Ever since the massive success of Pirates of The Caribbean Disney has been attempting to catch that same live-action lightning in a bottle. Though they’ve had numerous record-breaking smashes within the MCU, Star Wars and by raiding their own animated IP for remakes, they’ve found it hard to recreate the model of a new original franchise with both Tomorrowland and The Lone Ranger failing to grab the attentions of audiences. The newest original Disney live-action film is the veritable Holiday smorgasbord The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which whilst by no means a great movie has definitely learnt some lessons from the studio’s mistakes of the past.
Loosely inspired by the classic ballet The Nutcracker, this reimagining sits somewhere between The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and… Return to Oz–we’ll come back to that later—with a young feisty girl who doesn’t quite fit in with her fancy family and longs for something more. In that way, MacKenzie Foy’s Clara is just like so many other Disney leading ladies; Belle’s tired of her provincial town, Ariel’s desperate to explore the human world, and (live action) Alice is ready to follow her father’s footsteps and explore the globe. Clara’s motivations though come from the loss of her mother.
Source: IGN.com The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Review