The Nutcracker in 3D
Encyclopedia
The Nutcracker in 3D is a 2010 3D
fantasy film
adaption of the ballet The Nutcracker
, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
. The film met with universally negative reviews from critics upon its release, and became a failure at the box office.
is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane), who gives her a Nutcracker as a gift. The Nutcracker comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey.
characters, and appealing to a family audience. At the same time, he opted to adapt the film with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well."
Konchalovsky gave the rats who try to take over the fantasy kingdom Nazi-like qualities in his production, one of the many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences.
and was shot primarily in Budapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio in Pomáz
.
, the composer's ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice
wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Other songs are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as his Symphony No. 5
.
and entered limited release in the United States on November 24, 2010, showing on 42 screens. It was released in Estonia
and Russia
on January 1, 2011.
$65,944. The film then grossed $195,459 in the United States as well as take in $93,759 overseas, for a total gross of $289,218 USD worldwide. By mid-March 2011, almost 4 months after its initial release, The Nutcracker in 3D had brought in a total of $14,678,806 USD
worldwide, making it a box office bomb
.
Over $13 million of this sum came from Russia
, where its success was due to Konchalovsky's popularity in the region. In all The Nutcracker in 3D has lost approximately $75 million dollars. The film's meager box office earnings can be blamed on mishandling by distributors as well as the extremely negative reviews it has received.
Rotten Tomatoes
, based on 28 critics' reviews. The site's consensus was: "Misguided, misconceived, and misbegotten on every level, The Nutcracker in 3D is a stunning exercise in astonishing cinematic wrong-headedness." It achieved a score of 18 out of 100 "overwhelming dislike" on fellow aggregate Metacritic
. Metacritic would later rank The Nutcracker in 3D the "Worst Limited Release" film of 2010. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film one out of four stars and asked "From what dark night of the soul
emerged the wretched idea for The Nutcracker in 3D?" Ebert went on to claim The Nutcracker in 3D as "One of those rare holiday movies that may send children screaming under their seats."
Claudia Puig of USA Today
accused the film of being "contrived, convoluted, amateurish and tedious," and panned it for lacking any trace of ballet
, unlike several previous versions of The Nutcracker. Entertainment Weekly
reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum
gave the film its only positive review from a professional film critic, awarding it a B+ and remarking "Attention, university film clubs: Here's your cult-ready midnight-movie programming."
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
adaption of the ballet The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....
. The film met with universally negative reviews from critics upon its release, and became a failure at the box office.
Plot
Mary's (Elle Fanning) seemingly dull ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane), who gives her a Nutcracker as a gift. The Nutcracker comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey.
Cast
- Elle FanningElle FanningMary Elle Fanning , credited as Elle Fanning, is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo which will receive a theatrical release on December 23,...
: Mary - Charlie RoweCharlie RoweCharlie Rowe is an English child actor, best known for his roles as Young Tommy in Never Let Me Go and as Peter in the upcoming SyFy/Sky Movies Peter Pan prequel Neverland. He also starred as The Prince in The Nutcracker in 3D alongside Elle Fanning and as Billy Costa in The Golden Compass in 2007...
: The Prince - Shirley HendersonShirley HendersonShirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
: Voice of the Nutcracker - Julia VysotskayaJulia VysotskayaJulia Aleksandrovna Vysotskaya is a Russian actress and television presenter.- Biography :She finished high school № 9 in the city of Baku in 1990...
: The Snow Fairy - Aaron Michael Drozin: Max
- John TurturroJohn TurturroJohn Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...
: The Rat King - Frances de la TourFrances de la TourFrances de la Tour is an English actress perhaps best known for her role as Miss Ruth Jones in the British sitcom Rising Damp, and as Madame Olympe Maxime in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.-Early life and family:De la...
: The Rat Queen - Nathan LaneNathan LaneNathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
: Uncle AlbertAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history... - Richard E. GrantRichard E. GrantRichard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
: Mary and Max's Father
Development
Director Konchalovsky has stated that The Nutcracker in 3D had been his "dream project" for over 20 years. Konchalovsky was inspired to adapt the film into 3D for several reasons; he believed that the format would be useful in conveying the fantastical nature of the material, capturing the emotions of CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
characters, and appealing to a family audience. At the same time, he opted to adapt the film with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well."
