The Secret of the Nutcracker

If, by "innovative production", you mean bears no resemblance to the actual ballet/story, then, yeah, this was indeed innovative! The only parts retained from the original story are the little girl's name and the occasional snippet of music. Even what dancing there was had nothing to do with the original ballet. And what was the purpose of all those birds? Just weird.

I did not enjoy this movie at all, although I guess it might be a good, heartwarming story...maybe...if it wasn't billed as being about the Nutcracker. It could have been any story about any little girl missing het father at Christmas during WWII.

The acting was A+.

Beware that the "mice" of the nutcracker here are very scary, dark creatures from nightmares.

I stopped watching after 3/4 of the film because they story was confusing.

What did I just see? My eyes would vomit if they could. This film is way too surreal for my tastes.

I could probably have coped with the weird Brian Cox/Owl hybrid, if he hadn't been accompanied by the strange Darth Vader/Black Carrion amalgam creatures that were just too far out there.

I got to a point where some other bird type creatures, white ones this time, were dancing around and scoffed, before turning it off.

Who knows where the story may have lead had I stuck with it. I'm sure it would have had a particularly cutesy, treacly ending with a moral and sentimental message, but it was certainly not like any Nutcracker that I know of.

Unscored as unfinished.