Time and again, filmmakers have tried to turn the classic ballet and music of The Nutcracker into a film. It’s proven to be a tough, uh, nut to crack. Now Disney’s having a go with it, with their 2018 release The Nutcracker and the Four RealmsThe first trailer is above; here’s the official synopsis:

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

Ah but all is not right in the Land of Flowers and Sweets and whatever: The Hollywood Reporter noted last week that Joe Johnston was being brought in to supervise 32 days of reshoots on this movie. (Supposedly, original director Lasse Hallstrom was unavailable because of scheduling issues.)

No matter who’s in charge a whole month is a pretty hefty reshoot; all of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was shot in less time than that. Still, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is expected to open in theaters on November 2, 2018.

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