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53-484: The Nutcracker Prince is a 1990 Canadian animated romance fantasy film directed by Paul Schibli based on the screenplay by Patricia Watson. It is a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann 's 1816 short story " The Nutcracker and the Mouse King " and Marius Petipa & Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 's 1892 ballet The Nutcracker , about a girl named Clara who is gifted a special nutcracker by her uncle. The gift draws her into

106-564: A G-rating. Cartoonist Jeff Smith , best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone , described working on key frames for the film's animation to editor Gary Groth in The Comics Journal in 1994. Although he admitted he had fun working on the film, he would describe the film itself as "terrible". The film was preceded in theaters by a re-issue of the 1958 Merrie Melodies short Robin Hood Daffy . On

159-496: A Geisha , Slumdog Millionaire , Up in the Air , The Artist , Gloria Bell , and Malcolm & Marie . Director Richard Linklater helmed the prominent Before trilogy, consisting of Before Sunrise , Before Sunset , and Before Midnight . Kasautii Zindagii Kay is a popular Indian romantic drama television series of the 2000s. Same-sex romantic dramas that tackle LGBT issues include Brokeback Mountain , Blue

212-531: A Thief , Vertigo , The Crying Game , The Bodyguard , Unfaithful , Wicker Park , The Phantom of the Opera , The Tourist , and The Adjustment Bureau . The screenwriters taxonomy creates additional categories beyond "subgenre" when discussing films, making the argument that all narrative Hollywood films can be delineated into comedies or dramas (identified as a "film type"). The taxonomy also identifies fifty "macro genres", which can be paired with

265-500: A few glib modern touches to create a muddled and bland version, which isn't the kind of difference it needs." Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News wrote that "the movie attempts to re-dramatize KTA Hoffmann's beloved tale The Nutcracker , but even Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's familiar score—the incomparable Nutcracker ballet—fails to lift the spirits in this rather mundane production." Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times

318-448: A filmmaker's "voice" because the artistic choice to have the characters sing does not affect the story or the characters – it simply alters how the story and characters are conveyed. Therefore, a romance film like Grease would be categorized as a dramatic (type), romance (super genre), high school / coming of age (macro genres), musical (voice) – rather than simply as a "musical romance". Rover Dangerfield Rover Dangerfield

371-420: A result of the Mouse King finally slain. In the late 1980s, Warner Bros. began production on their film Rover Dangerfield , with the intention of a 1988 release. The film was originally intended to be R-rated , in the vein of Ralph Bakshi 's films, but during production executives requested that the idea be reworked into a family-friendly film. This resulted in production being delayed, as large portions of

424-461: A rock star in a suit. This mongrel-movie badly wants to be a kidvid hit, and with that star and decent animation chops, it stands a chance. But don't bet the farm on it.' TV Guide awarded the film two stars, criticizing the tone and inconsistent animation, and said, 'The result is a confused hybrid creation, suspended in a twilight zone between Don Bluth 's benign but dull children's fare and Ralph Bakshi's gratingly hip work.' Screen Rant , on

477-686: A story about how the Nutcracker came to be the Prince of the Dolls. As Drosselmeier relates, there were a King and a Queen who had a beautiful but vain daughter named Princess Perlipat. To celebrate the King's birthday, the Queen made a special cake out of blue cheese , but the scent of the cheese drew out all the castle mice, who ate and destroyed the cake. Enraged at it, the King commanded Drosselmeier, his inventor, to capture all

530-487: A world of magic and wonder, and she brings about the conclusion to the legend of The Nutcracker, Prince of the Dolls: a young man named Hans who was transformed into a nutcracker by mice, and can only break the spell if he slays the Mouse King. The film stars Kiefer Sutherland as Hans (The Nutcracker), Megan Follows as Clara, Mike MacDonald as the evil Mouse King, Peter O'Toole as Pantaloon, an old soldier, Phyllis Diller as

583-499: Is a Basset Hound living the life of luxury in Las Vegas with his owner Connie, a showgirl. One night, he sees Connie's duplicitous boyfriend Rocky negotiating with a pair of gangsters, and accidentally disrupts it by dropping a bone into the meeting. Thinking Rocky is an undercover cop setting them up, the gangsters flee as their boss tells Rocky that he has blown his last chance. When Connie goes on tour for two weeks, she leaves Rover in

