The Nutcracker and The Four Realms Review

[@RavenFoxAudio]

What is the best and worst Christmas/other holiday movie you've ever seen (PLEASE ONLY CHOOSE ONE BEST AND ONE WORST.) Why do you love/hate them? Extra points for non-mainstream movies but feel free to choose the more traditional ones and you might end up listed in a group that agreed with you. Reply to this question and we might choose your answer to read at the end of the next review!

[@zooemperor3954]

Well, there is Noel which is a story about a lightbulb/ornament and the titular character has a personality in that he actually is optimistic. There’s How the Grinch stole Christmas and I like that a curmudgeon learns to like Christmas and understand it after seeing how people come together for it

[@Bobsheaux]

Best movie; _Scrooge_ starring Alastair Sim. The story of a cruel, rotten soul finding redemption will forever be a classic, and Sim's version is just perfect, only rivaled by maybe the Muppets. Worst movie; _Little Gobie._ Just.... why??

[@monstercombo007]

For a Favourite, That's a no-brainer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite. A simple but effective story of how Christmas is much more than just presents. That being care for others when needed. As for the worst one, I was going to say “Miracle in Toyland” but then i met “The Christmas Light”. Cheap animation, bad dialogue and a Really bad and hamfisted message. Thanks and I'll keep checking your awesome content, Bob and Raven!

[@VerdantRange]

For me, the best would probably be A Flintstones Christmas Carol. It had a rather interesting take on the material by making it that the characters are performing a play and how Fred has his own little arc. Plus, they did have the play's Scrooge get to reunite with his love while incorporating a bit from the book into the dialogue. I just love it. The worst, would sadly be Alpha's Magical Christmas from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. It was just a cheap little thing that Saban made with some kids doing some Christmas activities in the command center with very little stuff with the actual Power Rangers in it. We see the rangers (including the green ranger, even though Rocky, Adam and Aisha are part of the team, meaning Tommy should be the white ranger), and a very brief appearance of Tommy, Kimberly and Billy at the end. Add all the stock footage of past episodes, and this ep was a total lump of coal. Even as a little kid, I thought it was boring and I was obsessed with the Power Rangers at that age.

[@devonhall3785]

Best Christmas movie : Rudolph red nose reindeer and the island of misfits toys. Worst christmas movie: grandma got ran over by reindeer. Why cause she should listen to her family and stay inside and wait until morning to get her medications. Love u guys 😍😁

[@ryandowney8743]

I don't understand why period movies like this that want to do a girl empowerment story always start with the girl being strong and independent and way too modern attitude. Why not have her be more of a product of her time (albeit not happy with her repressed position in society), and then have her CHANGE through the movie to being more strong and independent? You know, a CHARACTER ARC!

[@RavenFoxAudio]

Well-said!

[@Bobsheaux]

Are you suggesting that a woman has to CHANGE over the course of a movie?? A POX ON THEE!!!!

[@clarecarey2594]

@@Bobsheaux it would make the movie better

[@leohino9211]

@@Bobsheaux Jokes aside, they do make a great point

[@TRTMN-vs3ew]

Change = Character. Perfect = Dumb.

[@NobodieZ26]

Here's an idea for how the movie could have been better, Clara has been trying to close off her emotions and by extension her family after the death of her mother. When she arrives the four realms, she learns that the Rat King (wh turns out t be the Nutcracker's little brother) is trying to turn everyone into unfeeling robots. He almost succeeded with the Nutcracker Prince, but fortunately escape. The prince still has his emotions yet is still a robot. Later it's revealed that the Rat King's mother died and is heartbroken about it. So he plots to turn everyone into machines so they won't feel sadness anymore. Clara convince him how stupid his plans are. Clara helps the Rat King find a way to turn the Prince and the Rat King's other victims back to normal. Seeing the two brother reunite makes Clara realize how how she's been treating the rest of her family and goes home to make amends.

[@leohino9211]

I like this way better

[@aidandevine5228]

I agree it would have been a better take on the Nutcracker story. Plus it would have made the Rat King a more interesting villian.

[@michaelamaya9032]

Holyshit! You just came up with a better premise and script for a movie than a PROFESSIONAL MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR FILM STUDIO WITH YEARS OF REPUTATION AND AN ARMY OF PROFESSIONAL SCREENWRITERS! That is both awesome and sad.

[@willlyon7129]

I would make the four realms as the four seasons, the Rat King would be the villain, and Clara must restore balance to the four realms.

[@aidandevine5228]

@@willlyon7129 Makes sense cause it's holiday themed.

[@klimmr]

20:27 Long ago, the four realms lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when Mother Ginger attacked.

[@majinism5582]

As terrible as this movie was, the swarms of rats forming one giant swarming monster would make an interesting D&D encounter

[@majinism5582]

@Kelley Bozeman YES!

[@98953812]

A good reason to roll the dice to nope the hell out of there. XD

[@austinreed7343]

The robotic soldier thing, the clown mutants...

[@star_sapphire5183]

I wonder if they did that as a reference to an irl mouse/rat king 🤔

[@sirorliktheironclad]

Agree. This take on the Rat King had potential but they made him “the good guy” and had the Sugar Plum Fairy be “the bad guy.”

[@thepaladinauthoryoutube]

Do you know what would be would've been a MUCH better answer for Godfather Drosselmeyer to give at the end? "Your mother was the greatest inventor I ever knew. And there was never any doubt when I asked what her greatest creation was. *It was the family she created with your father.* A family is the most wondrous thing, because it takes people so different and makes something more than it's separate parts. And it can keep working, even when it's made of broken people, or even if some parts of it are no longer there. The love keeps it going. And if we're clever and brave and care enough, sometimes we can do just what is needed most to help repair what had been broken. And we understand where our place really is. It's what I love about this time of year. Maybe your father, your brother, your sisters, just need a little reminder of the wonderful gift they ARE...and can be." Imagine Morgan Freeman giving THAT speech! Does it fix the rest of this film? No, but it's SOMETHING XD. In fact what if the whole movie was about how each of the realms corresponded to each member of the family? And the part Clara discovers is hers has become starkly technological and isolationist the way she has in real life? Maybe the whole struggle is about the Queen's death and the power struggle it left, and maybe it's indicative of how each family member can end up if things are left as they are? And what if the villain represented the forces of bitterness, sorrow and unresolved emotional turmoil has on a family struck by tragedy?

[@elsie8757]

Dude if I could upvote this more than once I would

[@thepaladinauthoryoutube]

@@elsie8757 Much appreciated! It was a lot of fun to write.

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

When YT commentors are better writers than the professionals. 😉 Of course, as a writer myself, I'm not complaining! I love finding comments like these that help to improve bad story lines! It's too bad Disney didn't come up with this themselves because I think it would've made the film a bit more memorable.

[@thepaladinauthoryoutube]

@@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose Thank you so much for your kind, encouraging words! I'm also an aspiring novelist, so I'm hoping that you'll have much success! And heck, let's face it, some half-baked fanfiction has deeper characterizations and dialogue than movies today XD

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@thepaladinauthoryoutube Oh true to that! Fanfiction can for sure be that good, you just have to know where to look. (I recommend AO3, I've read a lot of great work there).

[@annadau8612]

Marie was name of the heroine of E.T.A. Hoffmann's original Nutcracker tale. She was renamed Clara in Alexandre Dumas' adaptation, on which the ballet was based. This movie's heroine is Clara, daughter of Marie.

[@e.d.t.]

I dislike these remakes where they try to turn the female leads into feminist icons. Just tell a compelling story. It should be engaging and make sense. Feminism is about equality, not about women being boring and flawless while men are useless idiots. Also, hearing a black man say "I know my place. It's good enough for me," rubs me the wrong way.

[@adamgelb567]

13:55, 33:43 Edit: I'm an Ethnic Russian, so pardon me if this comment seems a little intense. I'm genuinely offended by the use of St. Basil's Cathedral (one of the OLDEST REMAINING CHURCHES IN MOSCOW) having its facade used as a military headquarters. Damn you, disney.

[@Bobsheaux]

To be fair, it's not just Disney doing this. I didn't know the name of this building, but I THOUGHT it might've been the kremlin, and a quick google search for it only lead to an abundance of St. Basil's images. Thank you getting its REAL name out there to a few more people. 😊

[@adamgelb567]

@@Bobsheaux This is the "Kremlin Proper", in case you're wondering. Mostly churches, actually, but includes some political offices. www.justgorussia.com/userfiles/images/pages/excursions/kremlin/excursion_kremlin_and_cathedrals.jpg

[@adamgelb567]

@@Bobsheaux In Russian, "kremlin" (kремль) just means "fortification" or "complex", and there's a kremlin in each of West Russia's oldest settlements (that is, west of the Volga River). The fact that the West associates "Kremlin" with "vaguely Russian-looking building of unknown intent" demonstrates the effectiveness of Anti-Slavic, Cold War propaganda.

[@anastasiap6253]

Also, kremlins are not always red. Plenty of older towns have white kremlins for example. Another Russian here :)

[@finland4ever55]

Especially since they changed the setting to England for no reason. Clara is supposed to be Russian, not British.

[@elsie8757]

"You go through the trouble of making an unusual casting choice for the Nutcracker himself for the sake of representation, just so you can have him do nothing but take orders from a girl who revels in her newfound position of privilege, and be made fun of by a friggin' mouse. How nice." LITERALLY WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO SAY. It's so unfortunate that the same movie where they cast a black actor as the Nutcracker, _just so happens_ to also be the one that demotes him from main character to the leading lady's personal pep talk machine. He doesn't even get to be a secret prince, or Clara's love interest like every other Nutcracker in adaptation history!! I have only known Captain for 40 minutes but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.

[@dylanbeebehive2024]

Nice The Office reference or is it Brooklyn Nine Nine

[@elsie8757]

@@dylanbeebehive2024 I think it was Brooklyn Nine Nine

[@cartooncritique6625]

...and of course they would later go on to repeat the same mistake with the Star Wars sequels. Remember when we all thought Finn was going to actually be an important character?

[@elsie8757]

@@cartooncritique6625 This felt very much like The Finn Treatment, tbh.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@elsie8757 And there was literally no reason not to make him an important character. I mean the book has a very clear setup with him being cursed into the form of a nutcracker so they could've done something like that.

[@stlouisrocker100]

I remember only seeing one advertisement for this movie and never heard from it again until now. It's almost like even Disney had little to no faith in this film.

[@mysticmind4563]

Funny I saw the trailer poster of this as I was going to watch Upside. And like the Robocop remake, I couldn't remember a damn thing about this movie.

[@cartooncritique6625]

Probably because its just a straight-up rehash of their 2010 adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland".

[@Hewylewis]

Also, the original Nutcracker story was German, not Russian.

[@diggerfan9319]

What was the difference between the German Nutcracker and the Russian Nutcracker?

[@Hewylewis]

@@diggerfan9319 The original Nutcracker story was written in Germany by ETA Hoffman, while the ballet was adapted by a Russian composer, Tchaikovsky. From what I know, the ballet doesn't try to change the setting of the original story.

[@diggerfan9319]

@@Hewylewis Oh, thanks. I'm not really into the Nutcracker as it's the most overplayed stage production in history after say Romeo and Juliet. Seen it once and that was enough for me.

[@evilemster3047]

As someone trying to write a Nutcracker adaptation of their own I like looking at others to see what to do and what not to do. I wonder what this one is gonna come under...

[@GabyGeorge1996]

I’d recommend the WEBTOON Clair and the Nutcracker

[@evilemster3047]

@@GabyGeorge1996 I took a look, love it so far. What surprises me though is how similar our Nutcrackers look 🤣 It really surprised me

[@Bobsheaux]

And yes, I know it's so late that it's not even July anymore... mrr...

