Voices of Melissa Gilbert, Christopher Lee, Jo Ann Worley, and Roddy McDowell
Directed by Takeo Nakamura
Lyrics by Randy Bishop and Marty Gwinn
Fans of anime or the Japanese character Hello Kitty will recognize the name Sanrio. Kitty first appeared in 1975 and was an instant sensation on both sides of the Pacific. She and her friends went over so well, Sanrio had enough money by the late 70's to break into movies. This would be their first attempt at a full-length non-anthology animated film, and their first go at stop motion. If it looks familiar, they brought in many animators who also worked on the Rankin-Bass specials in the US. Does this dreamy fairy tale reach the same heights, or should it be turned to wood? Let's start with the voice of an older Clara (Michele Lee) as she recalls her childhood and find out...
The Story: Young Clara (Gilbert) is excited to visit her Uncle Drosselmeyer (Lee) and Aunt Gerda (Lurene Tuttle), and especially to see her handsome friend Fritz (McDowell) the next day. Aunt Gerda reminds Clara that the Ragman comes and turns naughty children who won't sleep into mice, but Clara's too excited for sleep or to fear her aunt's stories. Her uncle brings out a nutcracker doll, claiming it's too homely for Clara to want. She loves it and says she'll sleep if she can keep it.
That night, she wakes up to find mice stealing the Nutcracker away. She follows them, only to be knocked out when the Nutcracker defends her. She tells her aunt what happened the next morning, only for her aunt to insist she's talking nonsense. Clara's fevered mind takes her into a wild dream where she alone can rescue her beloved Nutcracker Prince (McDowell) from the Mouse Queen (Jo Ann Worley) and help save the Princess Mary (Robin Haffner) and her Doll Kingdom.
The Animation: While it does have a lot in common with the Rankin-Bass specials of this time, it's not quite as cartoony as many of them. The mice, especially the Mouse Queen's son Gaar, can be especially grotesque, and aren't cute at all. Princess Mary's palace is done in every eye-popping sherbet shade of the rainbow, a brilliant contrast to the dark forest Clara wanders in later and Aunt Gerda and Uncle Drosselmeyer's home. The design of the human characters hews more towards Rankin-Bass, with their round heads and wide blue eyes.
The Song and Dance: This dreamy fairy tale is as far from Hello Kitty cuteness as you can get. (Though Sanrio did do a Hello Kitty Nutcracker TV episode for her 90's TV series that had a similar story.) It's actually based more after the original ETA Hoffman story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King than the ballet. No dancing candy here. This is closer to dark 80's fantasies like Labyrinth, with its themes of self-discovery and sacrifice.
I'm impressed they got such a top-drawer cast for an English dub. Lee not only brings his usual gravity to Drosselmeyer and three look-a-like men his niece meets on her journey, he's reveling in his rare chance to play a non-villain. Worley's having a blast as the thoroughly evil Mouse Queen, and Gilbert is a darling Clara.
Favorite Number: The movie's first number is the haunting "Dance of the Dolls" over Clara descending into slumber. (It's also heard during the credits.) It sounds like the best ABBA ballad you never heard. Lyricists Randy Bishop and Marty Gwinn also get the dark "Empty Heart" as Clara tries to find someone who cares enough to help her Nutcracker after Princess Mary rejected him. Lee lends his handsome deep baritone to "In Your Heart of Hearts" as a Street Singer who leads Clara to the mystical Queen of Time (Eva Gabor) and "Tick Tock Fantasy" when she comes downstairs.
What I Don't Like: Not sure what audience Sanrio wanted to go for here. The death of the Mouse Queen and transformation of the Nutcracker are both pretty grisly for a children's fantasy, and Gaar's nearly terrifying, even before he goes after Clara in the end. Those who are more familiar with the ballet may be disappointed at many of the deviations here. As mentioned, there's no dancing candy or snowflakes. Fritz is a friend of Clara's, not her brother, and there's no party in the opening. The story isn't even set at Christmas. There's also all those silly wisemen who don't really help figure out how to save Mary frequently coming off as stereotypes (and annoying, even to Clara) and Clara frankly being a bit young to be interested in the clearly older Franz.
The Big Finale: I'm glad I ran into this one. If you love the dark fantasies of the late 70's and 80's, I highly recommend looking around for this bittersweet romance.
Home Media: The 2014 remastered version is easily available on all major formats.
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