The Nutcracker - Looking Back

  Just as decorated Christmas trees, Santa on his sleigh, and nativity scenes are immortal staples of the Christmas season, the Nutcracker decoration has always been a holiday staple in my family household. As far back as my early elementary school years, it was a tradition to receive a new nutcracker every Christmas, and over thirty years later, my nutcracker collection surpasses any other holiday decoration I own. 

Of course, the original 1816 Nutcracker story from Author E. T. A. Hoffmann is a long-standing favorite of mine, and I’ve always held it to the same high standards of other Christmas favorites in the vein of “A Christmas Carol” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Originally the book was titled “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, but now days it’s simply referred to as “The Nutcracker”. Back when I was just a little kid, I had a hard cover book of “The Nutcracker”, with illustrations by David Delamare, and I had my parents read it to me every Christmas season. It was a story that made my imagination come to life and seemed to contain everything I enjoyed. It had action, beauty, wonder, sword fighting, journeys into magical worlds, and memorable characters. So, for this Christmas, I wanted to look over “The Nutcracker”, how it’s been reshaped over the years, and discuss it’s many different adaptions. 

   It’s the story of a girl named Marie, who’s favorite Christmas Toy comes in the form of a Nutcracker, which was a gift from her mysterious Godfather … an inventor who goes by the name of Drosselmeyer. Despite the Nutcrackers ugly features, she can’t help but look at it, and see a special person who’s brave and selfless. Through her Godfather, she learns the tragic story behind the Nutcracker, that he was once a handsome Prince, and cursed into the form of the wooden figure. 

One magical Christmas Eve, her Nutcracker comes to life, and protects her from his ruthless enemy … the seven-headed Mouse King. After vanquishing his enemy, the Nutcracker takes Marie to his home … a magical Christmas Forest which he refers to as the Kingdom of Dolls. While there, she meets a number of colorful characters, including Mother Ginger, and the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy. After spending time with the Nutcracker, she promises that she would love him always, regardless of how he looks. This naturally lifts his curse, transforming him into a human Prince again, and Marie in turn is crowned Queen of his Kingdom. The story has gone through a number of changes and alterations over the years, with arguably the most famous adaption being Authored by Alexandre Dumas, in which the lead girl Marie was changed to Clara.        

   The real legacy of “The Nutcracker” took shape in 1892, when the famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky took Alexander Dumas’s adaption of the story, and simplified the premise to serve as the narrative of his world-famous Nutcracker ballet. 

Even if you’ve never seen the ballet, your probably still familiar with the music, as that too has become a staple of the holiday season. Back when I was a kid, I had the privilege of seeing the Ballet performed live, and the imagery on the stage was forever ingrained in my mind. The most striking image of all happens early on, when the magic of the season first takes shape, and Clara’s Christmas Tree grows into a giant-sized tree. As for the music, I was initially introduced to these famous medleys through Disney’s 1940 animated classic “Fantasia”. While the sequence of “The Nutcracker Suite” doesn’t feature any of the principal characters, it still captures the same spirit of the Ballet, as it features fantastical creatures and elements that dance and move with the same grace and spirit as Ballet dancers. 

The final scene with the fairies skating on the ice always got me in the winter, holiday mood, despite the lack of any Nutcracker on screen. Every now and then around Christmas, I like to watch this segment, along with “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” sequence from the 1999 sequel “Fantasia 2000”. While the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is a completely different entity all together, it still has a similar look and feel to “The Nutcracker”, and just has that same magic touch. Back to back, they make for a perfect holiday package, and neither even had to mention Christmas.     

Naturally, a source material as rich as this would be a prime target for various Christmas specials and movies. I won’t go over every single one of them, but I’ll definitely touch on the specials that have impacted me as a viewer, as well as the ones popular enough to mention …

“The Nutcracker Prince” (1990) 

The first Nutcracker Christmas special I ever watched, and subsequently my personal introduction to the source material, was a 1990 animated movie titled “The Nutcracker Prince”. It was a Canadian production, distributed in America by Warner Brothers, and stared Kiefer Sutherland as our titular Nutcracker. This version mostly followed the narrative of the original 1816 story, with some slight alterations, and the lead girl once again is Clara from the Ballet adaption, as opposed to Marie from the book ... although the name is used for a different doll character. Also, the evil Mouse King in this version didn’t have Seven Heads like in the original book, and his design was very Don Bluth-esk. With that said, he was still menacing, and there was one scene with him near the climax that scared me senseless as a kid. Upon its release, the film was a box office flop and received largely negative reviews from critics. 

Objectively speaking, both the animation and storytelling were admittedly on par with a TV production, and it didn’t really feel like a theatrical experience. There's also a needlessly long backstory, presented in an off-putting animation style, which derails the passing. Regardless, the film still engaged me as a kid, and I certainly have my nostalgic reservations for the film years later. Over time, it’s actually grown an audience that’s found general favor with it. I can’t say it’s quite good enough to be branded as an underrated classic but considering the many adaptions that have followed … this still remains for me one of the more memorable film adaptions of “The Nutcracker”.    

“The Nutcracker” (1993) 

What followed next for me was a theatrical, live-action movie produced by Warner Brothers, and stared a young Macaulay Culkin in the lead role ... who was naturally still riding the success of his previous Christmas classic “Home Alone”. I remember seeing the advertisements for this movie as a kid, and got really excited that this could be that awesome Nutcracker movie I always wanted. I rented the movie one holiday season … sat down … and was shocked to discover that this theatrical production was little more than a straight-on viewing of the stage show. No joke, what you’re looking at is an admittedly impressive production of the stage show … but not shot in a way that was exciting or interesting. As a comparison, the 2020 film of the musical “Hamilton” was also the straight-forward stage production, but shot, staged and edited in a way that engaged my senses differently from how I'd experience it live in the theater. This 1993 production of “The Nutcracker” by contrast didn't feel any different from when I saw the production live on stage … except it was far less magical, and honestly kind of boring. Still, I suppose if you just want to see a passable stage production of "The Nutcracker" without actually going to the theater, this could possibly give you your fix.    

"The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" (2018) 

Jumping ahead to one of the more recent adaptions ... it's Disney’s theatrical 2018 movie titled "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms". It strayed away from the originals format and tried something a little different. This time the focus is all on Clara, who discovers she’s a lost Princess, one destined to rule over the magical Christmas land, and protect it from a surprise villain, who comes in the form of Keira Knightley as The Sugar Plum Fairy. The Nutcracker is more of a side character this time, and even the villainess Mouse King is reduced to an ordinary mouse, who functions as a cute sidekick. It also features Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, and Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer. The movie was not well received by critics, was a bomb at the box office, and quickly forgotten by the general movie viewers. I freely admit that it was a very by the numbers fantasy adventure, as well as pandering to the Disney Princess crowd, and annoyingly reduces its titular Nutcracker into a side character ... but I also didn’t find anything offensively bad about it either. The performances were committed, the visual design was absorbing, including a well-placed visual call back to “Fantasia”, and there were some imaginative details throughout … enough to keep me engaged, and willing to return for a second viewing. Call it a “guilty pleasure” for sure, and certainly not a good adaption of "The Nutcracker" … but I at least found it a passable little escape.      

“Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale” (2007) 

Like any great source material, "The Nutcracker" has been paired with a number of popular characters and franchises over the years … with varying results in quality. My personal favorite of these crossovers was this 2007 special, staring Tom and Jerry. This time, Jerry takes on the role of the Nutcracker, and since he's a mouse, the villain this time around comes in the form of a wicked Cat-King, with Tom serving as his main enforcer. This film also has its own narrative, with Jerry and a team of misfit toys setting off on a journey to protect a lovely ballerina and her enchanted theater world from the invading cat villains. The music is used as a backdrop for several goofy, slap-stick chases, set amidst this unique setting, and for what it is ... I think it's fun. I've always had a soft spot for Tom and Jerry, and I found this one of the rare contemporary offerings of theirs's which still maintains some spirit from their classic shorts. It's far from any definitive Nutcracker offering, but it's honestly more fun to watch then most other versions I've seen.   

  Another little franchise crossovers I just had to spotlight comes in the form of a short 1999 cartoon staring Mickey Mouse, simply titled “The Nutcracker”. 

I loved Disney and Mickey Mouse cartoons my whole life, and I thankfully discovered this short when I was at just the right young Elementary school age. It’s a straight-forward cartoon adventure, just with our favorite Disney characters in the roles, and the tone is obviously very goofy. The jokes in this short are hit and miss, and there’s some moments that make me cringe … but still, seeing Micky Mouse in the role of the Nutcracker is appealing, and there’s just enough charm to the whole set-up. John Cleese is the narrator, and he never fails to bring the laughs. I also like seeing Donald Duck in the role of the evil Mouse King, and Minnie fits right into the role of Marie, who for once is referred to by her original name as opposed to Clara. The highlight is the energized remix of the classic music, which fits along with the animated action sequences. While not without faults, I’ve always had some reserved fondness for this silly little Mickey Mouse adventure.

  I won't go through every version that features a famous character, but I'll make light mention of some others. I remember one of the earliest I saw was the 1988 TV movie of “Care Bears: The Nutcracker”. I only lightly watched “The Care Bears” back when I was a kid, and while I remember watching their Nutcracker Christmas special, I really couldn’t tell you more about it. I suppose it wasn’t horrible, but an average special with nothing really great to offer, and certainly not one that I’d care to re-watch as an adult. I also remember one time during my college years, I was babysitting my little cousin, and she was watching the 2001 movie of “Barbie in the Nutcracker”. I wasn’t paying much attention, but my ears did perk-up when I noticed that the villainess Mouse King was voiced by one of my favorite vocal talents Tim Curry, which is awesome.      

 There have subsequently been a number of other film adaptions over the decades, most of which I haven't seen. This includes the 2004 animated direct to video film titled "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", just like the original book. What makes this one worth mentioning is that it featured the late great Leslie Nielson as the Mouse King, and Eric Idle as Drosselmeyer. Of course, there was also the 2010 movie “The Nutcracker in 3D”, also known as "The Untold Story", which I thankfully haven’t seen, as it has a distinct reputation as one of the worst Christmas movies ever made. Just from what I’ve glimpsed of the film, with its Nazi villains, and ugly visual design … I think I’m better off skipping that one. 

  In general, I’ve always viewed the story of the Nutcracker, along with its iconic stage music, to be iconic staples of the Christmas season … but I don’t think it’s ever gotten a really great movie or special to represent it. There have been some okay ones, but nothing that I’d label as a great Christmas classic … which is unfortunate, because the source material is ripe for adapting into a contemporary special or movie. Maybe one day I’ll get that Nutcracker special that will do its source material justice … but until then … we still have the iconic Ballet, and a great premise that’s well worth re-telling in the Christmas seasons to come.

Thanks for reading my post … and continue to enjoy the stories you Love!      

 

Oliver and Company (1988) (Movie Review)

    Usually when I review a Disney animated movie, it’s to tie-in with the release of their live action remakes. However, November is a special time of year, squeezed between my two favorite holidays, when I feel the most like a kid again, and I have a simple desire to talk about something nostalgic from my childhood. When it comes to Disney’s “cute pets on adventure” sub-genera, my personal favorite … excluding “The Fox and the Hound” … has always been 1988’s “Oliver and Company”. It may not be a classic in the same vein of other Disney offerings, but I’ve always held a special fondness for this one, and I just felt the time has come to look back and review it. 

This was the studios 27^th animated picture, and the first under the management of then CEO Michael Eisner, as well as chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. When the pair joined the company, they held a special pitch meeting, colorfully referred to as “The Gong Show”, in which a number of Disney animators through-out a number of ideas for their pictures. One of which was an adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”, but set in space … which would take over a decade to see the light of day. The more appealing pitch came from story artist Pete Young, who proposed an adaption of Charles Dickens classic novel “Oliver Twist”, but set in a contemporary New York setting, and with talking animals in the respected roles. Thus, the studio had a new animal themed picture. Upon it's release, it wasn’t a critical darling, and was largely upstaged by "The Land Before Time", which came out the same weekend. The movie wasn't even released on home video until 1996, but when it finally came out, it was one of those home video's that my sister, friends, and I frequently returned to, and it still has a special place in my nostalgic heart all these years later.

