A list of media based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and its 1892 ballet adaptation, The Nutcracker.
Original works:
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816), the story written by E. T. A. Hoffmann.
- The Nutcracker (1892), the ballet based on Alexandre Dumas' retelling of Hoffmann's story, choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Adaptations and derivative works
Comic Books
- The Nutcracker and The Mouse King: The Graphic Novel (2020): Graphic novel adaptation drawn by Natalie Andrewson and published by First Second Books.
Film — Animated
- Fantasia (1940): Perhaps most notably, the music from the Nutcracker Suite was prominently featured in the film, though without any of the ballet characters.
- Hard Nut Fairytale (1971): A Soviet stop-motion animated short directed by Anatoliy Alyashev.
- The Nutcracker (1973): A Soviet rendition as a Mime and Music-Only Cartoon.
- Nutcracker Fantasy (1979): A Japanese stop-motion animated feature produced by Sanrio Films. An English-language dub was released the same year through Columbia Pictures and features an unusually starry cast for this era, including Roddy McDowall as the title character, Melissa Gilbert as Clara, and Christopher Lee (who gets to sing two songs!) as Drosselmeyer and three minor characters. The underscore alternates between adaptations of the ballet score, gentle English-language pop songs, and funky Japanese instrumentals. Plus, two Art Shift sequences feature live-action dancers.
- Care Bears Nutcracker Suite (1988): Featuring exactly who you think re-enacting the story. (A bit of a misnomer, because "Nutcracker Suite" properly refers just to the instrumental selections of music.)
- The Nutcracker Prince (1990): A Lacewood Productions animated film starring Kiefer Sutherland in the title role.
- The Nutcracker (1995): A Direct-to-Video film produced by Jetlag Productions and distributed by GoodTimes Entertainment.
- The Nuttiest Nutcracker (1999): A Direct-to-Video Christmas Special with Cam Clarke voicing the Nutcracker and James Belushi as the Mouse King.
- Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001): Direct-to-Video, CGI-animated retelling starring Barbie (Kelly Sheridan) as Clara, Kirby Morrow as the Nutcracker, and Tim Curry as the Mouse King.
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (2004): An Argus Film Studio film with Wesley Singerman and Leslie Nielsen as the eponymous rivals.
- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007): A Direct-to-Video animated retelling featuring Tom and Jerry.
- The Nutcracker Sweet (2015): A CGI animated feature starring Drake Bell as the titular Nutcracker.
- Hoffmaniada (2018): Contains a stop-motion adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
- The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute (2022): An animated film loosely based on The Nutcracker, with elements from some other works.
Film — Live-Action
- The Nutcracker (1967): A Polish movie by Hanna Bielińska with Wieńczysław Gliński as Drosselmeier and E.T.A. Hoffman. Also features Stop Motion sequences.
- Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986): A filmed version of Kent Stowell's revisionist staging of the ballet, performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet and featuring sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendak. It stars Patricia Barker as adult Clara and Wade Walthall as the Nutcracker Prince.
- (George Balanchine's) The Nutcracker (1993): A filmed version of George Balanchine's traditional staging of the ballet, as performed by the New York City Ballet. It stars Macaulay Culkin (who had previously danced in the ballet) as the Nutcracker Prince, Darci Kistler as the Sugarplum Fairy, and Damian Woetzel as the Cavalier, with Kevin Kline as the narrator.
- (The) San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker (2007): A PBS broadcast of Helgi Tomasson's revisionist staging of the ballet, performed by the San Francisco Ballet. It stars Vanessa Zahorian as the Sugarplum Fairy, Davit Karapetyan as the Nutcracker Prince, Maria Kochetkova as adult Clara, Yuan Yuan Tan as the Snow Queen, and Pierre-Francois Vilanoba as the Snow King.
- The Nutcracker in 3D (2010): Featuring original lyrics by Tim Rice, a purposeful absence of any dance sequences, and incredibly realistic CGI including Nazi rats, all adding up to a catastrophic Box-Office Bomb.
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018): Walt Disney Pictures' In Name Only live-action movie adaptation that also incorporates elements from Tchaikovsky's ballet.
