A 3D Holiday Classic

For a lot of us, it's a Christmas tradition - listening to the music from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" or, if we're lucky enough to have a ballet company near us, going to see it.

If you're not familiar with the story, here's a very brief synopsis (with thanks to the Houston Ballet's website): It's the story of a little girl named Clara who wakes up one night at midnight to find herself being attacked by giant mice. Life-size toy soldiers come to her rescue and they are led by a Nutcracker who, after he wins the battle with Clara's help, turns into a prince.

After the battle, the Nutcracker Prince turns Clara's house into the Land of the Snow and we meet the Snow Queen and the Snowflakes. Clara and her prince jump into an enchanted sleigh and head toward the Kingdom of Sweets. When they arrive, they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy who arranges for dancers to entertain them while they feast. Eventually, Clara drifts off to sleep...and when she wakes up, she's back in her bed.

Sounds like just a lovely tale, doesn't it? And Tchaikovsky's music is beautiful. So I admit I was intrigued when I heard that director Andrei Konchalovskiy was making a movie based on the ballet, The Nutcracker in 3D. With the addition of several storylines, lyrics by Tim Rice (some set to Tchaikovsky's music) and some pretty heavy political satire, the reviews have not been great. So it brings up a question: Mess with a classic? Or just leave it alone? And if you've seen it - well, what did you think?