THE NUTCRACKER IN 3D REVIEW

This week I had the opportunity to attend a private screening of The Nutcracker in 3D with a group of parents and several Chicago mommy bloggers. When the invitation appeared in my inbox I jumped at the chance because I knew several mommy bloggers from California that attended the Hollywood premiere and I have been reading The Nutcracker to my sassy kids for a few years. The evening of the Hollywood premiere I followed SavvySassyMoms, RockinMama and 5MinutesForMom live via Twitter and it seemed like so much fun and many had brought their children for a fun night out.

Not having seen any previews of the movie I decided to watch the trailer. Honestly, it did not look appropriate for children under the age of 5. I emailed my good friend who had attended the premiere with her six year old daughter and she suggested I not take sassy kid #1 because it might be a little scary for her.

Scary? The Nutcracker?? I decided to bring my MOM who was in town visiting for Thanksgiving. We had dinner and drinks prior the screening at Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge. Which by the way is my new favorite sushi restaurant. I highly recommend if you are headed to AMC River East to catch a movie.

Turns out it was a good call not bringing sassy kid although many people had brought their kids, many under the age of 3.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography aspect of the film. It has been years since I have seen a movie in 3D which was really cool on the big screen. The special effects were impressive and really made the film unique.

Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning’s younger sister) is the main character whose name is Mary not Clara. Elle did an incredible job and is a wonderful actress. Surprisingly I may have enjoyed her performance much more than any movie Dakota’s has done.

While I was confused by the plot and story line overall the movie is worth seeing. Don’t expect to see much dancing but they did throw in a few Sugar Plum Fairies. You may want to conduct more research if your children are under the age of six as this does have a PG rating.

Nutcracker 3D hits theaters November 24th 2011

From the imagination of acclaimed Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky, the cherished story of The Nutcracker will be brought to life in spectacular 3D this holiday season. THE NUTCRACKER IN 3D follows nine-year-old Mary (Elle Fanning) whose dull Viennese Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her beloved Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane) and his gift of an enchanted nutcracker.

On Christmas night, Mary’s new friend, The Nutcracker (Charlie Rowe) or “NC,” comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey into his magical world of fairies, sugarplums, and other Christmas toys which come to life. Mary soon realizes that this fantastical kingdom is facing danger from the tyrannical rule of the evil Rat King (John Turturro) and his devious mother (Frances de la Tour). When NC is taken hostage, Mary and her newfound toy friends must uncover the secret of the Rat King to rescue NC and his kingdom.

Based on the story that inspired acclaimed Russian composer Piotr Tchaikovsky to create the music for the iconic ballet, the film includes eight exciting new songs penned by Oscar-winning lyricist and librettist Sir Tim Rice (The Lion King, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar).