Movie Info

This animated version of the Christmas classic is more about combat than dancing, which will make it appealing to boys leery of a female protagonist. ...(read more...) When Clara (voiced by Megan Follows) is delighted with his gift of a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, toy maker Drosselmeier is inspired. He tells the tale of how his nephew rescued a princess and was promised her hand when the evil Mouse King turned him into the nutcracker, making him a prince only among dolls. That night, Clara has fitful dreams about the battles between the Nutcracker Prince (Kiefer Sutherland), backed by his legion of toy soldiers (including a commander voiced by Peter O'Toole), and the enormous mouse and his minions. When the prince is finally victorious, he invites her to come to his doll kingdom. A dream-conjured Drosselmeier obligingly shrinks her and she climbs through her dollhouse castle door into a world of flying swans, sugarplums, and ballerinas. This 68-minute movie based on E.T.A. Hoffman's book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King will interest ages 2 through about 10. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Director: Paul Schibli

MPAA: G

Running Time: 75 min.

Release Date: Nov 21, 1990

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Megan Follows, Mike MacDonald, Paul Schibli, Peter Boretski, Peter O'Toole, Phyllis Diller