[@98953812]

Who cares? Our man is back!! :D

[@christianbennett3690]

It's okay bobsheaux better late than never awesome that your reviews are back:)

[@clarecarey2594]

At least its back

[@monstercombo007]

With you Bob? Every day is Christmas ^^

[@justisewalker9502]

hey bobsheaux are you planing to review upside down magic? and no it's not a request it's just a question

[@alexp.d3689]

The joke about the Sugarplum being cute hitler ...broke me , i can't stop watching it and Bob's accent is on point .Thanks for making us laught

[@beatrixthegreat1138]

Actually dresses like that might have pockets. They certainly did in the 18 century. They were on a belt and a lot of the dresses had slits you can reach in too. They were huge pockets too. Though I could be off, I’m not 100 percent sure the Victorian/Edwardian fashions had them. The bustles and cages under those dresses could hide them easy.

[@teddybearkiller5271]

13:56 Actually that version of the Rat King is very accurate to the real life version of the legend the Rat King term comes from when their babies, their tails get all tangled together forming a glob of rat. Look it up it's quite disgusting but unfortunately happens.

[@Hewylewis]

How hard is it to make a Nutcracker movie?! Seriously, just adapt the original story by ETA Hoffman, why is that so hard?!

[@arnold20139]

Warner Brothers did a nice job. I have it on VHS, I try to watch it every year for Christmas. It also was a retelling of the play with a young Macaulay Culkin.

[@Hewylewis]

@@arnold20139 I prefer either The Nutcraker Prince from 1990 or The Nutcracker by Jetlag.

[@FillmGeekOfDoom]

Also, that indirect snide comment Bob made at Frozen's expect was way too mean and just flat incorrect.

[@TrevortheTrainFan]

@@Hewylewis To be honest, I prefer the Nutcracker Prince from 1990 because not only that it's nostalgic to me, but it's a more faithful adaptation of the Nutcracker compared to this movie and that crappy Nutcracker 3D.

[@Hewylewis]

@@TrevortheTrainFan I prefer that, and the 1995 Jetlag movie too.

[@brianlevine871]

The only good thing about this movie was the visuals. Seriously, I loved how they designed the environments like Drosselmeyer's mansion, that hallway with the owl and mouse wallpaper, and the titular four realms. They truly emphasized the fairy tale aesthetic that the film was aiming for, along with each character's outfits. I also kind of liked how this version of the Mouse King was made from all of the mice combining into one large figure, since it was creative and added some terror to this antagonistic figure. The writing however was like a broken toy. Some of the ideas were interesting like the setup with the four realms, but it all failed because of the dull story and forgettable characters I also really hated that forced twist villain scenario with the Sugar Plum Fairy, which was trite beyond belief and completely unnecessary. Oh yeah, and making the Nutcracker, the title character of this story, a third wheel was stupid. If I were to rewrite this story, I'd just have Clara receive the Nutcracker as a gift and the Mouse King be the main villain like the original story, have the latter kidnap the rulers of each realm one by one in order to control their kingdoms, and Clara and the Nutcracker team up and use their respective skills to save everyone. Although, Raven's revision also sounds great, especially with the idea of Clara having a pet mouse/rat to enhance her love of science and to explore the twist of the Mouse/Rat King being a good guy.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

I did something like this where the Nutcracker was a friend of her mother but after the Mouse Queen curses him into the form of the Nutcracker, Marie leaves the Four Realms with the nutcracker to try and free him but never does which leaves Clara to do so.

[@brianlevine871]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 That sounds like a brilliant idea, and a perfect setup for the Four Realms premise!

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@brianlevine871 Thank you and it also ties back to the original story by ETA Hoffman and makes the Nutcracker a more prominent character instead of just a walking pep talk for Clara.

[@tomforge614]

I think where this movie truly fouled up is that I was more convinced of romantic chemistry between the "nutcracker" and the rat king mouse golem than Clara and the "nutcracker". I realize the attempt at "strong, female protagonist", but Clara and the nutcracker falling in love is kind of a major part of the ballet.

[@elsie8757]

I didn't think there was _meant_ to be romantic chemistry between Captain and Clara in this movie. Clara can't be any older than 15 and I don't know how old Captain is exactly, but I got the impression he was meant to be an adult. A shame, really, because as you said, Clara and the Nutcracker being love interests is a major part of the story, and pretty much every other adaptation takes it for granted. And I'm not gonna lie, it would've been really nice to see a black man portrayed casually and sincerely as the love interest of a white female lead in a movie. I don't think I've seen that happen since, like... Holes.

[@tomforge614]

@@elsie8757 This is true, overall. My observation was more based on how heavily botched of an adaptation it was that even the simplest plot point couldn't be retained, let alone well-executed.

[@tomforge614]

@prehistorichero2755 To be fair, "The Nutcracker Prince" feels like an animated film that feels like it slipped through the cracks to be a cult classic.

[@tomforge614]

@prehistorichero2755 Oh no, you're totally right, but things have just been so weirdly experimental. I kinda feel like they started going downhill after obtaining both Marvel and Star Wars. Too reliant on titles to sell movies as opposed to stories. But with the variety of other Nutcracker movie templates, an animated Nutcracker should have been a lazy afternoon to write as opposed to how overly complicated the story became. Of course, with the overly specific title, I wouldn't be suprised if this was based off of a novel that reimagined the base tale opposed to being based on the fairytale itself.

[@PoeticProse7]

Fancy rats were a thing at the time in England, but otherwise I absolutely love Raven's take on this. Why not have a Nutcracker who's a girl?! I had hesitated to see this one and I'm sooooo glad I didn't! Wow; I love that you bring up the fact that Disney's attempts lately to write 'girl power' into their stories is simply dumbing down the male characters and giving the women anachronistic superknowledge and god-like cosmic abilities. Oh well, at least they haven't ruined James Cameron . . . yet.

[@PoeticProse7]

@@gracestarkes2644 I think the conversation with Disney would be like the final confrontation with Jenner and Justin; Disney: "I have learned this much; take what you can when you can!" Audiences: "Then you have learned nothing!"

[@evilemster3047]

I have a friend who's making a version where the Nutcracker is a girl. Their art is gorgeous too

[@DemonicRemption]

@@PoeticProse7 I was about to say how Raven should pitch that idea for a Nutcracker adaptation to a studio and act as producer. As for Disney's lazy attempts at having strong female leads at the expense of male characters is terrible. It doesn't make the lead stronger, but actually weaker. I know this because usually in a story with a female lead and male companion, the two compliment each other, which elevates the female lead because of how she plays off her partner. When you have a female lead that's superficially perfect and an incompetent male companion, you don't get the interesting dynamic. You get boring trite. Also on the idea of a female Nutcracker, while that would be nice, I noticed something... Why do these "girl power films" have one female main character, and there are supporting females, why are they suck ups and cheer leaders, instead of something like Sailor-Moon, My Little Pony:Friendship Is Magic, or Powerpuff Girls where they're a team that compliment each other with different talents and skills? Like I suspect that's what Raven would do with a female lead and nutcracker, as they'd be a dynamic duo that compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses.

[@PoeticProse7]

@@DemonicRemption Good point. I think it's the idea that women don't play team sports, so to speak. It's insulting.

[@DemonicRemption]

@@PoeticProse7 I can see why with that perpetual stereotype of women not getting along well with each other. Which now that I bring that up also is why these hollow attempts at "female empowerment" don't work, because women like you notice that, and as Bobsheaux implied in the review us guys see it too. But to play devil's advocate, I get it as the type of "women" such characters are meant to appeal to have insecurities implanted in their minds by society regarding how they look, think, and behave. So this is their escapism... The problem is, it's implied that all women are to indulge in this power fantasy and not just a few. I was thinking of typing "you'd think a teaching girls and women that being a team player makes a great leader would be an aspect to these empowerment films"(which I just did...) but I've become business savvy enough to see this as you saw it:"a means of earning brownie points and money from a potentially new demographic..." To which, don't get me started on that perpetuation of ignorance that women who like strong female leads is a new demographic... That's a new level of annoyance since I've indulged in female-centric fiction my whole life and have met the women who enjoy said fiction.

[@maxhatterschannel5140]

Every Review is a treat, more Christmas like than Christmas itself.

[@riptobias]

I'll give the movie this: It's clearly going for a sequel thing, with a nod to the original protagonist of the book (Marie) being the mother, and the name she was given in the ballet (Klara) used for the daughter. Clever. However: They seemed to think this would free them from any semblance of logic...

[@Capydapy]

Can Disney make a modern movie without forcing the main girl to be a "girl boss" for one second ?? Just make a female character that's written well. It's not that hard Disney, you did it well in the '90s. This makes me really fear for the upcoming Little Mermaid live action remake. Ariel is going to become queen of the land and Eric is going to be a even bigger dumb dumb than he was before. Maybe she'll become queen of land and sea. Triton will die and give up his trident so Ariel can be human or mermaid whenever she wants. And she'll take over Ursula's lair too. ULTIMATE GIRL BOSS. And the up coming Pinocchio live action remake ? Well Pino is a boy, so he'll become firewood I guess. And the Blue Fairy has vagina so she'll become the main character and save the day. GIRL BOSS.

[@DemonicRemption]

@ Sor a And why on God's green Earth must every "girl boss" need a black male companion... Seriously as a jaded and cynical black man, I have to refrain from jokes that would be deemed racist if they came from a white guy. :p

[@tacticstonk4740]

@@DemonicRemption Because the chart says so.

[@DemonicRemption]

@@tacticstonk4740 Okay, explain...

[@Capydapy]

@Regina Takáts lmao I do. I do enjoy the Shrek movies but they did so much damage to Disney. And starting annoying animation tropes like boomer pop music and dance party endings.

[@MintyCow101]

Ah this movie, was only interested for the set, and music, because i adore Zchaicovskys work, aaaaand its this weird, fanfic, female power without female power movie.... She didnt even fall in love with the nutcracker, the ACTUAL PRINCE. Back to the barbie movies i go!!!

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Stick with the Barbie version. Despite being styled like the doll, Clara feels more human than Disney's Clara because she actually develops as a character. At first, she's naturally freaked out by what's happened to her and has her doubts about following the Nutcracker into the unknown, like any of us would be in her situation. Throughout the story, her bravery and cleverness grows, but she doesn't realize it. In fact, she finds it hard to believe she's the Sugar Plum Princess, and it's Prince Eric who has to make her understand how much stronger she became over the course of their adventure. Point is, Barbie was never trying to shove a girl power message down our throats or use Nutcracker to try and tell us how we SHOULD be, it was to inspire young girls on what they COULD be. All while telling a fun little fairytale centered around the ballet. Also, Tim Curry's Mouse King was a total boss. There's a reason why Barbie's Nutcracker is still remembered despite coming out in 2001, while Disney's Nutcracker has almost total vanished from the public eye and that came out in 2018.

[@MintyCow101]

D.J. Rose your absolutely right, i forgot it already it came out XD its been 2 years since its release? Well shit doesnt that say a lot XD

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@MintyCow101 It really does. When I find myself thinking about it, it feels like a decade-old release to me. But no; it was only two years ago, and yet I barely remember it. Barbie, on the other hand, remains timeless and for good reason. 💖

[@JediMcFly717]

Nutcracker The Untold Story: “I can be the worst Nutcracker adaptation by adding Unnecessary Word War 2 symbolism!” Nutcracker & The Four Realms: “Hold My Forced Feminism Beer!”

[@micahwilliams1449]

1. Sugarplum is this movie's Queen of Hearts 2. Sugarplum looks like Paris Hilton.

[@mechazoic]

26:23 Laughed so hard at this. The fact that Bob didn’t even have to say anything, just the look on his face! 😂

[@subcaratothemoon1982]

Pure Awesomeness😎

[@monstercombo007]

I'll give it this.... At least it doesn’t have Nazi Rats! Edit: Wow, The description thinks the same! Convenient!

[@melissamiller4740]

El Perro Spike oh yeah that movie yeah made no sense

[@diggerfan9319]

You got that right!

[@jenneacubero1036]

El Perro Spike Oh no...Why do I have the sudden feeling that folks are going to ship the Keira Knightly Sugar Plum Fairy with the Nazi Rat King now?

