They say you're beautiful

The Nutcracker has always been a big part of Christmas since I was a kid. I have fond memories of attending the ballet, pretending I was Clara with my own nutcracker, and watching several versions on VHS, including Barbie's. I remember being ecstatic when the movie first premiered on TV Thanksgiving day--The Nutcracker and Barbie together? It was perfect.

While the movie's plot takes more from ETA Hoffman's original story from 1816, visually it's more inspired by the ballet, so I referenced costumes from the late 1890's, when the ballet first premiered.