You're in the Four Realms, Princess Clara

by Emmy Kirkham

Art by Elizabeth Thomas

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is Disney’s newest live action adaptation of the classic ballet.

The story focuses on a young girl named Clara who receives a gift from her godfather. The gift is a portal into a magical world, also known as the Four Realms. While in the Four Realms, Clara meets the brave Nutcracker Soldier, Mother Ginger, Sugar Plum, and many other mystical characters.

I thought the movie began slowly because it was giving so much background information for the rest of the story. Despite the slow beginning, as Clara entered the Four Realms, the plot began to thicken and started to pick up pace.

Clara was unaware of where she was when she entered the realm, and her confusion created a mysterious aspect to the story. Every new person she met and every new adventure she encountered felt as if you were experiencing it alongside her.

By the ending of the movie, there was so much character development that it seemed as though I knew the characters for years, which gave the film a more personal feel.

There were many impressive scenes throughout the movie, which included special effects and live action elements.

The Mouse King, a giant mouse created from thousands of actual mice, came to frighten Clara in one scene. While the Mouse King was approaching, he seemed like a real creature, and not made entirely from special effects.

There were large tin soldiers who were created to fight. They closely resembled actual tin soldiers, while they also fought and moved like humans. The special effects greatly impacted the magical feel of the movie.

The costume design was a main element that made the movie so great. Sugar Plum had a very intricate dress, designed to look like cotton candy. In certain scenes Clara had a Nutcracker Soldier dress on, that closely resembled the uniform of a classic Nutcracker Soldier.

There was an underlying message that encouraged creativity. Throughout the movie, Clara would invent new machines, or have brilliant ideas that could save the realm. They always encouraged her, which could be inspiring to young children watching the movie.

Even though Disney changed many aspects of the classic story, there were still scenes with ballet. I felt as though this helped the story connect back to the original.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” put its own twist on the classic ballet, and created a perfect movie to get into the holiday spirit.