[@nickdegugs7190]

The one with the Nazi rats was better

[@anastasiap6253]

You mean a Warhol in a rat Nazi cosplay? That is a bit more accurate for me 😂

[@sirorliktheironclad]

Here’s my take on The Nutcracker story: The Rat King was a pet rat that Clara was given to on Christmas by her parents last year. She lost her pet rat and this leads the rat to go down a path of revenge blaming Clara for him getting lost. Years later Clara’s godfather gives Clara the Nutcracker which her godfather found. In the past the Rat King who has new found magic cursed a young boy named Nicholas who was a friend of Clara turning him into the Nutcracker. Years later the Nutcracker know as Nicholas comes to life and along with a new band of toy friends brought to life by magic too band together to protect Clara from the vengeful Rat King and his army of rats. The story basically goes the same where Clara falls in the love with the Nutcracker, but the Rat King survives the battle and tries to kill Clara at the Land Of Dolls. Clara tries to reason with her former pet but the Rat King is now far from redemption and now wants to genocide the dolls along with the humans which he plans to have enough magic to grow big and take over the human world. The Nutcracker scarifies himself to protect Clara but dies in the process along with the Rat King to protect Clara and the other toys. On Christmas Day the next morning Clara bumps into Nicholas who is now a human again. He gives Clara a music box for Christmas and the two share a kiss. Also Clara gets a new pet that is a pet mouse instead of a rat. Clara and Nicholas end up together and live Happily Ever After. The End

[@lisamartinez8200]

love that.

[@sirorliktheironclad]

@@lisamartinez8200 Glad. The Nutcracker is one of my favorite stories that I feel has a lot of potential to be entertaining and interesting which it already is but the short story and ballet don’t have much of a story. My favorite adaptation of the Nutcracker is the Nutcracker Prince. My take on the Nutcracker is loosely based on it but I added my own take on the story that is less violent because the Nutcracker Prince is a little violent for a Christmas movie.

[@TheWhoEditor]

I so wanted this movie to work. Disney making the Nutcracker! That is a good combo! But once I saw the second trailer i immediately got nervous that it was just going to be Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Frozen etc. Maybe if they got a better writer or a better script, this could've worked well with the actors, sets and designs they got. But the movie we got made me angry.

[@meganwillard4709]

What's sadder is that the novel of the film does a better effort to explain stuff- plus being aesthetically pleasing....probably the one thing that made me buy it as the cover was nice and it had illustrations for each chapter- as the novel of the film tells TWO stories- no joke, we get the film stuff but then we also get a second story of Clara's mother over the first story, explaining how Clara's mother came to live with Drosselmeyer, explaining how she found the four realms- though novel didn't explain HOW they existed and were somehow in drosselmeyers mansion- and how she made the machine in the end and brought her doll, suger plum, to life first and later to give her company, got other toys and brought them to life, including the other regents and even Phillip himself whose the only nutcracker who got brought to life- and this leads to us getting chapters of Suger slowly losing herself to evil as she desires to join Marie in the real world and later tries to follow but fails while Marie had no choice but to stop visiting due to becoming badly ill then and like, its still a weird explanation for all of the films plot but the novel at least tried, with marie's story obviously ending on her death while claras ends similar to the film.

[@henrykahn]

I’m Jewish, but I’m sticking with 1990’s animated Nutcracker Prince, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Megan Follows. (Probably the closest we’ll get to a Disney Nutcracker)

[@librahoshino6752]

Only Disney could turn a story like The Nutcracker into ANOTHER princess movie. (I do love the idea of a female nutcracker though.) The Nutcracker Prince (1990) is my favorite movie adaptation of this story. It's sweet, simple and not overly complicated. Just a cute little coming-of-age story where both the Nutcracker and Clara get to take it in turns playing the hero. PLUS, it uses the Tchaikovsky ballet music throughout the entire film to good effect in the storytelling.

[@KittenKuddler]

I've done the string present thing before at a church. Very fun! Also loving how active Raven is in this video.

[@thegayghost872]

This movie feels like an original story that had elements of The Nutcracker stapled on at the last second

[@jeremyusreevu237]

Hell yes with Raven's rant on this movie's"girl power". There's a diffrence between feminism and misandry combined with overpowering women.

[@tessaminick8745]

Also is it just me or is it unsettling that this progressive movie decided to cast a black actor in a roll of unwavering servitude?

[@98953812]

YES!!!!! The man, the legend, Bobsheaux is back!!!!! 😃😃

[@JediMcFly717]

Am I the only person who hates when Traditional femininity is portrayed as “evil” in movies? I was a girly girl a child & Im still girly today & spoiler alert I turned out fine. Btw this movie makes The Nutcracker the untold story look better in comparison. Yes I know it was bad, but at least that film didn’t hit you over the head with “hashtag feminism”.

[@DreamDancer82]

No, you are certainly not the only one who hates the "Traditional Feminitiy Is Evil" thing. Being of the female persuasion, I enjoyed quite a few things that were deemed "too girly" for the masses when I was a kid. Geez. First it was "it's lame because it's too girly!" Now it's "it's girly, so it's evil!"

[@JediMcFly717]

@@DreamDancer82 when I found out about the plot twist of this movie, all I could think about was how they did the very same thing in The Emoji Movie.

[@izzisart]

Honestly, we need more female characters that are both strong and feminine. Being feminine isn't weak or bad!

[@danielsvetlichny5721]

Whence I first heard that Disney is going to make a film based on The Nutcracker, I am excited, since I am familiar with the ballet and that one of the segments in Fantasia is the Nutcracker. And whence I saw the trailer of the film, it is vastly different from what I and my family am familiar with, but perhaps they can pull something off. And whence I finally saw the film with my mother and brother, I'm severingly disappointed with the film and it isn't what I anticipated and hoped for, especially with a out of nowhere suprise twist from Sugar Plum, which is very out of character I'd like to add. In fact, here's MY interpretation of the film. Whence Clara arrived in the Four Realms, Sugar Plum explained the backstory that whilst they were living their peaceful lives, there is a mouse whom wanted to take control of the Realms because he is fed up living like a regular mouse and wanted to be a legitimate king and with his newfound powers that his aunt has given to him. And with that, he and his followers first took control in the Fourth Realm and that's when he manipulated Mother Ginger into having her realm to be noticed because he noticed Ginger being lonely that nobody is visiting her realm and in order for the Mouse King to take control, he needed the help of Ginger and whence she helped him, the Mouse King will help her for her realm to be noticed, thus lying to her in the climax. Whence Mother Ginger was shocked that it was all a trick, that's whence Clara would find her and then asks her why is she doing that, Ginger explains that it's the doing of The Mouse King that wanted power and in order to achieve order, he asks the help of Ginger for making a Trojan Horse style plan in order to get to the castle and that's whence they would strike and take over the throne. With the help of the redeemed Ginger, Clara and company managed to defeat the Mouse King and peace has finally returned to the Realms. The End. Hopefully my interpretation is much better than the film's story and I can only hope that anyone whom would read my notice, I can only hope that someone can animate it and tell 'tis story PROPERLY.

