The Nuttiest Nutcracker

The Nuttiest Nutcracker
The Nuttiest Nutcracker
	DVD cover
Directed by	Diane Eskenazi; Harold Harris
Based on	The Nutcracker and the Mouse King; by E. T. A. Hoffmann; The Nutcracker; by Tchaikovsky & Petipa;
Produced by	Dan Krech; Diane Eskenazi
Starring	Debi Derryberry; Kevin Schon; Cheech Marin; Desirée Goyette; Jim Cummings; Tress MacNeille; Cam Clarke; Phyllis Diller; Jim Belushi; Jeff Bennett
Music by	David Krystal
Production; companies	Dan Krech Productions; Pacific Title/Mirage
Distributed by	Columbia TriStar Home Video
Release date	October 19, 1999;
Running time	48 minutes
Countries	United States; Canada
Language	English
Budget	$84,000

The Nuttiest Nutcracker is a 1999 animated direct-to-video Christmas film loosely based on the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker. The film was directed by Harold Harris and starred the voices of Jim Belushi, Cheech Marin, and Phyllis Diller.^[1] This film follows a group of anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables. Their goal is to help the Nutcracker's army get a star to the top of a Christmas tree before midnight and stop a rodent army from destroying Christmas. The film was released on home video by Columbia TriStar Home Video in 1999. The film aired on CBS December 4, 1999,^[2] in addition to being shown on cable.

Plot

On a snowy Christmas Eve, Marie and her brother Fritz are home alone with their Uncle Drosselmeyer. Marie and Fritz's parents are away for the night and Marie is dismayed at having to spend Christmas Eve without them. She then wishes for Christmas to go away forever.

A group of anthropomorphic nuts, Colonel, Mac, Sparkle, Stash, and Gramps, overhear her plight, but become relieved at the scene of Uncle Drosselmeyer giving his niece and nephew Christmas gifts: a cannon for Fritz and a nutcracker doll for Marie. The nuts believe that the doll may be their prince and proceed to tell Little Pea, the youngest of the nuts, the story of how the nutcracker prince's relationship with a princess cursed by a mouse queen had turned him into a wooden figure, revealing that only true love will break the spell. Fritz takes the nutcracker from Marie. A chase up the ladder of the Christmas tree ensues, resulting in the doll falling hard to the floor. Upset by how "hurt" her nutcracker is, Marie turns Fritz away. She forgives her brother later in private, telling her nutcracker that out of all her gifts, she loves him the most. After kissing the doll on the lips, Marie becomes tired and falls asleep.

The nuts fall asleep as well, unaware of being targeted by the mouse queen's son, Reginald. He plans to steal the Christmas star on the top of the tree and take over the Christmas Kingdom. With his army of mice, he attempts to capture the nuts. The nuts fight toy soldiers, who prove no match against the mice. Mac stages a coup d'état with his own army of fruits and vegetables. The foods are eventually exhausted by fighting; Gramps is captured by three mice. Marie, awakened by the battle, sees her doll alive and fighting Reginald. Marie intervenes; Reginald is infatuated with her, but she brushes the mouse off her foot using the Christmas star. However, as the foods celebrate their victory, Marie is magically reduced to the nutcracker prince's height by Uncle Drosselmeyer.

The foods inform Marie that without the Christmas star, Christmas will be "gone forever". Fortunately, Marie still has the star. They head into the Sugar Plum Fairy's kingdom to seek help in getting the star back on the tree. Just as the entourage reaches the fairy's castle, Reginald shows up and captures Marie. Imprisoned in the cheese foundry of Reginald's palace, Marie laments her failure to save Christmas and imagines herself slow dancing with the prince in a chapel to emotional music. She is then summoned by Reginald, who offers to marry her. She refuses, but eventually sympathizes with the mouse king after learning that no one has given him a single Christmas gift.

The prince and the foods arrive at Reginald's palace, adamant on rescuing Marie and the others captured by Reginald's army. The foods are reluctant at first, but agree to sneak into the palace after noticing the prince's courage. Reginald and his sergeant perform a dance number. The prince is reunited with Marie. Chaos ensues when Reginald overhears a black-eyed pea laughing at him for not winning Marie's heart; a chase on flying motorcycles made of crackers and olives follows suit. In the middle of the chase, Reginald's palace starts to collapse. After the foods are rescued, Reginald falls into the cheese river due to his vehicle running out of fuel. Marie, having grown soft for the king, saves him and loses the star in the process. Reginald admits that it was "the first nice thing that anyone had ever done to [him]" before producing the star to Marie.

The group arrives at the Sugar Plum Fairy's castle, where she reveals that the Christmas star is able to grant any wish including the power to bring Marie's parents home. After making her wish, Marie gently tosses the star to the ceiling and the screen fades to white. Marie wakes up to find her parents greeting her along with Uncle Drosselmeyer and a guest resembling the prince. The film ends with Marie and the prince sharing a kiss while Mac and the nuts provide the mistletoe.

Voice cast

Debi Derryberry as Marie, the protagonist / Fritz, Marie's little brother
Cam Clarke as the Prince, a nutcracker / Asparagus / Mouse Sergeant
Jim Belushi as Reginald the Mouse King
Cheech Marin as Mac the Macadamia nut
Phyllis Diller as the Sugar Plum Fairy
Desirée Goyette as Sparkle, a humanoid nut in a blue dress
Tress MacNeille as Li'l Pea, a peanut child / Broccoli Floret, a broccoli in a tutu
Jeff Bennett as Colonel, a peanut / Mouse Doctor / Mouse Soldier / Toy Soldier
Jim Cummings as Uncle Drozzelmeyer / Gramps the Walnut
Kevin Schon as Stash, a cashew with a news reporter hat

Release

Critical reception

The film has received mixed to negative reviews, receiving a 38% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3]

References

^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 223. ISBN 9781476672939.
^ "The Nuttiest Nutcracker". Archived from the original on 2014-12-04. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
^ The Nuttiest Nutcracker, retrieved 2022-11-24