Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, directed by Lasse Hallström and later Joe Johnston, was a real dream job for any design team. The original Hoffman story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King from 1816, was a surreal German fairy tale that went on to heavily inspire other classics; Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia book series by C.S. Lewis to name just a few.
The story went through several reincarnations until Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet adaptation was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg in 1892, introducing the world to an enduring ensemble of characters and a gorgeous musical score that have remained popular ever since.
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