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636-518: Is a 1991 American animated musical comedy film starring the voice talent of comedian Rodney Dangerfield , who also wrote the screenplay and story and co-produced the film. It revolves around the eponymous character, a canine facsimile of Dangerfield owned by a Las Vegas showgirl , who gets dumped off the Hoover Dam and finds himself living on a farm. Critical reception was unfavorable, although its animation received minor praise. Rover Dangerfield

689-687: Is a romantic story with a historical period setting, normally with a turbulent backdrop of war, revolution, or tragedy. This includes films such as Gone with the Wind , Doctor Zhivago , Reds , Titanic , A Very Long Engagement , Atonement , Portrait of a Lady on Fire , and Cold War . Paranormal romance is a popular genre of film which features romantic relationships between humans and supernatural creatures. Popular tropes include vampirism , time travel , ghosts and psychic or telekinetic abilities – i.e. things that cannot be explained by science. The genre originated in literature and moved on to

742-815: Is a term associated with romance films mostly targeted to a female audience. Although many romance films may be targeted at women, it is not a defining characteristic of a romance film and a ' chick flick ' does not necessarily have a romance as a central theme, revolve around the romantic involvement of characters or even include a romantic relationship. As such, the terms cannot be used interchangeably. Films of this genre include Gilda , The Red Shoes , Sense and Sensibility , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , Dirty Dancing , The Notebook , Dear John , A Walk to Remember , Thelma & Louise , Fifty Shades of Grey , Sleepless in Seattle , You've Got Mail and Romeo + Juliet . Also known as epic romance, this

795-457: Is able to surmount most obstacles. Humour in such films tends to be of a verbal, low-key variety or situational, as opposed to slapstick. Films within this genre include City Lights , A Night at the Opera , It Happened One Night , His Girl Friday , My Wife's Goblin , The Philadelphia Story , Intolerable Cruelty , Roman Holiday , Good Morning, My Dear Wife , The Big Sick , Enough Said , Lost In Translation , To All

848-432: Is jealous that her older sister Louise already has a boyfriend Erik, leaving her wondering about growing up. She immediately cheers up when Drosselmeier, an eccentric toymaker and family friend, arrives at their home with special gifts: a fully automated toy castle for everyone, and a Nutcracker for Clara. While trying to crack nuts with it, Fritz damages the Nutcracker. To cheer the heartbroken Clara up, Drosselmeier tells her

901-464: Is often employed to indicate the emotional mood, creating an atmosphere of greater insulation for the couple. The conclusion of a romantic drama typically does not indicate whether a final romantic union between the two main characters will occur. Some examples of romantic drama films and shows before 2000 are Man's Way with Women , Casablanca , María Candelaria , Pride & Prejudice , Appointment with Happiness , Wakeful Eyes , Among

954-503: Is the Warmest Colour , Carol , Moonlight , and Call Me by Your Name . Romantic fantasies describe fantasy stories using many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre. Some examples include The Lady Eve , Top Hat , The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) , Singin' in the Rain , Groundhog Day , Enchanted , Cinderella , Beauty and

1007-677: The Rodgers and Hammerstein productions. Some examples include South Pacific , West Side Story and its 2021 remake , Grease , High School Musical , Across the Universe , Moulin Rouge! , the Mamma Mia! franchise, Sunshine on Leith , and La La Land . Romantic thriller is a genre of film which has a storyline combining elements of the romance film and the thriller genre . Some examples of romantic thriller films are Desire , To Catch

1060-487: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 17% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. Entertainment Weekly graded the film a 'C', questioning Dangerfield's decision to make the film and said, 'Dangerfield should have known he had written a no-win scenario. His strongest suit — that gleeful lounge-act vulgarity — has always been a little too crass for kids. Yet when Rover offers gooey, sentimental life lessons, it feels unconvincing, like

1113-419: The romance super genre. Using this approach, films like Gone with the Wind (noted above) would be classified as a dramatic (type) historical/family (macro genres) romance (genre) rather than simply a historical romance; while The Notebook would be identified at dramatic (type) disease (macro genre) romance (genre) rather than simply a romantic drama. Similarly, musicals are categorized as one option for

