THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE
Canada, 1991, 75 minutes, Colour.
Voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Megan Follows, Phyllis Diller, Peter O' Toole.
Directed by Paul Schibli.
The Nutcracker Prince is a Canadian animated feature (in the Disney tradition) from the story by E.T. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King". It is quite a lively film, uses a great deal of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite score. It is really a pleasing fairy tale.
Kiefer Sutherland and Megan Follows supply the principal voices. Adult audiences will enjoy the voices of Phyllis Diller and, especially, Peter O' Toole as a Shakespeare-quoting doddery general. A pleasing fairy tale.
1. An enjoyable fairy tale for children's audiences? Families? Animation? The voices?
2. The Canadian production, the style of the drawings - in the Disney tradition? Designs, characters, colours and patterns? The musical score and the songs?
3. The background of the Nutcracker Suite? The use of Tchaikovsky's music? Original music? The songs?
4. The title of the film, the Nutcracker, the Mouse King and the fantasy and the dreams? Related to the `realistic' story?
5. The 19th century? The family, Clara and Fritz, their life in the town, Christmas? Their friendship with the mysterious uncle? Their family? The party, the guests? The toys and the gifts? Clara's sister and the beau? Clara and Fritz watching?
6. The uncle and his bringing the castle, his being mysterious, the story about his nephew? The nutcracker?
7. The uncle starting to tell the story, the nutcracker as the toy soldier and how he came to be? His working for his uncle? The Mouse Queen and her spell? The confrontation with the Mouse King and the quest to win the love of a maiden? Clara and her reaction to the story, childish nonsense? Her dream? The Mouse King and his army coming into the house, the confrontation with the nutcracker?
8. The fantasy: the wooden nutcracker coming to life as a prince, the toy soldiers, the castle, the Mouse King and his army, the cutlery and the candy, the nutcracker about to be killed, Clara and her intervention? General Pantaloon and his intervention, wounded? The Land of the Dolls? Clara being reduced to doll-size but rescuing the nutcracker and the other dolls? Going into the castle and wishes coming true?
9. Fantasyland: the sleigh, the swans with the necklace, the kingdom, sweets and cake, the live dolls and toys? The gingerbread castle? Clara as a princess? The ball and the nutcracker prince? Clara as the ballerina? The proposal to stay in the Land of the Dolls, the fulfilment of her dreams?
10. Clara's reaction, her dreams and desires? She must return? Her love for the dolls, and their being transformed once again into dolls? The final confrontation with the Mouse King, the nutcracker and his saving Clara? The fight with the Mouse King and Clara's confrontation, sidestepping the mouse, plunging to his death? The awakening, the mouse that the cat caught, waking up to the real world and Fritz with her?
11. Clara going to see the uncle, going to the shop, asking him about the story, the young man singing the melody, the nephew arriving - the nephew being the nutcracker prince?
12. The family, Fritz and his mischief, the response of the family to Clara?
13. The Mouse King as the villain, gigantic size, his army, villainous? The Mouse Queen - with the Phyllis Diller touch? The motherly doll? The southern belle doll? Pantaloon and his being doddery, quoting Shakespeare, getting hit on the head and getting his quotations mixed? The other dolls?
14. The popular ingredients of the fairy tale? The prince, the princess? Dreams and waking from dreams - all set to Tchaikovsky's music?
