SYNOPSIS

Written by Andrei Konchalovsky and Chris Solimine, this is based on the fairy story that inspired the ballet. On Christmas night, Mary's new friend, The Nutcracker (Charlie Rowe) or "NC," comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey into his magical world of fairies, sugarplums, and other Christmas toys which come to life. Mary soon realizes that this fantastical kingdom is facing danger from the tyrannical rule of the evil Rat King (John Turturro) and his devious mother (Frances de la Tour). When NC is taken hostage, Mary and her newfound toy friends must uncover the secret of the Rat King to rescue NC and his kingdom.

PREVIEW NOTES

• Variety reports that John Turturro, Nathan Lane and Elle Fanning are set to star in a $65 million fantasy musical. The movie starts shooting July 16 at Stern Film Studios in Budapest. Producer is Paul Lowin, with Moritz Borman acting as exec producer. - 2007-05-22