.

Please look past the awful cover and you will find a true gem of an animated movie, with great characters and animation. Produced by now defunct Canadian studio Lacewood Productions, this adaptation of the classic ballet takes a quite different approach to the story than the ballet. This is an exciting, involving story that can be enjoyed on many levels. It's also perfect family viewing; girls will be enthralled by the love story, boys will love the Mouse King. If I am to look past target audiences, though, this film just works amazingly.

The Nutcracker Prince tells of Claire, the young girl of an upper-class rural German speaking home (in which country the story takes place is never made clear). Family friend, "uncle" Drosselmeier, a renowned craftsman, gives Claire a nutcracker at the family's Christmas party. He tells her the story of how a young man was cursed by the evil Mouse Queen for helping a beautiful princess, and that only by defeating her son, the Mouse King, can he become human again. The following two nights, Claire learns that there's more to this story than just fairytale.

Let me make one thing plain; Phyllis Diller's role in this movie is NOT big. The Mouse Queen only appears for about five minutes of the film. It's not fair that her name is on the cover and not the one of Mike MacDonald, the voice of the Mouse King, when he is one of the movie's biggest roles. Because let's face it, the star of this film is the Mouse King. He is vile, repugnant and ugly. Yet in a true demonstration of the power of animation, he is absolutely amazing; a nonstop powerhouse of cruel laughs and evil intentions, quite content on threatening to kill Claire's kitten if she doesn't surrender the Nutcracker to him. There are a number of scary scenes with the Mouse King, and his interaction with Claire is practically the driving force of the film. It's also funny how he contrasts his bumbling, incompetent mouse troops.

It's interesting how this film has two animation styles. One of those only features for about ten minutes, telling the tale of the Nutcracker's origin, where the whole look is very stylised, but still lively and appealing (modern tv networks would find a lot of helpful tips from this section). The other, then, is my favourite; lively and flowing, and especially relishing in the case of the Mouse King. All of his present day scenes are divine in their beauty (even though he certainly isn't). Mike MacDonald's voice performance clinches the deal; he is scary and threatening, and bursting with personality.

Of course the timeless Nutcracker music is to be found here, even adorned with lyrics in the beautiful "If You Could Hear Me Now". There are some strong supporting roles, such as the aged colonel and Claire's vain doll. Mostly, though, this film belongs to Claire, the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. This is a wonderful family film that can be enjoyed on many levels, visually and in terms of story, characters and moral. So basically, this is an excellent movie.

This is one of my favorite movie growing up! Highly recommended.

I loved this movie when I saw it, but did wonder about the differences between it and the ballet. Many years later, I got to read the book (Ralph Manheim and Maurice Sendak) and discovered where it all came from. That made me love it even more! I just can't believe they are making the effort to re-release it on video but not on DVD! Where is the DVD? Please release it on DVD!

This is a wonderful movie!!! I saw it once when I was very small, and now, I have come back to buy it, cuz I just want to watch it over and over again! This is a GREAT movie, and I'm sure it'll bring joy and happiness to the entire family, not only during Christmas, but the entire year! Thanks!

This is such a memorable movie. I grew up on it and now I share it with my little sister each year as one of our Christmas traditions.

The movie is cute, funny, entertaining, and more. The characters are lovable and the content is interesting. It is a movie you can enjoy as a family or that a child can appreciate on her or his own.

Do not miss out on this movie.