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1166-567: The Beast , Knowing , Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind , Midnight in Paris , Her , and The Shape of Water . Romantic musical (alternatively musical romance ) is a genre of film which features romantic relationships and whose story is partially explained through song and/or dance numbers. This genre originated on Broadway and moved to the silver screen thanks in part to the popularity of

1219-456: The Boys I've Loved Before , Four Weddings and a Funeral , Dave , Say Anything... , Moonstruck , In Summer We Must Love , As Good as It Gets , Something's Gotta Give , When Harry Met Sally... , Annie Hall , Manhattan , The Apartment and Pablo and Carolina . Romantic dramas usually revolve around an obstacle that prevents deep and true love between two people. Music

1272-479: The Mouse King, but then slips on a toy cannonball, falls backwards and hits her head, losing consciousness. The next morning, while she recovers, Drosselmeier comes visiting. Clara accuses him of putting the Nutcracker - his enchanted nephew - in danger, but Drosselmeier explains that only Clara can help him break the spell. That night, the Mouse King returns, angry about Clara's interference. Clara briefly traps him within her bedside table drawer, but when she retrieves

1325-557: The Mouse King, though critically wounded, has survived the duel and pursues them. Arriving at the royal castle of the Land of the Dolls, Clara is given a grand welcome, but although she has fallen in love with the Nutcracker, she hesitates in joining him as his princess due to the fact that she can't abandon her family. Her reluctance negates the spell which animated the dolls, and they revert to lifeless toys. The Mouse King appears and goes after Clara with his dying strength, but ends up falling off

1378-697: The Mouse Queen, and Peter Boretski as Uncle Drosselmeier. The Nutcracker Prince was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on November 21, 1990, and by Cineplex Odeon Films in Canada on November 23, 1990. The film grossed $ 1.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 8.5 million. It generally received negative reviews from critics and was considered a commercial failure . In 19th century Germany , Clara Stahlbaum, her younger brother Fritz and their family celebrate Christmas Eve, though Clara

1431-512: The Nutcracker, the Mouse King escapes and threatens to harm her kitten, Pavlova, if she doesn't hand the Nutcracker over. Drosselmeier reappears, and the toys awaken once more. The Nutcracker faces the Mouse King in single combat and defeats him, but Pantaloon is damaged while trying to help him. In order to get him cured, Nutcracker, Trudy and Marie prepare to travel to the Land of the Dolls through Drosselmeier's mechanical castle; Clara accompanies them after Drosselmeier magically shrinks her. However,

1484-594: The Ruins , The River of Love , Dearer than my Life , Love Story , Paris and Love , Featureless Men , Coming Home , Daughters of the Dust , Like Water for Chocolate , Sommersby , The Bridges of Madison County , The English Patient , Shakespeare in Love , An Officer and a Gentleman , Saptapadi and Cinema Paradiso . 21st century examples include Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna , Sideways , Memoirs of

1537-611: The United States and Cineplex Odeon Video in Canada. It was later re-released on August 13, 1996 as part of the Warner Bros. Classic Tales series, and again in 1999 through Warner Bros. Family Entertainment . The film has been released on DVD several times. It was initially released by Hollywood DVD on October 14, 2001 in the United Kingdom. A Region 1 DVD was released in Canada and the US by GoodTimes Entertainment on November 9, 2004. This DVD

1590-511: The United States on November 21, 1990, the film only earned a disappointing $ 1.7 million because Warner Bros. , which owned the American distribution rights, gave it very little promotion. It opened in Canadian theaters two days later on November 23, and also only pulled in $ 2 million in theatrical revenues in Canada. The film was initially released on VHS on November 27, 1991 by Warner Home Video in

1643-406: The care of Rocky. In retaliation for ruining his deal, Rocky stuffs Rover in a bag, drives him to Hoover Dam and throws him into the water. The bag is later pulled out of the water by two passing fishermen, who take Rover back to shore and place him in the back of their pickup truck. Rover regains consciousness, jumps out of the truck during a stop, and begins wandering down the road. He ends up in

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1696-603: The casino, where he is beckoned into the gangsters' limo, presumably taken to be thrown off the Hoover Dam. Sometime later, Rover, missing Daisy, becomes despondent. Understanding that he misses his new life, Connie takes Rover back to the farm to stay, allowing Cal and Danny to keep him. Rover is reunited with Daisy, who leads him to the barn, revealing that he is now a father of six puppies: five of them resembling Rover and one resembling Daisy. The story ends with Rover teaching his kids how to play cards and happily chasing Daisy around

