The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The mouse king, a large, creepy-looking creature made up of hundreds of constantly moving mice, is menacing toward Clara and Phillip and grabs people/carries them away covered in teeming mice. Soldiers use their swords. A group of unsettling clowns defends Mother Ginger's eerie, deserted-amusement-park lair and begins to attack Clara and Phillip. Peril/danger for Clara and Phillip. A battle between living toys leads to several close calls, including moments when it looks like Clara or Phillip will be injured or worse. Soldiers fall into holes dug in the dirt by mice (presumably they sprout out somewhere else; no human casualties are apparent). A carousel is crushed by a swarm of mice, and soldiers fall and look unconscious/unmoving. Mother Ginger's scarring could bother some kids. Clara's mother, Marie, has died; her death isn't shown, but a flashback suggests her pain/illness, and her surviving family members are very much grieving her loss.

Very mild flirting between Clara and Phillip. Sugar Plum makes a couple of suggestive-sounding remarks about the tin soldiers: "Hello, boys" and "boys in uniforms with weapons send a quiver right through me."

One use of "damned." Also "poo" (as an exclamation), "oh my God," and some insults: "coward," "filthy," "lazy," "devilish."

Parents need to know that The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is Disney's live-action adaptation of the classic Christmas ballet about young Clara (Mackenzie Foy), who receives a special gift from her godfather (Morgan Freeman). Here, departing from the usual version of the story, Clara gains access to a magical, Narnia-like world called the Four Realms, where she meets a brave Nutcracker soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), and more. Expect some creepy scenes/characters that could be frightening to young kids, especially the Mouse King (he's a large, looming creature made out of thousands of small, teeming mice), Mother Ginger's unsettling security clowns, and a few battle scenes between opposing forces (swords are used). While there's no significant injury or death on-screen, main characters do face peril and betrayal, and both adults and children mourn the loss of Clara's beloved mother, Marie (her passing isn't shown, but her family is sad without her). Clara's interest in science/invention is celebrated, as are courage, perseverance, trusting yourself, and learning from your mistakes.

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