"How could I say no to the King?"
Hello everyone!
Can you believe it's ACTUALLY just around the corner? Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve!
I'm not entirely sure where the time went, because I could have sworn that we were melting from the summer heat just yesterday, and now here we are.
I suppose time does fly when you're having fun, right?
But without further ado, we're going WAY back in time for tonight's choice of movie.
Well, maybe 'way back' is a bit of an exaggeration - but it's definitely 24 years ago, if nothing else. And we're going to be dancing - like, a lot.
So make sure to dust off those tutus and break in them ballet shoes, because this story takes flight against the backdrop of Tchaikovsky's music.
Nothing says Christmas like Barbie in the Nutcracker.
Barbie in the Nutcracker is the first in a LONG line of Barbie movies that Mattel decided to release back in the day, and you can tell that through the slightly rougher animation, and the fact that subsequent ones definitely improved overall.
However, in terms of storytelling, it's a masterclass, and one of the many reasons why I thoroughly enjoy it, even two decades later.
Our story begins with little Kelly trying to learn the steps for a ballet recital, and failing. Barbie, trying to encourage her, decides to tell her the story of Clara from The Nutcracker ballet - but with a twist.
Clara and Tommy, her younger brother, lost their parents young, and are being raised by their grandfather. They have the usual sibling spats and whatnot, but overall, Clara is a responsible, kind and generous individual. She's overjoyed when her aunt unexpectedly drops by to visit, because her aunt refused to settle down (which, in the time period this is set in, I'd say early 1800s, is certainly scandalous) and is a famous traveller.
She'd like to take Clara with her next time she leaves, though both agree Grandfather probably wouldn't let her. Still, she gifts Clara a Nutcracker, who immediately gets into a tug-o-war between the girl and her brother, forcing her to have to fix his arm up right from the get-go.
That night, at midnight, a portal opens from another realm, and mice invade the living room where Clara fell asleep. The Nutcracker also awakens by the same token magic that opened up the way, and fights them, which of course wakes Clara right up.
Turns out, there's a Mouse King around, who likes wielding a magic scepter and turning people into other things - or shrinking them, as is Clara's case.
Together, she and the Nutcracker defeat the mouse and send the lot scurrying back, but unfortunately, for Clara to regain her original size she must help the Nutcracker find the Sugarplum Princess, the only one whose magic is strong enough to stand against the Mouse King's. Once they've found her, Clara need only open up a locket on her necklace, and she'll return home.
The duo arrive via portal, and are immediately greeted by snow fairies, who seem intent on making Clara go with them - when you see flowers bloom in her footsteps through the snow, you start guessing that all isn't what it seems.
And also, a simple trick is used to ensure viewers don't wonder at Clara's light clothes in comparison to the winter they're traipsing through: the snow isn't cold.
Anyway, the pair come to a dilapidated village where they pick up two children to take with them, although they're quickly confronted by the Mouse King's men, and forced to take refuge in the forest where the rest of the kingdom's people have fled to, under the guidance of Major Mint and Captain Candy.
Yes, those are their actual names. No, I'm not making this up.
Everyone who's asked says they're all better off without the rightful heir to the throne, Prince Eric, who was by all accounts a waste of space and a scoundrel. Clara, being the observant gal that she is, notices the Nutcracker's reactions to all this, and guesses that HE is actually the prince, transformed by the Mouse King.
He's searching for the Princess because he owes it to his people, but doesn't feel like he'd make a good ruler, which she argues against, but ah well.
Together with the Major and Captain they head off to continue their search, ending up at the shores of the sea where Eric and Clara free the spring fairies, who REALLY want to make Clara dance with them. She and Eric might have actually twirled a bit if not for the fact that the Mouse King - after finding nothing about the Sugarplum Princess and getting enraged about it - sends a stone giant after them.
The snow fairies freeze the sea so that our heroes can escape riding a carriage, and Eric, as the Nutcracker, cracks the ice to sink the giant. Clara argues that he's more than earned his place, but he's adamant the Princess will have the final say; by this point our heroine is starting to have doubts about her return home, and lags behind while the men rush forward towards the castle they find on the island they'd been seeking.
And fall right into the Mouse King's trap.
Clara gets spirited back to the mainland by the spring fairies, frees the captives from the dungeon, and they confront the Mouse King together. It takes the combined efforts of Clara and the Nutcracker to turn a spell around on the rodent, shrinking him instead of Clara, which destroys the scepter and sends him running.
Worried because Eric got bashed around a lot during this fight, Clara gives him a gentle kiss, which reverses the spell the Mouse King put on him and the kingdom as a whole, and reveals what Eric had suspected for a while now: SHE is the Sugarplum Princess!
Our ensemble cast has a little dancy-dance together, ending with a lovely ballet number from Clara and Eric, who asks her to stay with him and rule by his side. She accepts - but the Mouse King is a sore loser and steals her locket, opening it, and sending her back to her grandfather's house.
Panicking after not finding the Nutcracker, and having no one believe the story she's telling, Clara blinks in surprise when her aunt brings none other than Eric into the parlour - calling him the son of a dear friend of hers. This makes me think that the aunt is behind EVERYTHING, aka she knew what happened in the kingdom and thought her niece might be the key to break the spell and free everyone, which was why she brought her the Nutcracker in the first place.
And because she has superior skills, she shoos everybody out while Eric returns Clara's necklace to her, and asks her to dance.
The story ends with Barbie and Kelly working their way through the rest of the dance routine, and Kelly finally mastering it, after being inspired by Clara's bravery and tenacity.
Short, sweet, but to the point, Barbie in the Nutcracker offers a lot to viewers in terms of storyline and writing that a lot of modern movies don't, and honestly it's one of those that can easily be watched over and over again. It showcases just what yo can accomplish and achieve if you just put your mind to it and are unwilling to abandon your friends, but also promises that following your heart WILL result in a happily ever after.
I love it.
I might do a full Barbie movie series on here in 2026, who knows! But until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of this holiday week.
xx
*images and video not mine
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