Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2941 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-09
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amaaon.com
This animated version of the Christmas classic is more about combat than dancing, which will make it appealing to boys leery of a female protagonist. When Clara (voiced by Megan Follows) is delighted with his gift of a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, toy maker Drosselmeier is inspired. He tells the tale of how his nephew rescued a princess and was promised her hand when the evil Mouse King turned him into the nutcracker, making him a prince only among dolls. That night, Clara has fitful dreams about the battles between the Nutcracker Prince (Kiefer Sutherland), backed by his legion of toy soldiers (including a commander voiced by Peter O'Toole), and the enormous mouse and his minions. When the prince is finally victorious, he invites her to come to his doll kingdom. A dream-conjured Drosselmeier obligingly shrinks her and she climbs through her dollhouse castle door into a world of flying swans, sugarplums, and ballerinas. This 68-minute movie based on E.T.A. Hoffman's book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King will interest ages 2 through about 10. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews

The best animated version of The Nutcracker!
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!

Wonderful Holiday Treat
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!!!

Good music and animation, but I feel pity for the mouseking.
The Nutcracker Prince is a good family classic for the family in the christmas spirit. But I feel sorry for the mouse king, he's just misunderstood! (wouldn't you be with a mom like phyllis Diller?) Maybe if someone helped bandaged his poor tail, it would of have a happier ending and a lot less bloodshed! Otherwise it's a good movie.