Parents' Guide to

The Nutcracker Prince

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

So-so adaptation has some scary moments for younger kids.

Movie G 2004 75 minutes
The Nutcracker Prince Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

age 2+

Nutcerker

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Parents and kids expecting more songs and ballet dancing will be surprised by the battle scenes and overall scariness of The Mouse King in THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE. While there are songs and dancing, the battle scenes, coupled with the strange and abrupt shift in style and tone from a Don Bluth-style of animation into a Rocky and Bullwinkle/Fractured Fairy Tales-style animation during a flashback sequence early in the movie, is enough to make this off-putting, to say the least. Not that it's terrible, but if you're looking for more of an introduction to The Nutcracker, this isn't the best place to start.

It's a bit slow in parts, and for younger kids, the mix of scariness of the Mouse King as well as some of the intricacies of the storyline make this a bit tough for them. The voice and overall demeanor of the Mouse King might even make adults shudder. Still, for fans of The Nutcracker in general, there's much to enjoy through the songs and the imaginative dream sequences.

Movie Details

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