Nutcracker Dreams Synopsis

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It is Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum House and the family is preparing for their annual Christmas party. The children, Clara and Fritz, dance and play as they welcome their friends. The party grows festive with music and dance as their Uncle Drosselmeyer arrives. He is a skilled toy maker and always full of surprises. Drosselmeyer draws everyone’s attention as he presents life-size dolls that dance throughout the party. As the children begin to open their gifts from him, Drosselmeyer gives Clara a beautiful nutcracker. Fritz becomes jealous and grabs the nutcracker from Clara and breaks it. Clara is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer quickly repairs the nutcracker with a handkerchief. As the evening grows late, the friends depart and Clara, worried about her beloved nutcracker, falls asleep with it in her arms.

 

As the clock strikes midnight, the room fills with hungry mice, led by the fierce Mouse King. The Mouse King insists that Clara pledge allegiance to him, and when Clara refuses, orders his mice to attack her. The Nutcracker comes to life and leads his army of toy soldiers into battle with the mice.  The Nutcracker and his army are overpowered and are captured by the mice. The Mouse King corners the Nutcracker and battles him one-on-one. The Nutcracker seems to be no match for the Mouse King. Clara makes a daring charge and throws her slipper at the Mouse King, hitting him square on the head. This distraction allows the Nutcracker his chance to defeat the Mouse King once and for all.

 

Drosselmeyer finds Clara safe and sound, but then both notice the Nutcracker motionless after the battle. Clara rushes to her Nutcracker’s side and Drosselmeyer heals the Nutcracker with his powerful magic.  The Nutcracker escorts Clara to the Land of Snow where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fary. She thanks the Nutcracker and Clara for their bravery and defeating the Mouse King and his army of mice. She rewards them with a celebration of dancing snowflakes.

 

Clara awakens from her dream and finds herself by her Christmas tree with her beloved Nutcracker. She notices that her once broken Nutcracker has been restored to its original condition.

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Was it all just a dream?

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