Kurumiwari ningyô

Once upon a time I saw this movie, dark and much more real than one would imagine any movie with puppets could be. It was like a dream or a vision; very well-conceived and well-executed. I love the twists and turns this movie took. I was enthralled by the characters, music, and beautiful production design.

This movie haunts me still, but I no longer have it on tape and I cannot find it anywhere. If anyone has a copy, please email me!

I haven't seen this movie in maybe 18 years, but I've been searching for it all over the internet for a while now, and finally came across it tonight! I watched this movie over and over! I'm going to purchase it soon and I cannot wait. I loved the voices, the animation, the color. It was all so magical to me. I cannot wait to see it again! It's a wonderful take on "The Nutcracker Suite," a story everyone should be familiar with. I use to think it was a Rankin/Bass movie, just because it is similar to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and all other movies like that. I only just found out it's a Japanese film. I can't say whether other people would appreciate this movie, kids would. I think you have to be young to watch it, it would be so mysterious!

"The Nutcracker Fantasy" is unlike any animated film I have ever seen. The puppet-animation, which looks remarkably similar to the later puppet-animation of Rankin/Bass, is exquisitely detailed and beautiful. The story is told in such a fantastic and mystical way that it leaves the viewer feeling a bit dreamy, confused and even disoriented. To tell you the truth, I have seen this film several times and still cannot describe it completely. But it's basically about a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll from her Uncle Drosselmeyer and falls in and out of a fever-induced hallucinogenic state. Here she dreams of the nutcracker being attacked by an army of wild rats who are led by an evil 2-headed rat. The rest of the story goes beyond explanation but glimpses include the nutcracker doll coming to life and a kingdom where a princess, who exactly resembles Clara, has been kidnapped. It is a wonderful special that I enjoy watching every year on the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. "The Nutcracker Fantasy" features an all-star cast including Christopher Lee, Melissa Gilbert, Eva Gabor, Michele Lee, Roddy McDowall, Dick Van Patten and others providing voices for the puppets. If you can find a copy of this film, I highly recommend watching it.

I first saw this film as a young'n, when it was perhaps shown on the Disney Channel or somewhere else. I remembered the stop motion; I remembered Drosselmeyer disappearing into the darkness while chanting "Tick tock tee"; I remembered a two-headed mouse queen talking to her son; I remembered a girl getting her feet stuck on the steps. Those were all I remembered as an adult, but nonetheless I also remembered liking it when I was a kid. So recently, when I was on a Nutcracker high and wanted to watch various interpretations of the story, I remembered this one and found it online. After watching it for the first time as an adult...I found that, amazingly enough, it still held up. In fact, I loved it even more.

The plot of the film is basically a mix of the original Nutcracker short story, and elements of the ballet. A young girl, Clara, is visiting her Uncle Drosselmeyer and Aunt Gerda. She comes across a Nutcracker owned by Drosselmeyer, and immediately takes a liking to it. During the night, however, mice attempt to steal the Nutcracker away, and when Clara pursues them, she encounters the two-headed mouse queen Morphia. The Nutcracker comes to life, fighting off the mice before Clara passes out. When she awakens, she wonders if it was all a dream. Investigating the scene, she finds Drosselmeyer running into the clock, into which she pursues him, leading her into the kingdom of the dolls, where Princess Mary has been turned into an unconscious mouse by Morphia. Clara and Franz, the handsome captain of the guard, work together to attempt to break the spell...and from here begins a chain of events that will bring the two closer together, right up to the film's climax.

"Nutcracker Fantasy" is a stop-motion animated movie from Japan, but the only version I am really familiar with is the English dub, which had quite a few celebrities putting in their hand. Usually celebrity ensemble dubs can be a mixed bag, but the talent here does an amazing job: Melissa Gilbert is wonderful as Clara; Roddy McDowall is charming as Franz; Eva Gabor does her thing as the Queen of Time; and Christopher Lee, who plays Drosselmeyer as well as a number of side characters, is absolutely splendid (as usual). Overall, the dub cast did a great job (although Gar's voice was at times perhaps too comical when it should have been serious).

Part of what I love about this version is that Clara is a wonderful character. Oftentimes Clara exists in the Nutcracker story simply to be an observer, or to be the obvious love interest. Here, however, Clara is not only a character who actually contributes to the plot (for example, it is she who discovers Morphia's weakness), but her personality is absolutely charming. She's caring, selfless, and has a love that isn't just in words. This is especially true in the film's final act, where she reveals just how willing she is to prove her love for Franz. I currently have a young daughter, and I can't wait until she's old enough to understand this film and can watch it with me, because I would love her to have someone like Clara as a role model for someone her age.

Another thing I love is the music. Obviously, you hear a lot of familiar tunes from Tchaikovsky's ballet, but there are some original songs in here that were haunting and beautiful. The main song, "Dance of the Dolls", is especially wonderful, and perfect for the story (I actually found a copy of it and put it on my iPod - that's how much it stuck with me).

The visuals for the film are also amazing. The animation quality is akin to your average Rankin/Bass stop motion affair, but far smoother (although you do have that odd jerkiness every now and then). Many of the sets, such as the doll castle or the land of happiness, are beautiful to look at. Some of the sequences are memorable, such as the doll attack on the mouse base, while others fit into the surreal world of dreams, such as the candy dancing sequence. Unfortunately, many copies of the English dub have poor video, so that much of the detail in the set designs are lost on the viewer, and you can't really appreciate how much work was put into the project.

Granted, as much as I love this film, I won't deny that it's not for all tastes. Some people don't like the seemingly random ballet dance sequences (although considering this is all from the point of view of a young girl who likes dancing dolls, and she participates in one of the scenes, I could only imagine ballet would fit in her dreams somewhere). Some people are freaked out by the infamous Ragman sequence. I'll also admit the only thing I don't like is the Asian stereotype voice that the English dub gave the Chinese wise man.

That being said, this is perhaps one of my favorite Nutcracker adaptations, if not one of my favorite animated films. It's charming, it's lovely, and it's enduring. If you remember this from your childhood as well, I would definitely recommend seeing it again. It still holds up, even today, and even when you are a child only in heart.

Christopher Lee is mesmerizing as Uncle Drosselmeyer- and Watchmaker, the puppeteer, the minstrel... and he sings too! He's an incredible voice actor and he's complimented very well by a still very young Melissa Gilbert as Clara. The film is crafted most artistically... more so than other traditional stop-animation puppets. Nutcracker Fantasy has beautiful photography... use of lighting, color, sets... very complicated and intricate dolls telling the story... The best scenes are the beginning showing the Ragman turning awake little children into mice and stuffing them in his bag... and the first dialogues between Clara and Drosselmeyer. Although all this is great, I am very disappointed with the 70s techno-pop music mixed in with the original Tchaikovsky. The soundtrack is hideous and almost wrecks many of the scenes... that and the cuts of live ballet dancers which are unnecessary. I would like to see a re-cut of this film and have it available on DVD. If it is cleaned up a bit editting-wise and with the original Tchaikovsky restored... wow this would be totally awesome!!!!!