It's Christmas Eve
in Berlin, 1814. Herr and Frau Stahlbaum host their beloved Christmas party for the community, bringing hope and celebration in the holy evening. As the guests arrive and the party grows, Clara and Fritz Stahlbaum eagerly await the arrival of their mysterious godfather, who delights them each year with new and magical toys. But their godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, makes his grand entrance in disguise and frightens the guests at first. He soon after reveals himself as the funny godfather they all know and spends the evening entertaining the children, presenting them with gifts and bringing to life his new mechanical creations.
Herr Drosselmeyer is most proud of the wooden Nutcracker doll. Most of the children turn up their noses at the doll, except Clara, who graciously shows interest and kindly accepts the gift. Her brother Fritz becomes jealous and breaks the doll in an attempt to snatch it from her hands. Herr Drosselmeyer quickly fixes the doll and comforts Clara by placing a magical wish upon it before setting it under the tree for the night. At the stroke of midnight, Clara sneaks out to her tree to check on her beloved Nutcracker, only to fall asleep under the tree with the doll in her arms.
What comes next is a series of fantastical adventures as Clara enters the Nutcracker’s real world and she becomes both a hero and a princess. The toys come to life under the tree, as armies of mice and toy soldiers battle alongside the Nutcracker and Mouse King. Clara saves her Nutcracker from the Mouse King winning the battle. Yet he is injured and only her love can now save him and turn him into a real Prince.
The Prince awakes, no longer a wooden doll, and together Clara and her Prince ride a sleigh through the enchanted Everwood Forest of dancing snowflakes to a flurry of international treats and waltzing flowers inside his Kingdom of the Sweets. Clara dances through magical wonderlands ending in a delectable land of sweets, where she meets the princesses from faraway lands, and is served sweet cakes by English bakers. From the Spanish fans to the magical Arabian scarf and more, she is finally swept away by the beautiful waltzing flowers. As the honored special guest in the Prince’s Kingdom, she meets the gallant Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.
When Clara wakes beneath her Christmas tree, still holding her Nutcracker, she wonders: Was it all a dream, or was it Nutcracker magic after all?
