Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Borget
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming adaptation has some peril and mild scares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MAGIC FLUTE Marie (Lyubov Aksenova) and her mother face losing their home when their debt collector bargains for Marie's hand or else they're thrown on the streets. When Marie wishes to escape her troubles and be a young child again, she shrinks to the size of her toys on Christmas Eve. As she does, her toy ram and ostrich come to life and she learns her nutcracker is actually a prince under a spell. In order for her to return to her true form and help her mom, she needs to reverse her wish, but first, they offer to help the prince-turned-nutcracker. Together they travel to the Land of Flowers where Prince George's kingdom has fallen to rat rule. Together they have to fight past ghosts, rats disguised as humans, and help save a king who is kept drowsy with a magical sleeping potion. A peculiar band of friends made up of a ballerina, a prince, a frightened ostrich, and a ram have to work together to break the spell. Will the team be able to find the royal magical flute to break the spell and have the rats return to their true form? And will it be in time for Marie to return to her true form? With the help of friends, Marie and Prince George work together to outsmart the rats and learn what's possible with teamwork and perseverance.
Is It Any Good?
The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute takes a familiar tale with an enchanted nutcracker and gives it an interesting twist. Instead of the nutcracker growing, a young woman shrinks to the size of her toys. Though the computer animation quality feels a decade behind, the talented voice cast and engaging story help make up for it. Though the characters don't burst into song in every scene, there are a handful of musical numbers that keep the story moving along, as do the comedic animal sidekicks.
The magical adventure has charming characters with captivating traits, such as a ram who happens to look and sound a lot like Elvis. The story moves along at a decent pace and with a runtime of an hour and a half, will likely keep the intended younger audience entertained. It also has enough humor and appeal so that the adults in the room may be willing to tolerate yet another Nutcracker story with a somewhat predictable ending.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about leadership. Why does Prince George feel that he has to save his kingdom? What do you think makes a strong leader?
Which parts of the movie were scary to you? Why? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?
What made the ostrich suddenly become brave? How did his courage help his friends? Have you ever had a time when you needed to be brave?
How does this movie compare to other versions of The Nutcracker. Is it scarier? Why? What audience do you think it's intended to appeal to?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 15, 2022
- Cast : Lyubov Aksyonova , Fedor Fedotov , Aleksey Chumakov , Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld
- Director : Viktor Glukhushin
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales )
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : for some mild peril and thematic elements
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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