The Nutcracker Prince (1990)

Admirable film.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Since I saw the Barbie version when I was a young bun in the early 2000's, I just want to try this out to see what it was like! I never seen it before in my life until early Christmas morning in 2015 lol. You honestly don't realise that this movie was out 25 years ago, that's crazy! I thought the animation was alright but since 3-D nowadays improves old stories like this, I wouldn't be use to looking in 2-D version. At the same time, it's nice to have a break from 3-D in a while.Let's get talking about the film. I honestly thought the mouse king was quite scary, I don't know how children reacted to him. Even adults would think he's creepy for a villain! He should be added onto the top villains list in animations, it would suit him lol! It was even weird to see blood on him and that his mother was crushed. I think rodent lovers like myself would find it a bit upsetting to look at! I know it's meant to be a cartoon but they are based on a real animal!Moving on, I honestly wish Clara and the Nutcracker kissed, they looked to be so madly in love that it didn't make sense for me that they hadn't kissed! Regardless if it's meant to be a kids film, they still should've added in more love into it! It doesn't need to be over the top, it just needs more variety really! I wouldn't call this movie the best to look at but it would be better if kids over 10 could see this. I don't imagine kids under that age looking at this as they might be scared easily by the mouse king!

It had been a long time since I had seen this film. Actually, the last time I had seen this was when I was a child. This film was essentially my view of how The Nutcracker should be since it was the first adaptation of The Nutcracker I had seen. When I recently watched it, the wonderful memories of childhood and Christmas when I was younger all came flooding back. Now, as a young man with more knowledge of film, it was a true pleasure and treat to go back and watch this and be able to see it from many different perspectives. And from each perspective, this film is very well-done.First of all, the adaptation of the story is very well-done. The voice acting is superb. Kiefer Sutherland is excellent as Hans/The Nutcracker. Peter O'Toole was excellent as Pantaloon, bringing the voice of a gentleman to the old soldier. Peter Boretski was a perfect choice for Uncle Drosselmeier. I remember liking Drosselmeier, but at the same time being somewhat afraid of him, as a child. Those names I have mentioned are just a few examples of how well the voice acting is done.The music used, of course, is Tchaikovski's The Nutcracker, and I believe the performance of The Nutcracker used for this film was very well-done. The music and the on screen action intertwine together almost perfectly. I really don't have much to say about it, because there's nothing I can say.The animation is wonderful. It's all handmade. I do believe there is not a single computer- generated sequence in this film, and that is wonderful. Quality animation done by hand is such a rarity today, and it just has that certain magic about it that computers cannot recreate. When Drosselmeier tells the story of how Hans came to be The Nutcracker, the animation has a certain surrealistic twist to it. It's subtle, but noticeable. It is appropriate since what we are seeing is a story being told by one of the characters in the story. While the surrealism is not as heavy, I can just draw a connection to the film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" where much of the film is a story being told by one of the main characters, and since it is a story being told, the sets are distorted as only a classic German Expressionist film can. Additionally, the animation toward the end in The Land of the Dolls also has this surrealistic sense to it, but in a different way.Overall, I must say this film is a definite choice for a family to sit and watch during the Christmas Season. It makes much of the new stuff that is being shown on television today look like crap (and much of it is). There are some moments that I think most of the parents today would say, "children shouldn't see this, that's horribly violent." Well, hey, I saw this film a lot as a kid and I turned out just fine. It's those tastefully done moments of "violence" along with other parts of the film such as Drosselmeier's story that help give this film its wonderful character and flavor. I give it a 10/10.

Okay, even I'll admit that this is not one of the most spectacular animated films even made, but that doesn't take away from how much I love it. The characters are lovable and interesting, even Clara's family keeps our attention. This movie is a wonderful holiday film for all ages, filled with humor, adventure, and a little romance. It was about time the Nutcracker had a back story and a name. And for once he wasn't ten years older than Clara with a beard and cape (a cape that's always there when he's a nutcracker yet rarely there when he comes to life). I enjoyed how Uncle Drosselmeier's story was presented in a more comical style of animation. And it ends the way all children (especially little girls) always wanted it to end.

Wow, this is great. I can't believe that so many official movie critics disliked this film. It is amazing, will work for everyone as a family movie. It doesn't have the bordom involved with watching the same ballet every year, that would turn kids off to this classic story. The movie deserves more recondition, more praise, anything to help get the word out of how good it is.