    Right from the start, few other Disney animated pictures get to me as quickly in the nostalgic feels as this opening shot of Time Square, paired with Huey Lewis’s song “Once Upon a Time in New York City”. We begin with a new born litter of kittens, and one unfortunate runt of the litter named Oliver, who sadly gets tossed out onto the streets of New York to fend for himself. It’s a great opening that gets me to sympathize with our lead. While I feel it could have been a pinch stronger if it was set to an instrumental score, I can’t help but love Huey Lewis’s song all the same. I feel it complements the mood, and it fits with the overall look and tone of the picture. After roaming downtown, Oliver meets a street dog named Dodger, who teaches him how to survive in a rough city. Along with his team of back-alley dogs, they pick pockets for a street-bum named Fagin, who’s generally a good guy, but currently under the thumb of a ruthless Gangster named Sykes. While on a mission to loot some coin, Oliver finds himself in the care of a little girl named Jenny, who gives our kitten the home he’s always wanted. Before too long, Oliver finds himself caught between the love of his new owner, and the loyalty to his friends who are still scraping around on the street.    

    Now, even though I adore this movie, I will still be objective in pointing out some of the film’s shortcomings … namely with our lead hero Oliver. While the opening did a good job getting me to sympathize with him, I feel he gets lost in a sea of show-stealing characters. 

Billy Joel’s Dodger especially steals a lot of the spot-light, although I admit, he was always the more fun character to have on screen. Honestly, a part of me wishes that Dodger was the main character of the story. As for Oliver, there’s a promising set-up with him feeling conflicted between two places he calls home, but the movie never really takes the time to highlight any of this intriguing character drama, and instead focuses on exiting adventure set-pieces. With that said, the big appeal that made this my childhood favorite “pet-themed” Disney offering was the focus on relations between owners and their pets. The other classics like “Lady and the Tramp” and “101 Dalmatians” mainly focused on the animals alone, whereas “Oliver and Company” mostly puts its attention on the bonding between both the owners and the pets, especially with the kid and her cat. Being an animal person myself, I’m always going to feel a little more drawn to this kind of set-up. Even the scenes with Fagin and his family of ally dogs are great, and leave me smiling from ear to ear. I especially love this one scene with Fagin reading bedtime stores, as I can relate to reading stories to the kids in my family, so it just leaves me feeling all warm inside. Of course, the late comedian Dom DeLuise is an infectiously lovable voice talent, and just makes the character of Fagin come to life.      

   Also, if you grew-up with the live-action 1985 movie version of “Alice in Wonderland”, you might just recognize the same child-actress Natalie Gregory as the voice of the little girl Jenny. 

Thankfully, this girl isn’t obnoxious like other child characters I’ve seen, and has just enough likable qualities. I’ve always loved this one moment when she and Oliver are playing in the park, and she gives this sweat little curtsy to a passing couple. Tiny details like that are all I need to make me care. Of course, I have to mention my favorite character in the film, a hyperactive little Chiwawa named Tito. Yeah, before Cheech Marin voiced a Hyena in Disney’s “The Lion King”, he was the voice of this lively, energized, and all-around fun supporting character. I suppose Bette Midler of “Beaches” and “Hocus Pocus” fame, is also a welcome presence as a pampered rich poodle named Georgette, although scenes with her character do come off feeling like a diversion at times. One last talent I want to mention is the late Roscoe Lee Browne, who voices the dog named Francis, and is a great talent I’ve grown-up with in a number of movies and TV shows. I mainly grew-up with him as the voice of the Kingpin from the classic 90’s “Spider-Man” series, and I can’t help but feel we missed an opportunity for him to be utilized as the voice of an animated Disney villain.  

   Looking back on the original “Oliver Twist” story, the nefarious Bill Sykes has a secure placement in the villain literature hall of fame. He’s also had some solid portrayals on film, namely Oliver Reed’s performance in the Best Picture Winning 1968 musical “Oliver”. 