Literature
- The Nutcracker (Histoire d'un casse-noisette) (1844): A retelling of Hoffman's story by Alexandre Dumas. Notably, he changed the name of the main character from Marie Stahlbaum to Clara Silberhaus (in the original book, 'Clara' was one of Marie's dolls), as well as removing a lot of the darker elements in Hoffmann's original. This version would serve as the basis of the 1892 ballet.
- Nutcracker (1984): Hoffman's story, as translated by Ralph Manheim with illustrations by Maurice Sendak, working off of his designs for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's revisionist staging.
- Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker (2017): A Gregory Maguire novel retelling the Hoffmann story.
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans (2023): A unique adaptation of the story written and illustrated by Alex T. Smith.
Live-Action TV
- Playhouse 90 S3E12 (1958): A filmed version of George Balanchine's staging of the ballet, performed by the New York City Ballet. It stars Diana Adams as the Sugarplum Fairy and George Balanchine himself as Drosselmeyer, with June Lockhart as the narrator. The choreography was notably altered from the ballet (most notably, there is no Cavalier) to better fit the television screen. It was the only episode of Playhouse 90 to be broadcast in color.
- The Nutcracker (1968): A BBC broadcast of Rudolf Nureyev's staging of the ballet, performed by the Royal Ballet. It stars Merle Park as Clara, Wayne Sleep as the Nutcracker, and Rudolf Nureyev himself as the Prince and Drosselmeyer.
- The Nutcracker (1977): A filmed version of Mikhail Baryshnikov's staging of the ballet, performed by American Ballet Theater. It stars Gelsey Kirkland as Clara and Mikhail Baryshnikov himself as the Nutcracker Prince. Due to time constraints, the Arabian divertissement had to be cut.
- Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! (2003): A BBC broadcast of Matthew Bourne's non-standard staging of the ballet.
- Live from Lincoln Center: George Balanchine's The Nutcracker S36E5 (2011): A PBS broadcast of George Balanchine's staging of the ballet, performed by the New York City Ballet. It stars Megan Fairchild as the Sugarplum Fairy and Joaquin De Luz as the Cavalier.
- The Hip Hop Nutcracker (2022): A Disney+ original based on the theatre show of the same name. As the name implies, it features a hip-hop remix soundtrack, presenting an urbane take on the story in the first half, while the Act Two stretch features an original Time Travel story.
Music
- The Nutcracker Suite (1960): Jazz versions of The Nutcracker's score by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Radio
- The BBC produced a radio adaptation of Hoffmann's original novel in 1991, which starred Tony Robinson as the Nutcracker and Eric Allen as the Mouse King.
Theatre
- Notable restagings of the ballet:
- Gorsky (1919): Choreographed by Alexander Gorsky, his version made a number of changes to address criticisms of the original work, like removing the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier and giving their dances to Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, having Clara and the Nutcracker portrayed by adult dancers, having Clara and the Nutcracker dance together during the Snowflake sequence, adding a romance between the two, and changing the ending to have Clara waking up and realizing the second act was a dream. Many future productions would adopt these changes.
- Vainonen (1934): Choreographed by Vasily Vainonen for the Mariinsky Ballet. Includes many of the changes Gorsky made and also inspired many future productions.
- Fedorova (1940): Choreographed by Alexandra Fedorova for Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo. This abridged version was the first version of the ballet to be performed in the United States.
- Christensen (1944): Choreographed by William Christensen with assistance from George Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova, and premiering at the San Francisco Ballet, this was the first complete version of The Nutcracker to be performed in the United States. Still performed today by Ballet West in Salt Lake City.
- Balanchine (1954): Choreographed by George Balanchine. Played annually by the New York City Ballet and several other companies, this version popularized the ballet in the United States. Balanchine based it largely on the original libretto, with some changes. Notably, he adds an intermission theme from The Sleeping Beauty, which plays between the end of the party and the battle with the mice, removes the Cavalier's solo, and has the Sugar Plum Fairy do her solo at the start of Act Two instead of toward the end. The lead girl is named Marie like in the original book, and not Clara as in other versions, and Drosselmeyer has a nephew who appears in the first act (and later portrays the Nutcracker Prince), both of whom are played by children like in the 1892 ballet. Indeed, the Balanchine version probably uses the most children out of any version of the ballet.
