Snowy landscapes. Glittering castles. Ornate costumes. There’s nothing like Disney magic to wow us with extraordinary worlds and interesting characters that come in stunning outfits. Disney’s “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms” is the movie to kick off the holiday season.
When Clara receives a golden key that unlocks a whole other universe, the young girl discovers 3 realms — the Land of Flowers, the Land of Sweets, and the Land of Snowflakes — but soon discovers that she has to face a the dangerous 4th realm: Mother Ginger. Here are 6 reasons why we love “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms”:
1. Hello star-studded cast!
“The Nutcracker and The Four Realms” has a cast of Hollywood A-listers taking on lead roles. You may remember her from the “Twilight” franchise but childhood star Mackenzie Foy is all grown up and playing the role of Clara. Morgan Freeman plays Clara’s godfather, Drosselmeyer; Keira Knightley plays the Sugar Plum Fairy; and Helen Mirren plays terrifying Mother Ginger.
2. Step into the impossibly beautiful realms
One of the highlights of the movie is the stunning set. Created by Guy Hendrix Dyas (a twice Oscar-nominated production designer for “Inception” and “Passengers”), the studio spared no expanse in bringing the dreamlike fantasy playground to life. The ideas of the four realms came from flowers, snowflakes, sweets, and the dark final dimension.
Vanity Fair reported that Dyas “dove into the history of London in 1879” and researched Russian art and architecture. “He designed functional 14-foot puppets, as well as gigantic origami-like flowers that opened up for the ballet scenes. Dyas also went the extra mile for simpler aesthetic details; a throne room used in the film, for example, was thronged with ‘thousands and thousands of peacock feathers’, so he wouldn’t have to cheat on depicting their special iridescent blue,” the publication wrote.
3. Breathtaking costumes worthy of an ovation
Costume designer Jenny Beavan previously won Oscars for dressing the English past (“A Room with a View”) and the apocalyptic future (“Mad Max: Fury Road”). For this film, she’s marrying the 2 worlds together. For example, Knightley’s Sugar Plum Fairy outfit is embellished with beading, ruching, and layers and layers of ruffles. Of the approximate 1,500 total outfits in the film, Eugenio Derbez’s floral getup also gains attention with its intricate floral pattern complete with three-dimensional leaves.
4. A nod to the original ballet
Some of you may be familiar with French writer Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 short story of “The Nutcracker”. While Disney’s “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms” takes on a more contemporary spin, it doesn’t stray to far from its roots. It’s truly riveting to watch renowned classical ballet dancer Misty Copeland pay homage to the traditional version during her solo number.
5. The villainous Mother Ginger
Things will get a little darker when Clara ventures into the fourth realm and comes face to face with Mother Ginger. “She’s fabulous and funny, and becomes bitter and angry,” describes Helen Mirren. The antagonist is an evil sorceress who rules the fourth realm and wants to take over all other 3 realms.
6. The soundtrack – starring Andrea Bocelli
World-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli and his 20-year-old son Matteo Bocelli on the theme song, “Fall On Me” (which can also be found in Andrea’s new album “Sì”). It features orchestral strings backing the pianists building to a big cinematic and chill-inducing sound. “Fall On Me” is such a beautiful by this father-son duo, so turn up the volume for this one!
Psst, we’re also giving away some charming goodies from our Disney “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms” contest here.
