As a little kid, my favorite school field trip each December was to our local theater to watch The Nutcracker Ballet. When I learned that Disney was making a film about this Christmas classic, I knew it would be a must see, but is The Nutcracker and the Four Realms OK for kids? Find out in my spoiler free review!

Is it like the Nutcracker ballet?

The short answer, no. But it does tie into the classic ballet! I love when movies are unpredictable. While this wasn’t the most shocking, it was a different twist on a classic tale. There are still components of the classic ballet, largely the music and the incredible performance by Misty Copeland. However, the story is different from the traditional ballet. The movie itself is visually stunning with lots of beautiful, colorful imagery.

What’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms About?

Clara (Mackenzie Foy) receives a present on Christmas Eve from her late mother. The gift requires a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a Nutcracker soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets with the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley). Clara and Phillip must brave the Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Is The Nutcracker and the Four Realms OK for kids?

Yes! I brought my 3 year to see the movie and she loved it. There were a few ‘creepy’ moments (the Mouse King and a few creepy clowns). A couple of times she jumped during action scenes, but overall, I felt it was appropriate for little kids. There was a little profanity (the word damn) but it was only once and easily missed. The film has a PG rating for some mild peril, and runs 1 hr 39 mins long.

A New Holiday Tradition

I really enjoyed The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. My daughter has already asked to watch it again. I think this will be a fun Christmas movie to watch together as my girls grow up.

The post Spoiler Free Review: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms appeared first on Mommy of a Princess.