I had the opportunity to see the Disney film the Nutcracker and the Four Realms this weekend. Take my advice: it’s not a movie many of you would be interested in. There’s no big battle sequence like in Tchaikovsky’s the Nutcracker. Plus there’s something disturbing in the film. In fact it’s a trend that has been occurring quite often in Hollywood and among novelists: evil is good and good is evil. What does that mean? Allow me to explain: Disney has made the mice and their king good and the toy soldiers evil. This was very disappointing to me. I knew there were going to be evil toy soldiers, but I expected there to be good toy soldiers as well. There was nothing of the sort. There were just good mice, evil toy soldiers and an evil Sugar Plum Fairy.
This is a messed up movie. It was disappointing to boot, and I don’t recommend it to anyone, especially those interested in toy soldiers and the tradition of toy soldiers coming to life at Christmas.
Of course, I must admit, the Nutcracker and the Four Realms is not the first time Disney has made a Christmas film featuring evil toy soldiers. Consider the Santa Clause 2 in which the toy soldiers are also evil.
Part of the problem with the film is this whole evil is good and good is evil thing which has been occurring quite frequently, as I said before. Consider, for example, the Twilight novels and movies. “Vampires and werewolves are good now,” they say. Messed up. “Oh but there are evil vampires too.” Who cares? It’s still “calling evil good and good evil.” It’s still “putting light for darkness and darkness for light.” This is very wrong, and our culture is doing it more and more.
So, in closing just let me say, I do not recommend the Nutcracker and the Four Realms. If you want a good dose of Christmas and toy soldiers, just watch the original Nutcracker. Hopefully you’ll find that more enjoyable than I found this heavily disappointing film.
TeawiththeDukeofWellington 