The Nutcracker and the Four Realms review —  a rare Disney miss.

Nobody bats 1,000, not even Disney. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is an overstuffed, under plotted confection that will likely end up like that one lonely, leftover chocolate chocolate in the box that looked enticing, but once everyone took a small nibble of it, no one wanted to fully commit to the calories.

And like that last chocolate, there are calories aplenty in this oh-so-sweet film. The lush sets, elaborate costumes and impressive special effects will set any unicorn and glitter loving girl’s heart aflutter. It’s coming out just in time to solve the dilemma of what to get the feminine wee one in you life for Christmas. The merchandising options are myriad.

But the enjoyment options? Not so much. Loosely based on The Nutcracker Suite that legions know, love and flock to see around the holidays, this rendition takes the characters beyond what we already know and into another realm—four of them, to be exact, inhabited by characters alternating from naughty to nice.

As so many of the Disney children’s films do, this one starts out with the loss of a parent. The middle child, Clara (Mackenzie Foy, whom you may remember as Renesmee from the Twilight franchise), is taking the loss particularly hard.

Through a series of complicated circumstances and big production numbers, Clara winds up in an alternate world of tin soldiers, a silver-lipped nutcracker, Mother Ginger, a Sugar Plum Fairy and more, who teach her all about (what else?) being herself, self empowerment, loyalty and (of course) love.

The supporting cast is full of heavy hitters like Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Richard E. Grant, (who was such a standout in Can You Ever Forgive Me), most of whom seem to feel just fine hiding behind their extensive makeup.

Nods are given to the Nutcracker Suite as we know it, with ballet performances by Misty Copeland and Sergei Polunin, and Tchaikovsky’s music wrestled into a score by James Howard.

But the double directing team of Lasse Halstrom and Joe Johnston just couldn’t seem to mesh. No surprises, no spice, all predictable sweetness from start to finish.

Still, it’s a little something for the kids to do while you’re Christmas shopping.

Rated PG

1 Hour 39 Minutes

If this The Nutcracker and the Four Realms review inspires you to see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms review —  a rare Disney miss.