| The Nutcracker in 3D | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Andrei Konchalovsky |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Nutcracker byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" byE. T. A. Hoffmann (both uncredited) |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Mike Southon |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million[2] |
| Box office | $20.5 million[3] |
The Nutcracker in 3D[4] (also released asThe Nutcracker: The Untold Story) is a 20103DChristmasmusicalfantasy film adapted fromPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1892 balletThe Nutcracker. Directed, co-written and produced byAndrei Konchalovsky, the film starsElle Fanning,Nathan Lane,John Turturro,Frances de la Tour,Richard E. Grant andYulia Vysotskaya, withCharlie Rowe andShirley Henderson as the Nutcracker. Set in 1920sVienna, the plot follows a young girl who receives a magical doll that is revealed to be a prince and embarks on an adventure to save his kingdom from the Rat King.
The film was aninternational co-production of the United Kingdom, Russia and Hungary. It was released on November 24, 2010 in the United States and Canada, with later releases in Hungary and the United Kingdom. The film was a major critical and commercial failure, becoming one of 41 films to garner a0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with over 32 reviews as of October 2025. The film was widely panned for its story, visuals, deviations from the ballet, and the decision to adapt Tchaikovsky's score into lyricalmusical numbers. The film also received criticism for its allusions toWorld War II and theHolocaust, and making the Rats reminiscent ofNazis. Itbombed at the box-office, grossing $20 million against a $90 million budget.[3]
In 1920sVienna, during the Christmas season, Mary lives with her parents Joseph and Louise, and younger brother Max. While Joseph and Louise attend a party on Christmas Eve, Mary's uncleAlbert arrives and gifts both her and Max a dollhouse and "NC," anutcracker doll whom she takes a liking to. That night, NC comes to life in front of Mary and grows to human height. NC tells her that he must talk to his friends in the dollhouse, which is in the sitting room by the Christmas tree. They go downstairs and Mary finds that the sitting room has grown to such size that they appear to be the height of toys. In the dollhouse, Mary meets NC's friends; Gielgud, a gentlemanly chimpanzee; Tinker, a pernickety opera-singing clown; and Sticks, a Jamaican drummer boy.
After climbing the Christmas tree, Mary meets the Snow Fairy, who resembles her mother. The Snow Fairy says that NC is actually a prince who had his kingdom taken over by the Rat King and his mother, The Rat Queen, who turned him into a nutcracker. She temporarily turns NC back into a boy due to Mary's belief and they dance before finding his city. Since NC was turned into a nutcracker, the Rat King has been oppressing his people, and forcing them to work in factories where the children's toys are burnt to form dark clouds over the city to block out sunlight, which he is afraid of. Mary suggests that they destroy the factories to scare him away. Unbeknownst to them, two of the Rat King's spies tell him that NC is alive and a boy again. The Rat Queen turns NC back into a nutcracker, then sends the Rat Dogs, a pack of roboticRottweilers, to cut down the Christmas tree. When the tree falls, Mary wakes up in her own bed and runs downstairs to get NC. Her parents do not believe her when she tells them the events of the night.
The next evening, NC comes to life again and intends to round up an army to fight against the Rat King. Max wakes up and agrees to join the fight. NC goes downstairs ahead of the siblings to gather his friends but is kidnapped. When Mary and Max go downstairs, they find that NC, Tinker and Sticks are being held captive in the fireplace by the Rat King and his minions, who kidnap the toys and lure Max back to the city. Mary discovers Gielgud, who evaded capture, and they find a portal to the city in the house's attic, and after stealing disguises from a rat, search for their friends. They find the Rat King and Max in the city centre where toys are being taken from children to be burned. Horrified, Max asks to be returned home, but the Rat King imprisons him in his castle. They sneak into one of the smoke factories where they find Sticks, Tinker and an apparently lifeless NC.
Mary rescues NC from being burned and says that she loves him, which breaks the curse, restoring his life and into being a boy permanently. The factory workers, seeing their prince alive, begin to fight back against the rats while Mary and NC attempt to shut down the factory. The Rat King and Queen board a helicopter, kidnapping Mary and Max. Gielgud and NC take chase and fight the King while Max lands the aircraft in a pile of toys. The King and Queen revert to their original rat forms and flee into the sewers. NC is crowned king and peace is restored in the kingdom as everyone celebrates. The Snow Fairy reappears and says that it is time for Mary to return home, though she is reluctant to leave. Before she departs, NC promises that they will meet again.
Mary wakes in her room, where her parents apologise for their earlier criticisms and promise to spend more time with her. She goes downstairs to Uncle Albert, who introduces her to his new neighbour: a boy her age, who resembles the Nutcracker Prince and asks to be called NC. They become friends and go ice-skating together.
Director Konchalovsky stated that the film had been his "dream project" for over twenty years.[5] He was inspired to adapt it into 3D for several reasons; he believed that the format would be useful in conveying the fantastical nature of the material, capturing the emotions ofCGI characters, and appealing to a family audience.[6] At the same time, he opted to adapt it with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well."[6]
Konchalovsky gave the villainous ratsNazi-like qualities in his production, one of many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences.[7]
A 2022 article inMeduza[1] reported that the film was primarily financed byVEB.RF, a Russian state development corporation chaired byVladimir Putin, and that it was the most expensive Russian film produced to date.[1][8]
In December 2020, VEB filed a lawsuit against the producers for unpaid loans, totaling USD$127.8 million, claiming they had withheld proceeds from ticket sales.[1]
The film was announced at the2007 Cannes Film Festival andprincipal photography took place primarily inBudapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio inPomáz.[9][better source needed]
The film's score is derived fromTchaikovsky's original music forThe Nutcracker, the ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricistTim Rice wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Others are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as hisSymphony No. 5andSymphony No. 6.[6] Perhaps due to the film's failure, a soundtrack album was never released.
The film was first screened at theEuropean Film Market on 5 February 2009. It was released inHungary on 8 December 2012 andUnited Kingdom on 28 December 2012.[10][better source needed]
The film brought in a total of $20,466,016 worldwide (over half of which came from Russia),[3] with a loss of $73,821,041.[11]
The Nutcracker in 3D was universally panned by critics. On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,0% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3/10.[12]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 18 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[13] Metacritic later ranked it the "Worst Limited Release" film of 2010.[14]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave it one out of four stars and asked, "From what dark night of the soul emerged the wretched idea forThe Nutcracker in 3D?". Ebert went on to claim it as "One of those rare holiday movies that may send children screaming under their seats."[15] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today accused the film of being "contrived, convoluted, amateurish and tedious," and panned it for lacking any trace ofballet, unlike several previous versions ofThe Nutcracker.[16]Frank Scheck ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote, "With the chief villain and his goose-stepping minions bearing no small resemblance to Nazis, the ensuing plot developments are uncomfortable to the extreme. One can imagine the unease of parents escorting their tykes to what they imagine to be a holiday treat, only to find them exposed to images- including the burning of toys into ashes- that are often arresting but seemingly straight out ofSchindler's List."[17]
Entertainment Weekly reviewerLisa Schwarzbaum gave it its only positive review from a professional film critic, albeit with the acknowledgment that the film fit more into the "so-bad-it's-good" category than that of a quality movie. She awarded it a B+ and remarked "Attention, university film clubs: Here's your cult-ready midnight-movie programming."[18]
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Metacritic's Best and Worst Films of 2010 | Worst Limited Release Film of 2010 | The Nutcracker in 3D | Won |
| Worst Eye Gouging Misuse of 3D | Nominated | ||
| Best Young Actress | Elle Fanning | Nominated |
