The Nuttiest Nutcracker

The Nuttiest Nutcracker is a 1999 direct-to-video Christmas film loosely based on The Nutcracker, directed by Harold Harris, starring the voices of Jim Belushi, Cheech Marin, and Phyllis Diller.[1] This film tells about a group of fruit and veggies trying to help the Nutcracker's army get a star up on a Christmas tree before midnight, and stop a rodent army from destroying Christmas. The film was released on home video by Columbia TriStar Home Video in 1999. The film aired on CBS December 4, 1999.[2] The film was also shown on cable.

The Nuttiest Nutcracker
DVD cover
Directed byHarold Harris
Produced byDan Krech
Diane Eskenazi
StarringDebi Derryberry
Kevin Schon
Cheech Marin
Desirée Goyette
Jim Cummings
Tress MacNeille
Cam Clarke
Phyllis Diller
Jim Belushi
Jeff Bennett
Music byDavid Krystal
Production
company
Dan Krech Productions
Pacific Title/Mirage
Distributed byColumbia TriStar Home Video
Release date
  • October 19, 1999 (1999-10-19)
Running time
48 minutes
CountryUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$84,000

Plot

On a snowy Christmas Eve, Marie (Debi Derryberry) and her brother Fritz (Derryberry) are home alone with their Uncle Drosselmeyer (Jim Cummings). Marie and Fritz's parents are away for the night and Marie is dismayed at having to spend Christmas Eve without them to the point that she wishes for it to go away forever.

A group of anthropomorphic nuts, Colonel (Jeff Bennett), Mac (Cheech Marin), Sparkle (Desirée Goyette), Stash (Kevin Schon) and Gramps (Cummings) overhear her plight, but become relieved at the scene of Uncle Drosselmeyer giving his niece and nephew Christmas gifts: a cannon for Fritz and a nutcracker doll for Marie. The nuts believe that the doll may be their prince (Cam Clarke) and proceed to tell Little Pea (Tress MacNeille), the youngest of the nuts, the story of how the nutcracker prince's relationship with a princess cursed by a mouse queen had turned him into a wooden figure, revealing that only true love will break the spell. Fritz takes the nutcracker and a chase up the ladder of the Christmas tree results in the doll falling hard to the floor. Upset by how "hurt" her nutcracker is, Marie turns Fritz away. She forgives her brother later in private, telling her nutcracker that out of all her gifts, she loves him the most. After kissing the doll on the lips, Marie becomes tired and falls asleep.

The nuts fall asleep as well, unaware of being targeted by the mouse queen's son, Reginald (Jim Belushi). He plans to steal the Christmas star on the top of the tree and take over the Sugar Plum Fairy's (Phyllis Diller) kingdom. With his army of mice, he attempts to capture the nuts. They fight toy soldiers, who prove no match against the mice. Mac stages a coup d'état with his own army of fruits and vegetables. The foods are eventually exhausted by fighting and Gramps is captured by three mice. Marie, awakened by the battle, sees her doll alive, fighting Reginald as she intervenes. Reginald is infatuated with Marie, who brushes the mouse off her foot using the Christmas star. However, as the foods celebrate their victory, Marie is magically reduced to nutcracker prince's height.

The foods inform Marie that without the Christmas star, Christmas will be "gone forever". Fortunately, Marie still has the star. They head into the Sugar Plum Fairy's kingdom to seek help in getting the star back on the tree. However, just as the entourage reaches the fairy's castle, Reginald shows up and captures Marie. Imprisoned in the cheese foundry of Reginald's palace, Marie laments her failure to save Christmas and imagines herself dancing with the prince in a chapel before she is summoned to Reginald, who offers her to marry him. She refuses, but eventually sympathizes with the mouse king after learning nobody gave him a single Christmas gift.

The prince and the foods arrive at Reginald's palace, adamant on rescuing Marie and the others captured by Reginald's army. The foods are reluctant at first, but agree to sneak into the palace and the prince is reunited with Marie just after Reginald and his sergeant perform a dance number. Chaos ensues when Reginald overhears a black-eyed pea laughing at him for not winning Marie's heart; a chase on flying motorcycles made of crackers and grapes follows suit. In the middle of it all, Reginald's palace starts to collapse. After rescuing the foods, Reginald's vehicle runs out of fuel and he falls into the cheese river. Marie, having grown soft for the king, saves him, losing the star in the process. However, Reginald admits that it was "the first nice thing that anyone had ever done to [him]" and he produces the star to Marie.

The group arrives at the Sugar Plum Fairy's castle where she reveals that the Christmas star is able to grant any wish, including the power to bring Marie's parents home. After making her wish, Marie gently tosses the star to the ceiling and all goes to white. Marie wakes up to find her parents greeting her along with Uncle Drosselmeyer and a guest resembling the prince. The film then ends with Marie and the prince sharing a kiss while Mac and the nuts provide the mistletoe.

Voice cast

See also

References
  1. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 223. ISBN 9781476672939.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-04. Retrieved 2014-11-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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