[@danielsvetlichny5721]

@@gracestarkes2644 Thank you. Suppose you can animate it? Or can your friends do it?

[@LaineMann]

Wait a second. This is a Disney film. And the main character is a preteen girl. Who is a princess. And is an inventor. OH MY GOD THEY’RE RIPPING OFF ELENA OF AVALOR!

[@moonlightrobbery]

I like this movie for only three reasons: Mackenzie Foy is one of the most beautiful actresses I've seen, the aesthetic of the movie is lovely to look at, and the potential that this had was pretty good. It's a shame that everything was wasted for this lackluster finished project.

[@michaelcummings9033]

Bob Raven I love you both soo much.

[@AllyOJustice]

I can think of one thing to defend the tin soldiers collapsing suddenly after Sugarplum's defeat: she said they were engineered to obey her orders and nothing else, so without her in the picture to give orders they can do nothing.

[@Sarahonwheels]

The sugar plum fairy suprise completely took me out of it, but at least I got a good day with my family from the movie. :)

[@Demolitiondude]

13:26 it's a vermintide... SKAVEN! WE MARCH-RUN TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM! WE KILL-KILL!

[@kaijukid1443]

Her not reacting to any of this is ridiculous!If I was in a situation like this,you know what I would do:ASK QUESTIONS!I would ask them as they race through my brain!

[@elsie8757]

Especially since that's what, y'know, _scientifically-minded_ people are supposed to do! Ask questions!

[@kaijukid1443]

@@elsie8757 Indeed!

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Barbie's Clara was styled like the doll and yet SHE had more organic reactions to what was happening around her! Although she tried to stay calm, she was still clearly freaked out by all the magic and fighting that went down in her parlor, and even initially refused to follow the Nutcracker into the unknown until she had a valid reason for doing so (to find the Sugar Plum Princess and return her normal size).

[@danielsvetlichny5721]

At least in the novelisation of the film, Clara actually DID ask questions whence she arrived at the Realms.

[@spmscout]

Not as bad as Nutcracker the untold story, but still pretty bad.

[@diggerfan9319]

It's rather forgettable instead of horrible.

[@nickdegugs7190]

I actually think Untold Story was better, at least that had Nathan Lane being funny in it.

[@mysticmind4563]

@@nickdegugs7190 At least the movie had The Nutcracker as an ACTUAL LEAD!!!

[@nickdegugs7190]

@@mysticmind4563 who cares who the lead is if NONE of the characters are funny?

[@mysticmind4563]

@@nickdegugs7190 Fair point. I just meant in the untold story, the Nutcracker was not used just as a prop for a bland character. The female lead was bad their too but she wasn't the only person that was the focus.

[@deadsllence1995]

I never saw this one, but wow does this movie look like it was boring. I couldn't answer the last question in the Adventures of Pinocchio video because I couldn't for the life of me think of any childhood character that scared me. Like nothing scared me! I didn't start getting creeped out by certain things until I was almost 18. 😅

[@maguma3419]

"On the plus side, it's certainly making The Nuttiest Nutcracker look more tolerable" Creepy, i was just rewatching that review today.. Anyway, i remember looking at this movies' trailer's and i didn't even bat an eye to it. If this review is any indication that was a good thing.

[@Alejandroigarabide]

Oh, my! I just realized this is just another Disney live-action remake. A remake of what? Of the Nutcracker part of Fantasia. I noticed when you pointed out the Fantasia reference. Now, there was already a Sorcerer's apprentice remake with Nick Cage and an upcoming Night on Bald Mountain remake. They're slowly remaking Fantasia one segment at the time.

[@mmx3backup606]

If I had a penny for every time Richard E Grant was in a bad film adaptation of The Nutcracker, I'd have two pennies. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Richard E Grant is my favourite actor BTW.

[@bluej2206]

If they were going with the theme of Clara feeling lost, then why not have apart of the journey just be her ACTUALLY traveling the four realms following the string her godfather set accompanied by the nutcracker and trying to avoid the rat king.

[@bridgettherose609]

Wait a minute. A human is thrown into a world where toys are somehow alive and life size and they’re in a war against mice? Oh my gosh! This is Tentacoolino again!! 😱

[@c.w.r.794]

Petition for Raven to rewrite Nutcracker & the Four Realms!

[@Shamandigi62091]

because girl power is synonymous with unlikable

[@meganwillard4709]

The Disney overlords have been bested once more! Though not gonna lie, i did see this with my godmom in cinemas so guess i hold it as something to have enjoyed with her.....plus i mainly wanted to see it for fanfiction stuff me and my friend needed notes for but despite enjoying it, i do admit it had problems and wish it could have been done better.

[@meganwillard4709]

@@gracestarkes2644 that's fair, as much as i enjoyed it a little, clara's girl power plot to me was...forced, like it feels like disney only knows girl power via science for the remakes and not you know....any other more subtle ways.

[@sewthernbelle]

Yeah the story is unfinished, but you’ve got to admit the production design and costumes are gorgeous. And there are some clever ideas in there...naming the nutcracker after the original author, having her mother be Marie while she’s Clara, since the names are interchanged depending on the adaptation, and having Sugar Plum be the villain could have been a suitable metaphor for her own grief since the best villains are a mirror reflection of the hero, but like we said, they messed up the story. Why couldn’t they have Dosselmeijer give Clara her mother’s childhood toys, but she thinks she’s too old for them? But when her brother breaks her mother’s nutcracker, she blows up at her family and her father sends her to her room. She sneaks downstairs at night to fix the nutcracker, only to witness the toys come to life like the ballet. And maybe she has to help the nutcracker find the lost prince (him) since he can’t remember since he’s broken. Like have his missing parts be in each realm that they have to find them. Each realm representing a stage of grief. One regret being in denial, one being angry, one bargaining, and one depression. And build it up more that Sugar Plum is the real villain and her relationship with Clara’s mother. And clara returning to reality is her acceptance I still say the best and most faithful adaptation of the Nutcracker is the Nutcracker Prince (1990) incorporates the ballet and the original story and the only problem is it could have been longer (just over an hour)

[@sewthernbelle]

P.s.s since my first comment is so long, check out the Man who Invented Christmas and Mixed Nuts starring Steve Martin. Severely underrated movies in my opinion

[@reythejediladyviajakku6078]

The mother ginger song is one of my favorites in the ballet

[@cosmicspacething3474]

7:10 This video was made two years ago???

[@subcaratothemoon1982]

Hey anyone remember that animated movie called the Nutcracker Prince?

[@PixelBoye6546]

I do actually

[@finland4ever55]

I do too

[@willlyon7129]

I bet ETA Hoffmann and Peter Tchaikovsky are rolling in their graves with this movie.

[@CyberSpider35]

This movie hasn't it's own identity whatsoever. It constantly trying to rippionf something other, something better. This is new low... even for modern Disney.

[@klimmr]

26:50 She sounds like Pink Diamond. 26:52 DUDE, I WAS JOKING!

[@devonhall3785]

Oh no is the ornament from the nutcracker in 3D from the introduction run for the hills.

[@rogvortex58]

She should have met Nutcracker again in the real world, like the story usually ends.

[@MrLizestelle]

I have really been enjoying the addition of raven to your videos , she is a doll and you guys are a really adorable couple

[@clarecarey2594]

Hell yes it's back! Let's do this and then your see me my version of Descendants:Untold

[@keshiaanders6452]

I'll stick with "The Nutcracker Prince," "Barbie in The Nutcracker," Rankin Bass' "Nutcracker Fantasy" and even Goodtimes Entertainment's "Nutcracker" as the superior versions/adaptations of the story & ballet over this garbage. Heck, the Macaulay Caulcen(?) version was better than this.

[@TF2Fan101]

Okay, I'll admit you have a point about Hans and the Duke of Weaseltown, but Kristoff was NOT stupid!

[@danielsvetlichny5721]

Indeed.

[@melissalayson7275]

Yeah he clearly called Anna out on how dumb she is on getting engaged to a guy she just met.

[@alechorowitz5279]

This movie is a perfect example of something that would probably of worked better as a YA fantasy novel than a original screenplay. There's just a ton of worldbuilding that obviously could of been explained on a print page instead of a script page which doesn't have the room, because what you write has to be shown on screen. Not to say great original fantasy screenplays can't be done, but I think it is a harder genre for screenwriting because you need to find ways of world building that are clear in a visual sense, or aren't long lines of dialogue that feel like info dumps.

[@sirjedisentinel]

I know you pointed out the issues with the Nutcracker himself in the credits, but I have to add: "I know my place." After casting a black actor to play the role, someone thought it was a good idea to keep the script as it was? Someone SERIOUSLY thought it was okay for a black man to utter that phrase!

[@elsie8757]

While he walks alongside a white girl who outranks him and is riding on horseback, no less! I thought the same thing.

[@LaDracul]

There were good things and bad things... Good: Clara wasn't pushed into a relationship with the Nutcracker. She has plenty of time for that later. They used the ACTUAL "Rat King" phenomena, which is why Hoffman uses the "seven heads" description. Bad: The movie lost steam halfway. But the twist villain thing and fact they refused to help Sugarplum after it's apparent all of this is done out of hurt and anger pissed me off. That is why I hated the last few seasons of "My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic". Cozyglow is a CHILD. Why is she beyond help when they turned a literal Communist around?! And really, why is Disney so resistant to redemption stories? They screwed up Ep. IX, threw out the "Frozen" sequel wanted...both had Ben and Hans working towards a found family until Bob Iger ruined things. This makes me worried this could send a bad message about dismissing people when they have reasons they act like they do and how they need someone to intervene. Also, the string game with the presents was used in the "Frozen Fever" short as one of the people working on it would play that game every Easter with his children. And why do things look Russian? TCHAIKOVSKY!

[@lizafootfor5471]

That movie title was very misleading thinking the Nutcracker would have big role but he didn't. If you thought that was a disappointment, wait till you see Men in Black international 😐

[@BrontoSmilodon1]

34:25 you sure that also wasn't a Bobsheaux moment? Seeing a nutcracker coming out of a woman's smoking .......you know what forget what I said

[@kristenbenvenete]

I weep for humanity when Disney of all companies can't do a good adaptation of the Nutcracker but one of the only decent versions is the one staring Barbie.

[@quintinbrakebill8875]

9:42 OMG! For a short short moment, I thought she was gonna say “clever girl” LOL!

[@sarah98917]

When I heard about the changes being made to the Snow White character (like not caring about true love and only focusing on leadership) and people talking about this reminded me of this review

[@SilverZeo88]

For the holidays this year: I showed this review to my close friends. The two of you made us all laugh through this. We loved Raven's biting commentary about "Wizarding Terf" and we all agreed with the "Women can by Anything, but not everything" and "Poorly Used Morgan Freeman" lines. We spent a good amount of time watching other videos and enjoying the heck of them, be it a take down of stupid like Cool Cat vs CronoVirus, or just cliche like Pup-Academy. Thank you for the laughs, the food for thought, and great time in general while enduring 2022.

[@TigressRoaming]

Biggest revelation from this review: Rob has a sister?!

[@homecruz7743]

Nutcracker and the power of feminism!

[@clarecarey2594]

And this feminist movie used a similar name to mine. The worst part is that got Morgan Freeman and barely used him. That pisses me off

[@alexp.d3689]

Actually Rococo Dresses had pockets ( I know that the story takes place in the 19th century and rococo was 18th century)

[@klimmr]

22:40 Oh, God. Pennywise is back!

