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Western Animation: The Nutcracker Prince

The Nutcracker Prince is a 1990 animated film made by Lacewood Productions and released by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment. Based on the E. T. A. Hoffmann's classic book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and with music composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, this animated holiday tale utilizes the vocal talents of such stars as Kiefer Sutherland in the title role, Peter O'Toole and Phyllis Diller.

The Nutcracker Prince provides examples of:

Abusive Parents: Mainly the Mouse Queen when she belittles and ridicules her son about her plans backfiring.
- Which leads to him insulting her and forgetting about her after her death.
Alien Lunch: The royal family seems to have a fondness for blue cheese cake.
All Animation Is Disney: With the exception of the Story Within a Story, the art style seems to scream of Disney. Clara even looks like a younger Ariel.
Animated Adaptation
Art Shift: The story in the middle.
Award Bait Song: I'll Always Come Back To You
Bad Ass: The Mouse King.
Barefoot Cartoon Animal: The Mouse Queen herself.
Berserk Button: Clara's doll Marie gets angry when her dress is dirtied. You wouldn't like her when she's angry.
- Also, the Mouse King's tail. Attempting to foil his plans will annoy him; damaging his tail will automatically put you on his hit list.
Cool Old Guy: Drosselmeier
Determinator: The Mouse King. To the point where not even getting stabbed in the chest is able to stop him.
Disney Death: When everyone turns to dolls after Clara refuses to stay, the Nutcracker can only watch helplessly as the Mouse King chases after Clara before he reverts back to a toy; he and all the other dolls eventually disappear.
Disney Villain Death: The Mouse King. His death scene involves him plunging off the gingerbread balcony into the waters below, after making a final attempt to murder Clara.
- Of course, there's a charming little scene before that of the Mouse King staggering after Clara, clutching a fatal wound in his chest and breathing raggedly, barely alive except for a single-minded determination to kill her. So the animators probably decided to go easy on us a little with his death scene.
Disproportionate Retribution: The Mouse King wants revenge against the Nutcracker for the injury to his tail, not knowing it was an accident. He later expands his hatred to include Clara for stopping his vendetta, but mostly because she injured his tail again.
Does Not Like Magic: The Mouse Queen's son sneers at his mother's spells.
Duel to the Death: The Nutcracker does battle with the Mouse King in a one-on-one duel. No prizes for guessing who wins.
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The Mouse King is considered this.
Incredible Shrinking Man: Drosselmeier magically shrinks Clara so she can visit the Land of the Dolls.
Insult Backfire
Clara: Why, your cruel and mean.
Mouse King: Your flattery won't stop me.
Lighter and Softer: Than its source material.
Likable Villain: The Mouse King for some fans (especially on DA).
Living Toys: The toys that magically come to life at night, including the Nutcracker himself.
Ocular Gushers: The queen after the mice eat all the cheese out of the blue cheese cake.
Or Was It a Dream?
Pajama-Clad Heroine: Clara for much of the movie, as a number of scenes takes place in the middle of the night.
Pink Means Feminine: Clara's hairbow, and her winter coat.
Pretty in Mink: Clara's fur-trimmed winter coat she wears in the beginning of the movie before she entered her home, and at the end to go see Drosselmeier.
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Revenge: The Mouse King himself wants vengeance - not for the obvious reason of his mother's death, but for his damaged tail.
Royal Brat: The whole royal family.
Today X, Tomorrow the World!: A variation: The Mouse King himself, upon appearing while the toys begin to awaken, states, "Finally, revenge! Today, King of Mice, tonight King of Dolls, tomorrow...KING OF EVERYTHING!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!"
You Dirty Rat