The animated Disney take on Sykes depicts him as a Loan Shark, who gets away with crimes within the shadows and back allies of New York. He was voiced by the late Robert Loggia, who previously played a gangster in the classic 1983 Crime Drama “Scarface”, so he was a fine choice for the role, and manages to balance some wit with a grounded sense of intimidation. While Sykes isn’t nearly as fun as the more theatrical villains of Disney animation, he’s always stuck with me as a memorable antagonist for one specific reason. Back when I was a little kid, I had a serious phobia of kidnapers, and at the time, I mentally used Sykes as a figurehead for bad men out in the world. Also, in my opinion, Sykes has the absolute best henchman of any Disney villain. Whereas most evil lackeys are depicted as goofy or comedic, Sykes two pet Dobermans named Roscoe and DeSoto are genuinely intimidating, and are honestly more exiting to have on screen then the main villain himself. 

   Another detail I love about this movie is its portrayal of Ney York City, as the setting really becomes a character in of itself. It’s big and tremendous, but it’s also tight-spaced, can get crowded fast, and very easy to get lost in. Just like with “Lady and the Tramp”, the animators took exceptional detail on keeping the environment at eye level with our lead dogs and cat, which made the location feel all the more absorbing. The sketchy backgrounds, and overall look of the film also feel right at home in this picture, and add to its appeal. It may seem dated to modern viewers looking for flashy imagery, but for me it feels more timeless, as well as generally more appealing. Despite the colorful cast of characters, most of the environments still look imposing and dingy, which is an effective contrast. Also, unlike later day Disney movies that really showed-off their CGI elements, I felt the CGI in this film, while used sparingly, also blended in quiet well with the hand drawn animation.      

   Of course, this movie features one of my all-time favorite Disney song numbers, which is Dodgers “Why Should I Worry”. Billy Joel simply hits it out of the park with this catchy musical number, and it was even nominated at the Golden Glob’s for best original song that year. 

I swear, if you listen to this once, you’ll be humming it all day, it’s just that catchy. The sequence also makes great use of cameo appearances from other Disney dogs, as characters from “Lady and the Tramp” and “101 Dalmatians” can be seen in a number of shots. It’s both my favorite song, and all around my favorite scene of the film. Actually, there are a number of decent songs in this film that I feel get overlooked. Jenny’s solo "Good Company" song is perfectly wholesome, although the main appeal of it comes from its accompanying instrumental music. Musical artist Ruth Pointer gets an upbeat song called “Streets of Gold”, although the sequence feels slightly repetitive, as it’s the third song number set in Time Square. Bette Midler gets an okay song number called “Perfect Isn’t Easy”, which is more enjoyable for its presentation. I like how it pokes fun at Disney princess tropes, especially how the singer can “charm-speak” a group of blue birds into being back-up dancers.

   Once we segue into the films third act, the movie becomes less of an “Oliver Twist” adaption, and more like an extension of Disney’s “The Rescuers”, with a little girl getting kidnapped, and cute animals going on a mission to save her. I commented earlier that Oliver’s personal conflicts get dropped in favor of an action-packed climax, which is objectively to the film’s detriment … but I’m also not going to pretend I don’t enjoy this finale. It’s always exiting to begin a climax with the characters covertly sneaking into the bad guy’s layer, and when their cover is blown, it’s just fast-moving excitement from there on. The climactic car chase in the subway makes for a thrilling set-piece, and I still remember watching this as a kid, and being on the edge of my seat the whole time. Something about this chase felt genuinely intense, as I got scared for the safety of our characters, and there’s some effectively brutal villain deaths on display.

   After all the excitement, we get a relaxed little epilogue with our characters celebrating at a birthday party. Once again, I have to comment that the movie sidelines any kind of emotional finality for Oliver, and where he chooses to call home. 

Instead of a heartfelt sendoff, it’s more of a basic “let’s hang out again sometime”. Honestly, the most touching detail of this ending is the girl Jenny thanking Fagin for helping with her rescue. Still, the film plays us out with that catchy song, and it leaves me feeling great every time. Again, I can’t make any argument that “Oliver and Company” is one of the great animated Disney offerings, but it’s always been special to me, and it is still my personal favorite of the studio’s “pet-themed” ventures. I love seeing the different relations between the owners and the pets on display, most of the songs bounce in my head after the feature, the basic animation is very appealing, and sometimes, a simple nostalgic offering is all I need.        

Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s animated 1988 picture “Oliver and Company” … and continue to enjoy the movies you love.