The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

PG

2018

1h 39m

Kids & Family

Holiday

Fantasy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

203 Reviews

36%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land.

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Critics Consensus

Lacking a transporting yuletide story or dazzling dance routines, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a hollow holiday confection that's lovely to look at -- and easy to forget.

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Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

Feb 7, 2019

2.5/5

Disney's pretty-looking The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is immediately forgettable. The disparate elements of the story barely fit together.

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Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Nov 25, 2018

3/5

Younger audiences will enjoy the bright colours and fun energy but it's unlikely to leave a lasting impression. Sometimes, that's enough. But don't expect it to become an instant favourite.

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Victoria Smith (Gloswitch)

New Statesman

Nov 12, 2018

At times it has the feel of a computer game: cross the bridge, open the gates, jump off the wall, beat the boss. Only characters in computer games tend to be more unpredictable, with more than one twist.

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

2/5

It has grand ambitions and a decent eye for visuals. But its presentation is soulless and unrefined, coming off less like a magical adventure of its own right, and more like the sugar free alternative to Narnia.

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Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

May 13, 2022

4/10

A film that keeps throwing production design at you to obscure the fact that nearly everything else is a bit of a mess.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 8, 2022

1.5/4

A 99-minute mess of stilted dialogue, wooden performances, and predictable themes.

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Alex G

@ALEXTITANIC Jul 15, 2026

The film even if it did kinda different from the classic story the film is still a great film and love the castle and the effects

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 14, 2026

Visualmente deslumbrante, mas narrativamente morto. Um espetáculo de figurinos e cenários luxuosos sufocado por um argumento vazio, atuações artificiais e uma ausência total da magia clássica que a história exigia.

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elayne B

@RT12102369 Mar 15, 2026

The movie looks beautiful, its not an extreem Christmasy themed movie, but its lovely to watch. It has not much intense action/violence, but that is not always needed. I think people might compare it too much to Alice in Wonderland, and that is not fair in my opinion. Its a lovely movie for young kids age 5/6 and older. Its a dreamy, calm fantasy movie with a little adventure.

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Anythang S.

@AnythangStudios Feb 7, 2026

Worst Christmas movie ever (so far)!!!! I mean I am not a huge Nutcracker fan, but the ballet is more you know smarter than this crap! The Keira Knightley Sugar Plum Fairy is creepy compared to her in Pirates of the Carribean and the plot is so mind numbing ridiculous that it makes you wanna cry! PLEASE DON’T WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kevin P

@Tirnog2 Dec 31, 2025

It's a fun family fantasy movie, great for kids and adults. Not for pretentious reviewers who don't understand the point of this movie.

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D3Z 1

@RT51637195 Dec 26, 2025

Despite Mackenzie Foy's decent performance, the Nutcracker and the Four Realms did not provide anything magical nor exciting. In addition, this may also be Keira Knightley's worst performance to date.

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Lasse Hallström

Director

Joe Johnston

Director

Keira Knightley

Actor

Mackenzie Foy

Actor

Helen Mirren

Mother Ginger

Morgan Freeman

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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: Final Trailer

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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: Teaser Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land.

Director: Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston
Producer: Mark Gordon, Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: Ashleigh Powell
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: The Mark Gordon Company
Rating: PG (Some Mild Peril)
Genre: Kids & Family, Holiday, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 29, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $54.8M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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