Tristy wrote:
Louise was actually a character in the original story as was Fritz. Fritz is the one who breaks the Nutcracker's jaw. If I may make a recommendation for a film version of the Nutcracker that's somewhat close to the source material, it would be The Nutcracker Prince with the voices of Megan Follows, Keifer Sutherland, and Peter O'Toole. It's not a great version, but if you're looking for something that gives a general idea of what the original story was like before it became a ballet, that's the closest you can get.
So I actually rewatched this for the first time since childhood a few months ago and was absolutely shocked how lopsided the original story is. It’s 3/4 in the real world, and just a battle between the mouse king and nutcracker, and then the last quarter they go to the Nutcracker’s realm and adventure for a tiny bit before returning and Clara meeting Drosselmeyer’s nephew, aka the nutcracker as a human.
I find it funny that Disney has caught so much flack for altering the story so heavily, but if they hadn’t, there really wouldn’t be any story beyond what amounts to another toy room showdown between a nutcracker and mouse. The part everyone remembers and looks forward to are the adventuring in the Nutcracker’s worlds... the sugar plum fairy, the geese, the snowflakes, etc. That’s literally all I remember being excited about, and when I went back, I realized it was only the tiniest part of the story. Disney gets criticized way too heavily when they stick too close to the original or when they deviate too far. I get people loving the ballet, but if the ballet were straight up adapted into a movie, it would be just as wooden (pardon the pun) as The Nutcracker Prince movie. From what I’ve read, this may not be the most original new story they spun into it, but I’m glad they at least took a risk.
Either way, tomorrow night we’ll see reviews start rolling in. Also, for anyone who is interested, theaters are actually starting screenings Thursday at 6:00pm, instead of the regular 7:00/7:30pm showings.