In time for Christmas is Tchaikovsky’s famed ballet piece with modern adaptation. Drawing upon its namesake and ETA Hoffman’s book ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,’ Disney presents a swirl of animation with sweet enough offerings. Starring Mackenzie Foy (Interstellar) as Clara Stahlbaum, it follows her quest to unlock a mysterious egg-shaped box, a parting gift from her deceased mother. As she encounters a Narnia of sorts-complete with a Winter Wonderland-she befriends Captain Phillip, a guard that leads her over the bridge into the Four Realms, where the secret to overcoming her loss is.
There are some nice dance sequences that explain the genesis of the kingdoms, with a noteable cameo from Gustavo Dudamel who mirrors the Toccata and Fugue in D minor segment of Fantasia. Misty Copeland’s turn as the prima ballerina is a nice vehicle for exposition, explaining how Clara’s mother was the creator of all the realms and bestowed life into each of her enchantments. Her permeating absence transcends the childhood trauma that Clara leaves behind in Victoria London, abetted by the stringent society of manners repression that lurks beneath.
As quickly as you recognise the samples of ‘The Waltz of the Flowers’ or ‘The Nutcracker’ the tonal shift in the scene leads to a new development that jolts you back into the quest. Musical performances (albeit brief) are soon displaced by insistence from the two leads that they are neither worthy and have overstayed their welcome beyond the realms.
Keira Knightley’s Sugar Plum fairy is a sickly, sweet creature who worships Clara’s mother in an alarming way. Her world’s glossy veneer hides a dark underbelly, contrasting with the banished Mother Ginger’s (Helen Mirren) mysterious banishment and her regent gang of mice. Appearances are not what they seem, and cleverness is the resource that our heroine must rely upon to fashion herself out of her scenario. Mackenzie Foy is careful not to portray her precociously, but she does not undersell her feisty determination either.
It’s a pretty enough palette, and it has enough staying power for a movie about a frolic in the woods.
Just don’t forget the original ballet source material.
Verdict: 7/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuKmSxKXrjo
Walt Disney Pictures
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