1749-399: The castle's balcony and drowning in the lake below. As Clara begins crying for the Nutcracker, mist begins to fill the castle, and she abruptly finds herself back home and the Nutcracker missing. Clara rushes to Drosselmeier's workshop, where she anxiously asks him about whether all what she has gone through was real, when they are joined by Hans, now cured of the spell and back to human form as

1802-413: The countryside, and encounters a farmer, Cal, and his son, Danny. Danny convinces his father to take the dog in. Cal agrees on one condition: if he causes trouble, he will be sent to an animal shelter . Rover has difficulty adjusting to life on the farm but with the help of Daisy, a beautiful collie next door, and the other dogs on the farm, he succeeds in earning their trust. Rover spends Christmas with

1855-412: The family, and begins to fall in love with Daisy. A pack of wolves attempt to kill a turkey on the farm. Rover saves the turkey, but the bird ends up dead from shock. Cal mistakenly believes Rover to be responsible for the turkey's death, and takes Rover into the woods to shoot him the next morning. The wolves appear and attack Cal, Rover fights off the wolves, and then rallies the other farm dogs to get

1908-401: The farmyard. Additional voices by Bob Bergen , Louise Chamis, Bill Farmer , Barbara Goodson , Patricia Parris , Burton Sharp, and Ross Taylor Conceived in the late 1980s, the film was planned at the time for a December 1988 release. It was originally planned as an R-rated animated film, in the vein of Ralph Bakshi 's films, but Warner Bros. wanted the film's content to be toned down to

1961-717: The film "a cartoon within a cartoon within another cartoon. It's never boring but, yes, it can get confusing." A critic for the Vancouver Sun said it was "a passable children's entertainment, but the animation is stiff and it has none of the magic of the ballet." Romance film Romantic films often explore the essential themes of love at first sight , young and mature love, unrequited love, obsession, sentimental love, spiritual love , forbidden love, platonic love, sexual and passionate love, sacrificial love, explosive and destructive love, and tragic love . Romantic films serve as great escapes and fantasies for viewers, especially if

2014-507: The film "was better that way". Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said it was "an awkwardly directed, badly drawn animated feature [that] wheezes toward its familiar climax like an arthritic ballerina in 50-pound dancing shoes. Laborious and saccharine, this Canadian adaptation extracts all grace and relevance from the classic enchantment, as well as all immortality and magic from Tchaikovsky's lovely score. It's an embarrassment of travesties." Catherine Dunphy of The Toronto Star called

2067-434: The film had to be redone. While Rover Dangerfield was being completed, the studio looked at external production companies to source animated films they could release, which is how Warner Bros. came to partner with Lacewood Productions to release The Nutcracker Prince. The music was adapted in part from Tchaikovsky 's The Nutcracker from 1892 by Victor Davies , altering the original and adding new tracks as well. For

2120-465: The film has an approval rating of 14%. A review in TV Guide stated that "regrettably, this animated film is an unabashed bore, and that's a shame because the glorious Tchaikovsky ballet has been loved and admired by generations of stage, film, and television viewers of all ages. Why Warner Bros. selected this Canadian-produced independent feature as its Christmas 1990 family attraction is puzzling, given

2173-425: The heroes, not the villains, are psychopaths? He also named it one of the worst films of 1990, calling it "a witless and lackluster animated film relieved only by occasional snatches of The Nutcracker Suite ". He and co-host Gene Siskel subsequently recalled that the picture went blank at a preview screening they attended; he said neither of them bothered to tell the projectionist to turn the picture back on because

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2226-498: The injured Cal home. Rover's heroics make the papers; Connie discovers Rover's whereabouts and travels to the farm to pick him up and take him back to Las Vegas. Although initially satisfied to be reunited with Connie and his old friends, Rover soon begins to miss his life on the farm. Rocky comes into Connie's dressing room, and accidentally confesses to her what he did to Rover, causing Connie to break up with him. Infuriated, Rocky tries to retaliate, but Rover and friends chase him out of

2279-591: The lackluster quality of the production." Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times said that "watching “The Nutcracker Prince,” a new Canadian animated feature, is every bit as much fun as getting underwear for Christmas when you’re 8 years old. A blend of leaden gags, muddled storytelling and Saturday morning -style animation, it’s more a holiday threat than a treat." Caryn James of The New York Times wrote that "the new, animated 'Nutcracker Prince' brings together Tchaikovsky's music, E. T. A. Hoffman's story and

2332-415: The mice; Drosselmeier and his nephew, Hans, succeeded, but the Mouse Queen and her son escaped. In revenge, the Mouse Queen cast a spell on Perlipat, causing her to become hideously ugly, and Drosselmeier was given the task of figuring out how to cure the princess. He eventually learned that the fabled Krakatooth Nut could cure her, and the King commanded all the princes and noblemen in the realm to apply, with

2385-458: The night, Clara returns to the living room to spend time with the Nutcracker, when suddenly the Mouse King and an army of mice appear. A ghostly apparition of Drosselmeier also arrives and casts a spell that breathes life into all the dolls, including the Nutcracker, Marie, Trudy and the toy soldier Pantaloon. The two parties engage in battle, in which course the Mouse King threatens to kill the Nutcracker. Clara prevents this by throwing her slipper at

2438-400: The other hand, listed Rover Dangerfield as a must-see performance for its star, stating that: "To hear Dangerfield voice an animated version of himself is quite funny, and the film, while no classic, is completely watchable due to Dangerfield's fresh and entertaining voice-performance". The film was released on VHS and LaserDisc on February 12, 1992. Warner Archive Collection released

2491-466: The promise of marriage to Perlipat once she was cured. However, the Krakatooth was so hard that all the men's teeth shattered upon trying to crack it. Drosselmeier was about to be executed for his failure when Hans stepped in and cracked the nut, thus succeeded in curing Perlipat of the spell that the Mouse Queen cast on her. Furious, the Mouse Queen cast a spell on Hans, turning him into a Nutcracker. During

2544-529: The recording, Boris Brott conducted the London Symphony Orchestra . In 1990, Atlantic Records gave away Promotional recordings of the single "Always Come Back to You" as performed by Robert Matarazzo and Rachele Cappelli. The song, which was used during the first dance between Clara and the Nutcracker, featured David Fields on Guitar, Shane Keister on the keyboard , and David Beal on Drums. The Nutcracker Prince opened in 906 screens across

2597-582: The screen in the early 2000s, following the success of the Twilight Saga adaptations from Stephenie Meyer 's books. By 2007–08, film studios were producing various paranormal romance films, many adapted from novels. Examples of paranormal romance films include The Exterminating Angel , The Twilight Saga , Warm Bodies , Vampire Academy , I Am Dragon , and The Shape of Water . Romantic comedies are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love

2650-454: The subsequent ruckus, she was killed by a falling statue, and her son's tail was damaged. Now free of his domineering mother, he made himself King of the Mice and swore revenge on Hans, while Drosselmeier was exiled by the ungrateful King. Clara is upset by the story's ending, but Drosselmeier tells her that the Nutcracker will break the spell if he can slay the Mouse King. Meanwhile, in the middle of

2703-738: The two leads finally overcome their difficulties, declare their love, and experience their "happily ever after", often implied by a reunion and final kiss. In romantic television series, the development of such romantic relationships may play out over many episodes or different characters may become intertwined in different romantic arcs. Screenwriter and scholar Eric R. Williams identifies Romance Films as one of eleven super-genres in his screenwriters' taxonomy , claiming that all feature length narrative films can be classified by these super-genres. The other ten super-genres are action , crime , fantasy , horror , science fiction , comedy , sports , thriller , war and western . ' Chick flick '

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2756-445: Was critical of the film, calling it "innocuous." "The level of imagination in the story is about as inventive as on most Saturday morning cartoon shows." He also panned the characterization of the Nutcracker as a "monster", adding: In the real world, when a person is so lacking in empathy that he kills someone else simply for his own convenience, he is known as a psychopath. Why does our society give its children so many stories in which

2809-521: Was sourced from the Canadian print, as a result, this caused the Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Presents notice that was used on the American Theatrical and VHS release to be deleted. On April 2, 2007, it was released in on DVD for the second time in the United Kingdom by Boulevard Entertainment. Both releases have no extras besides animated menus and a theatrical trailer. The film had received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes

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