- Nureyev (1963): Choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev for the Royal Ballet (it has since been staged by a few other companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet). Includes many of Gorsky and Vainonen's changes, including removing the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier and having Clara played by an adult. Here, Drosselmeyer also plays the Nutcracker Prince. The overall tone is much darker than other versions.
- Grigorovich (1966): Choreographed by Yury Grigorovich for the Bolshoi Ballet. Includes many of Gorsky and Vainonen's changes, like having Maria (renamed here) and the Nutcracker portrayed by adults and omitting the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier. Also slightly changes the story, as the Mouse King is not killed until Act Two. Omits Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles, but keeps the music, with the dance instead being performed by all the international dancers.
- Baryshnikov (1976): Choreographed by Mikhail Baryshnikov for American Ballet Theatre. This version has Drosselmeyer having a much bigger role, appearing in Act Two, a drunk party guest breaking the Nutcracker instead of Fritz, and no Sugarplum Fairy.
- Stowell/Sendak (1983): Choreographed by Kent Stowell with sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendak. Played by the Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1983 to 2014 (they currently perform the Balanchine version). Act One is more or less traditional, but Act Two completely jettisons the Land of Sweets in favor of the magically-aged up heroine and transformed Nutcracker being entertained via the servants of a lecherous pasha (whose dancer doubles as Drosselmeyer) in his palace. Also removes the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier and gives their parts to Clara and the Nutcracker.
- Wright (1984): Choreographed by Peter Wright for the Royal Ballet, this version is based closely on the original libretto, though it differs in having Clara and the Nutcracker portrayed by adults, and Mother Ginger and her polichinelles are removed. Was revised in 2001 with a different ending similar to the book by Hoffmann, where Clara reunites with the Nutcracker Prince, who turns out to be Drosselmeyer's nephew at the end of the ballet. Was later revised again in 2008.
- The Hard Nut (1991): Choreographed by Mark Morris. Changes the setting to 1960s America with a cartoonish aesthetic, but otherwise follows the original plot in Act One and uses the first half of Act Two to tell the Nutcracker's backstory. From there it removes the Sugarplum Fairy and gives her dances to Clara.
- Nutcracker - The Story of Clara (1992): Choreographed by Graeme Murphy for the Australian Ballet. This one drops the original story; here, Clara is a retired Russian dancer living in Australia, with the ballet being a Dream Sequence of her life, from her early training through the various events of the early 20th century.
- Nutcracker! (1992): Choreographed by Matthew Bourne. This version relocates Clara's home life from a Big Fancy House to an Orphanage of Fear, and adds some plot to "Sweetieland" by suggesting "Princess Sugar" (the Sugar Plum Fairy) is trying to steal the Prince from Clara. Also omits Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles.
- The Harlem Nutcracker (1996): Choreographed by Donald Byrd. Features an African-American cast, with music by Duke Ellington. This version also drops most of the original story; Clara here is an elderly widow, with the ballet being a Dream Sequence of her life.
- Tomasson (2004): Choreographed by Helgi Tomasson for the San Francisco Ballet. It changes the setting to the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, with the international dancers representing the countries present. Clara here mostly stays a girl until near the end, when she is transformed into an adult dancer to perform the pas de deux with the Nutcracker prince.
- Snowflakes (1911): Anna Pavlova took the Snowflake Waltz from the Nutcracker and turned it into its own standalone ballet, featuring a pas de deux between a Snowflake King and Queen. Many later versions of The Nutcracker borrow this concept.
- The Slutcracker (2008): Choreographed by Vanessa White. A satirical adult-oriented version of the ballet, featuring the dancers in more sexualized costumes.
- Hot Chocolate Nutcracker: Choreographed by Debbie Allen. Features an African-American cast, with entirely new music and choreography. Was the subject of a Netflix documentary.
Video Games
- Bridge to Another World: Secrets of the Nutcracker.
Web Animation
- Clara and the Below: A gothic horror interpretation created by Matt Braly.
Western Animation
- Mickey Mouse Works (1999): Episode 13 of the first season features an adaptation of The Nutcracker, starring Minnie as Marie, Mickey as the Nutcracker, and Donald Duck as the Mouse King.