The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: Explore the Realms

Every Christmas many families will enjoy the legendary story of The Nutcracker, but this year you’ll have the chance to watch a brand-new version and go on a fantastical adventure into a magical world full of majesty, magic and mice.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms stars Mackenzie Foy as Clara, a curious and inventive young girl. With her family facing their first Christmas without their mother, Clara inadvertently goes on a journey in search of a key that could return harmony to an unstable world.

Via a mysterious golden thread Clara enters a parallel world featuring four realms. This article will give you a spoiler-free sneak peek inside them…

The Palace

Before venturing into the Four Realms, the Palace, is the centre of the movie and where all the realms convene. Veering away from palaces in classic fairy tales, the look was heavily influenced by Russian design and architecture.

Within the Palace is the throne room which can see into each realm, but in order to enter Clara must get passed Cavalier (Omid Djalili) and Harlequin (Jack Whitehall), the palace guards who’d rather run away from danger than toward it.

Land of Flowers

The first fantastical realm is the Land of Flowers, home to beekeepers and farmers who produce flower and wheat.

Taking inspiration from Dutch windmills and southern English villages, the realm is littered with flowers, fruits and vegetables and overseen by Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez), the Flower Ream King. Emotional, flamboyant and filled with enthusiasm, Hawthorne shies away from conflict, but welcomes Clara with celebration and pageantry.

Land of Sweets

This realm is a sweet lover’s dream, with nougat walls, chocolate tile roofs and stained-glass windows made of boiled sweets.

The land is inspired by the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley) who wears a gown made of crystallised sugar. As the regent of the realm, and also a friend of Clara’s late mother, she lovingly welcomes Clara, declaring her the guest of honour at an extravagant pageant.

The Fourth Realm

While the other realms are full of colourful characters and unique décor, one thing unites their citizens – the fear of the ominous fourth realm.

Once known as the Land of Amusements, with its abandoned carousel and forgotten fairground, a fierce dispute led to its leader being banished. With her fiery red hair, cracked doll-like face, and army of mice, Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren) is an evil tyrant Clara may have to face.