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

No, Pennywise, you're better than this! Spare yourself this colorful snooze fest & stick to the Barbie version. 😬

[@Terestrasz]

Man, Disney? your costume and set designers do an amazing job. These costumes and setpieces look like a work of art.

[@MrJomalley123]

The nutcracker: exists Disney: I can milk you

[@inkylynx2777]

I know I'm late to the party, but on the pockets thing: dresses from the 1700s to the 1800s had pockets hidden within their skirts. And they were pretty deep pockets too, ones you could stash all the snacks to smuggle into the cinema for! In the 1700s, you'd wear hip pockets, two pockets resting resting on your hips held by a string around your waist. There were discreet holes in the sides of the skirts to slip your hands into the pocket!

[@klimmr]

31:07 That's just the villain from Wreck-It Ralph.

[@jenneacubero1036]

22:34-23:00 I made a terrible mistake watching this at night...Say what you will about the fireys from "Labyrinth" but at least "Chilly Down" was a fun song along with them having neat puppetry. Meanwhile, I think the Mother Ginger's dress thing was somewhat of a shout-out to the ballet as a character (not sure if it was Mother Ginger) would have her kids go into and jump out of her dress...ballets are weird...

[@DreamDancer82]

Yes, that was Mother Ginger you're thinking of in the ballet.

[@jenneacubero1036]

@@DreamDancer82 Still don't know who thought of that weird idea...

[@clarecarey2594]

Of course the girls name is Clara! Why wouldn't be it something that my grandma called me the first time. Well at least it's nice for you to say my name

[@DreamDancer82]

Several interpretations have her named Clara.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

You know this story could work if they did something like this. For Clara, we find out this is the first Christmas she'll be spending without her mother who loved to make Clara toys and dolls which were skills Marie learned from her guardian Drosslemeyer, when she's suddenly gifted with a strange nutcracker from her mother with a note that tells her 'To be strong.' Confused but she doesn't have long to wonder about this when she and her family are whisked off to her godfather's mansion for his annual Christmas celebration. There she talks to him about her Nutcracker where he gives a forlorn look before setting the Nutcracker down next to a picture of her mother and a young boy Clara has never seen before. Clara asks Drosslemeyer who he is and Drosslemeyer explains, he's his nephew Philip which confuses Clara since she didn't even know Drosslemeyer had any blood family. Drosslemeyer gives a sad look before telling her to go back upstairs and that he'll be meeting her in a moment then they can talk more. Upstairs, however, she ends up getting into a four-way fight with her father, sister, and brother causing a scene that ends with the nutcracker being broken. This causes Clara to run away with the nutcracker to some distant part of the mansion where she reunites with Drosslemeyer who fixes her toy and tries to get her to talk to her family but she says she'd rather disappear than go back there and deal with them. Drosslemeyer sighs before leaving her and the nutcracker alone. Clara finds she had fallen asleep and decides to go back to find her family despite how angry she is with them when she hears the pitter-patter of feet. She looks around to see she's no longer in her godfather's mansion or anywhere she recognizes. She's obviously frightened by this which only worsens when she sees a giant rat and an army of tiny mice following him the rat calls her Marie and declares she never should've returned which adds confusion to her fear before she tries to flee, only to be overrun by the mice army. However, before she could be killed off, she's saved by her nutcracker who is now able to walk and talk and quickly saves her, though he too calls her Marie. We eventually find out that the Nutcracker is actually Philip Hoffman, Drosslemeyer's nephew and Marie's childhood friend/sweetheart who had been cursed to take the form of a nutcracker by the evil Mouse Queen who was jealous of his and Marie's popularity as prince and princess of the Land of Sweets and Toys, a world created from the combined imaginations and creativity.

[@meganwillard4709]

The Burning of JK was perfection by the way, i love seeing her be burned lately for the stuff she's pulling as it's nice to see people calling her out with lately people somehow defending her.

[@haileyweston7290]

The thing that scared me the most as a child was hexxus from ferngully he scared me so bad I couldn't watch any of the scenes with him I always closed my eyes

[@hurricanefury439]

6:11 actually a few dresses at the time did have small pockets, usually for small objects like coins keys and candy

[@volzpair9801]

well of course Clare was her greatest creation the first was a prototype (their always flawed) and the youngest doesn't count because boy

[@klimmr]

3:52 Celebrate Christmas whether you want to or not. Nice Christmas with the Kranks logic.

[@melissalayson7275]

Except Christmas with the Kranks was a much better movie with it's mean spiritness.

[@04279]

And this was made by the man who directed "Chocolat"? And he directed almost all ABBA music videos.

[@tristanhartup4936]

Plus it was co-directed by Joe Johnston, the director of Jurassic Park 3.

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

Dresses back then did, in fact, have pockets. They’re just not the kind we have today. They were just slits cut open in the dress so the woman could reach a little pouch at her hip that was put on the undergarments. That’s about the only historically accurate thing about the main character’s costumes in this movie >.>

[@playererror4044]

You know a smart mechanically minded daughter in the... Victorian I think? Period wouldn't be that hard to justify or make credible; serioussly it's not hard: Either A: Establish that she's self taught and has to do a lot of sneaking around to pursue it (IE: Keeps most of their inventions a secret or whatever) Or B: Give her a less prim and proper family; IE someone who was just like: My daughter wants to learn machinery; well off course come right over and lets rip the clock apart. Someone who cares about 'What is expected of us' Wouldn't do something like that but a more understanding excentric father? That could work; Hell it did for 'Helen Richey' First female comercial pilot/famed stunt pilot; and this was in 1929 bare in mind; theirs precident for this shit just give her a family who aren't the sterotypical ritch snobs (and if you really want scoiatey and the issues of the time to come up just use other people)

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

A version of the Nutcracker I played had Marie be taught how to make and repair toys by Drosselmeyer so maybe they could've done something like that.

[@alexjewett7455]

13:38 the mouse king is a rat King. Kudos, movie, that's actually kind of clever.

[@cartooncritique6625]

3:57 It's like Disney recycled their 2010 version of Alice for this movie's "Clara". 9:13 To be fair, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" was also a rip-off of "The Chronicles of Narnia". 13:47 I suddenly have an inexplicably desire to watch "The Secret of NIMH". ^^