After a less-than-successful November release on the big screen, Disney has launched “The Nutcracker the Four Realms” on home video and on-demand earlier last January. You’re probably in for a good ride if you enjoy Disney movies. Helen’s Mother Ginger is little more than a cameo towards the end of the film. Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

“The Nutracker and the Four Realms” will be released on Blu-Ray, DVD and on-demand in the United States on January 29, 2019. The home-video editions come with loads of special features, as listed below. All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – 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 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. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Bonus Features (Vary by Option):

– On Pointe: A Conversation with Misty Copeland: Copeland shares the thrill of portraying one of her favorite characters in a whole new way.
– Unwrapping “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”: Dive into the production design, sets, costumes and more that helped transform a beloved ballet into an adventurous movie.
– Unwrapped: The Visual Effects of “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”: View a reel that explores the layers of effects in sequences of the film.

Deleted Scenes:

– The Stahlbaums Arrive: As the Stahlbaums enter the Christmas Eve ball, the butler attempts to announce them to the assembled guests.
– Follow Your Ribbon: Drosselmeyer encourages a reluctant Clara to go find her gift.
– Deleted Scene: Clara Asks About Her Mother: Sugar Plum gives Clara a tour of her mother’s bedroom.
– Left, Left, Left, Left, Left: Wandering lost in the forest, palace guards Cavalier and Harlequin quarrel about which way to go.
– Out with the Old: Sugar Plum makes sweeping changes to the palace decor.

Music Videos:

– “Fall on Me” Performed by Andrea Bocelli Featuring Matteo Bocelli: Experience superstar tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo Bocelli performing their first duet together in this uplifting song.
– “The Nutcracker Suite” Performed by Lang Lang: Get swept up in a series of images from the movie, set to Tchaikovsky’s music and featuring world-renowned pianist Lang Lang.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is released today in US theaters after a release yesterday in most European countries. An adaptation of the German fairy-tale and the Tchaikovsky ballet, the story signifies the studio’s further attempts to expand their live-action output beyond remakes of their classic cartoons and Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. Unfortunately, the reviews have been less than exciting, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 34% and a Metacritic number of 37. Most reviews criticize the lack of an altogether story. The Los Angeles Times writes: “The visual allure of this production is undeniable, but having the nerve to be simple and nice all the way through is, even for Disney, verging on being a lost art.” According to Rolling Stone, the “wretched attempt to turn the famous fairy tale/ballet into a blockbuster gives a bad name to family entertainment. There’s not much positive being written about the actors – Morgan Freeman in paycheck mode and Helen Mirren, reduced to mugging – oh well. Maybe it’s better received among its target audience – children, who do not yet participate in the Tomatometer 🙂

The November issue of Harper’s Bazaar (US) has a great interview with Helen Mirren as well as a new – very fitting – photoshoot picture for “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”. She talks about this, the recent filming of “Catherine the Great” in Russia, and the recently wrappred “The Good Liar”. Here’s an excerpt from her interview, scans can be found in the photo gallery.

Obviously I play her at the height of her power,” Mirren goes on, “but she was very straightforward, a very clever and ambitious person. And of course Russia at that time was amazingly complex, violent, and difficult country to govern. But she felt she could handle it”. She is also intrigued by Catherine’s sexuality. “In our slightly puritanical, Prostestant world, it’s shocking the way she behaved. It was extraordinary for that era. She had four children by four different men”.

Go behind the scenes of Disney’s “The Nutcracker And The Four Realms” in this brand new “Crafting The Realms” featurette. Watch as the cast and crew reveal more about the story and show just how much magic is done behind the scenes! All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – 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 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. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale. Disney’s “The Nutcracker And The Four Realms” opens November 2nd. The video can be found in the video archive while screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

The theatrical release of “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is roughly a month ahead of us, and Disney is starting to drum the rolls already. Below you can find four television spots to promote the release. All the latest news and pictures regarding the film can be found on Disney’s official website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Check out a brand-new poster, trailer and first image of Helen (in the photo gallery) for Disney’s 2018 holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”. All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – 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 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. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale, and opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 2, 2018.

Disney has launched a first trailer for 2018’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, giving us a blink-and-you-miss-it look at what seems to be Helen Mirren’s Keith Richards impression? Here’s the official synopsis with the trailer below: All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. 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 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. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale. In theaters on Nov. 2, 2018.

Disney showcased their entire upcoming live-action movie slate at D23 this weekend and they didn’t disappoint. They brought out the big guns with A Wrinkle in Time, Mary Poppins Returns, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But they also had time to give us some details on a new project in the form of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which will be a new take on the classic Christmas tale. Unfortunately, Disney didn’t release the footage online, but the cast is top-notch. The Sugar Plum Fairy will be played by Keira Knightley, Mother Ginger will be played by Helen Mirren, and Drosselmeyer will be played by Morgan Freeman, with ballerina Misty Copeland also set to star. The Mouse King is going to be a CG creation, with Charles Riley, aka “Lil Buck,” providing the motion capture. Per Slash Film, here is a description of the footage from Nutcracker and the Four Realms that debuted at D23.

The trailer we saw opens with a carriage moving through the snow, while the instantly recognizable voice of Morgan Freeman narrates that it is Christmas Eve, a time of mystery. We then see an elaborate Christmas party, with a young girl wandering through the house, following a strange thread. Eventually, her path leads her into a snow-covered land, fantastic and over-the-the-top in its design. There are a lot of patterns in this world and it looks, for better or worse, very similar to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland remake.

The Nutcracker story debuted in 1892 and comes from the mind of author E.T.A. Hoffmann. The original story follows a young girl named Clara who, on Christmas Eve, receives a bounty of gifts from her toymaker godfather. Among these toys is a wooden nutcracker shaped like a man. When Clara goes to check on her new toy later that night, the clock strikes twelve and, in classic fairytale fashion, the nutcracker grows to life size. Clara then finds herself in the middle of a battle between gingerbread men and mice. The Nutcracker is one of the world’s most famous ballets, but it has never been given the big screen treatment in the way that Disney seems to be doing here. Lasse Hallstrom is directing with Ashleigh Powell writing the screenplay. And, in case you were wondering, the four realms that will be visited in the movie consist of The Land of Flowers, The Land of Snowflakes, The Land of Sweets and the fourth realm, which belongs to the Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren). The film releases November 2, 2018.

Disney’s big-screen adaptation of The Nutcracker may have found its Mother Ginger. Helen Mirren is in negotiations to play the fairy-tale matriarch typically accompanied by a brood of clown children in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, EW has confirmed. The acclaimed English actress would join a cast that includes Mackenzie Foy as Clara, Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer, and Misty Copeland as a ballerina. Chocolat helmer Lasse Hallstrom is directing from a script by Ashleigh Powell, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 short story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” Made famous by the music of Tchaikovsky, the classic holiday tale centers on a girl whose nutcracker magically springs to life on Christmas Eve. The film is one of several live-action fairy tales on the horizon from Disney, including Beauty and the Beast, Maleficent 2, and a Tinker Bell movie. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news. Thanks to Claudia for the heads-up.