I’m looking for a good movie version of *The Nutcracker * for children. I got out my nutcracker collection for Christmas and my almost 5-year-old was asking me about them. I realized we don’t have any version of the story other than a video of his mom being in the ballet when she was about 7. (I don’t think she’s about to let anyone watch that.)
I’m hoping someone knows of a movie version that keeps the story and the some of the music.
I’ve seen versions that slaughter the story (flying cars?), versions that butcher the music (adding lyrics?), and versions that do both. There has to be a good one, right?
Well, personally, I’ve always adored 1986’s Nutcracker: The Motion Picture, as performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet, with production design by Maurice Sendak. (That’s the trailer, linked, but the whole thing is available on Youtube…both to buy, officially, and, uh, possibly a full-length pirate that no one’s gotten to, yet.)
I’ll have to leave someone else more familiar with the ballet to gauge how authentic it is, I’m embarrassed to say—but they don’t add lyrics, and the only dialogue is a couple of stretches of narration, at least.
My daughter and I would go and see the Nutcracker Suite every year when it came to town. Now 20 years later she tells me she hated going to see it. Maybe it is an adult thing.
This is a possibility. Maybe I’ll just find a book version.
I wasn’t going to even start thinking about taking them to see the show for at least a decade. I know when I first went I wanted to go . . . but I wasn’t your normal kid. Of course, my kids aren’t normal either. :smack: