The Nuttiest Nutcracker

I was just a little kid when my family and I bought this. I still remember the songs and the unforgettable voice work from Debi Derryberry, Cam Clarke, Jim Cummings, Cheech Marin, the late Phyllis Diller, and Jim Belushi, but as an adult, the film doesn't hold up as I thought.

The story had a nice premise but it pretty much skipped along and only ran for nearly 50 minutes. Not to mention the character animation movements are too robotic you can easily laugh at them throughout the whole film (particularly the motion capture movements on the later half of the film). Also, Marie as a character is pretty bland and dull which is a shame because Debi Derryberry is a very talented voice actress.

I'll admit, though, the side characters, particularly the nuts, had some entertaining moments despite being somewhat annoying at times. The Nutcracker Prince was alright though not given much to do other than fighting the mouse king and his mice soldiers. The best character, however, is Reginald who had the right balance of evil and comedy and thanks to Jim Belushi's superb voice work.

Also, the music is serviceable enough with snippets from the Tchaikovsky Nutcracker music used effectively and the songs, while not in the same league as Disney, are still a lot of fun.

Overall, The Nuttiest Nutcracker had some merits, but now that I'm an adult, it's a watchable yet very forgettable movie.