Konchalovsky gave the rats who try to take over the fantasy kingdom Nazi-like qualities in his production, one of the many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences.
Filming
The film was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival2007 Cannes Film Festival
The 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the sixtieth, ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights opened the festival, and Denys Arcand's The Age of Ignorance closed...
and was shot primarily in Budapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio in Pomáz
Pomáz
Pomáz is a small town in Pest county, Hungary. It is located on the HÉV train line from Budapest to Szentendre.-Sights:Pomáz is famous for its Serbian Orthodox church. Just as in nearby Szentendre, a Serbian community existed in the town since the time of the Ottoman presence in Eastern Europe...
.
Soundtrack
The music for the film is derived from Tchaikovsky's original music for The NutcrackerThe Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
, the composer's ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Other songs are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as his Symphony No. 5
Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky)
The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.-Structure:A typical...
.
Release
The Nutcracker in 3D was first screened at the European Film Market on February 5, 2009. The film was shown in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and entered limited release in the United States on November 24, 2010, showing on 42 screens. It was released in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on January 1, 2011.
Box office
The Nutcracker in 3D did not do well at the box office. During the film's US opening weekend it grossed a total of USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$65,944. The film then grossed $195,459 in the United States as well as take in $93,759 overseas, for a total gross of $289,218 USD worldwide. By mid-March 2011, almost 4 months after its initial release, The Nutcracker in 3D had brought in a total of $14,678,806 USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
worldwide, making it a box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
.
Over $13 million of this sum came from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, where its success was due to Konchalovsky's popularity in the region. In all The Nutcracker in 3D has lost approximately $75 million dollars. The film's meager box office earnings can be blamed on mishandling by distributors as well as the extremely negative reviews it has received.
Critical reaction
Upon its non-release in North America The Nutcracker in 3D was widely panned by critics. The film managed a 0% "rotten", or 2.8/10 rating, on review aggregatorReview aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 28 critics' reviews. The site's consensus was: "Misguided, misconceived, and misbegotten on every level, The Nutcracker in 3D is a stunning exercise in astonishing cinematic wrong-headedness." It achieved a score of 18 out of 100 "overwhelming dislike" on fellow aggregate Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Metacritic would later rank The Nutcracker in 3D the "Worst Limited Release" film of 2010. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film one out of four stars and asked "From what dark night of the soul
Dark Night of the Soul
Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise by Saint John of the Cross containing a commentary explaining his poem of the same name.-Poem and treatise by Saint John of the Cross:...
emerged the wretched idea for The Nutcracker in 3D?" Ebert went on to claim The Nutcracker in 3D as "One of those rare holiday movies that may send children screaming under their seats."
Claudia Puig of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
accused the film of being "contrived, convoluted, amateurish and tedious," and panned it for lacking any trace of ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, unlike several previous versions of The Nutcracker. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum is an American film critic. She joined Entertainment Weekly as film critic in the 1990s. She has been featured on CNN, co-host on Siskel & Ebert At the Movies as well as a cultural, theater and television reviewer....
gave the film its only positive review from a professional film critic, awarding it a B+ and remarking "Attention, university film clubs: Here's your cult-ready midnight-movie programming."
Awards and nominations
| Ceremony | Award | Category | Recipients | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worst Limited Release Film of 2010 | The Nutcracker in 3D | |||
31st Golden Raspberry Awards The 31st Golden Raspberry Awards or Razzies is a parodic award ceremony that was held on February 26, 2011, at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood to honor the worst films of 2010. The nominations were announced on January 24. Per Razzies tradition, both the nominee announcements and... |
Worst Eye Gouging Misuse of 3D | n/a | ||
Young Artist Awards 2011 The 32nd Annual Young Artist Awards ceremony, presented by the Young Artist Foundation, honored excellence of young performers under the age of 18 in the fields of film and television for the year 2010, and took place on March 13, 2011 at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, Los Angeles,... |
Best Young Actress | Elle Fanning Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning , credited as Elle Fanning, is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo which will receive a theatrical release on December 23,... |
External links
Warning! This site has a poor reputation.- Nutcracker in 3D at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...