New ‘The Nutcracker and The Four Realms’ Trailer Reveals Loads Of Animation And VFX

Disney’s hybrid holiday film The Nutcracker and The Four Realms launched a new trailer this morning that reveals a world populated with animated soldiers, mice, and other creatures

Inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” and also borrowing from Tchaikovsky’s later ballet The Nutcracker, the Disney film is directed by Lasse Hallström (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules) and Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids), the latter of whom only joined last winter to do extensive re-shoots, but ended up with a co-directing credit.

The vfx and animation studios working on the film include MPC, Luma Pictures, and Rodeo FX.

The screenplay is written by Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight, Christopher Robin), and newcomer Ashleigh Powell, who also wrote the film’s original story.

Here’s the synopsis:

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Keira Knightley stars as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Disney will release the film in the U.S. on November 2.