The Nuttiest Nutcracker

The Nuttiest Nutcracker is a 1999 direct-to-video Christmas film loosely based on The Nutcracker, directed by Harold Harris, starring the voices of Jim Belushi, Cheech Marin, and Phyllis Diller. This film tells about a group of fruit and veggies trying to help the Nutcracker's army get a star up on a Christmas tree before midnight, and stop a rodent army from destroying Christmas. The film was released on home video by Columbia TriStar Home Video in 1999. The film aired on CBS December 4, 1999. The film was also shown on cable.

Plot
The film opens with the Sugar Plum Fairy (Phyllis Diller) narrating the initial portion of the story (as well as adding “Nuttiest” to the title) before letting the visuals take over to the house of Marie (Debi Derryberry), who lives with her brother Fritz (Debi Derryberry) and their Uncle Drosselmeyer (Jim Cummings). For reasons unknown, Marie and Fritz’s parents are out of the house for the night and due to the snowy weather outside, Marie is dismayed at having to spend Christmas Eve without them to the point in which she wishes for it to go away forever.

A group of anthropomorphic nuts, Colonel (Jeff Bennett), Mac (Cheech Marin), Sparkle (Desirée Goyette), Stash (Kevin Schon) and Gramps (JIm Cummings) overhear her plight, but become relieved at the scene of Uncle Drosselmeyer giving out two Christmas gifts for his niece and newphew: a cannon for Fritz and a nutcracker doll for Marie. This leads the nuts to believe that the doll may be their prince (Cam Clarke) and proceed to tell Little Pea (Tress MacNeille), the youngest of the nuts, the story of how the nutcracker prince’s relationship with a princess cursed by a mouse queen had turned him into a wooden figure, revealing that only true love will break the spell.

Fritz decides to test his sister’s nutcracker’s strategic abilities and a chase up the ladder of the Christmas tree results in the doll falling hard to the floor. Upset by how “hurt” her nutcracker is, Marie turns Fritz away, but she forgives her brother later in private, telling her nutcracker that out of all the gifts she has received, she loves him the most. After a direct kiss on the lips, Marie becomes tired and goes to sleep on a divan.

The nuts fall asleep as well, unaware that they are being targeted by the mouse queen’s son, Reginald (Jim Belushi), who takes great offense at being called a “rat”. He plans to steal the Christmas star from the top of the tree and claim rulership over the Sugar Plum Fairy’s kingdom. He and his army of mice attempt to capture the nuts, yet are quickly encountered by toy soldiers. The soldiers prove to no match against the mice and Mac stages a (coup d’etat with his own army of fruits and vegetables. The foods are eventually exhausted from the battle and Gramps is captured by a trio of mice. Marie, awakened by the battle, sees her nutcracker doll come to life and do battle with Reginald before she intervenes. Reginald, however falls head over heels with Marie, but she gives him a good kick while escaping up the tree, using the only weapon she has: the Christmas star. Marie is successful in throwing Reginald off of her foot and when the foods celebrate their victory, she is magically downsized right down to the prince’s height.

The foods inform Marie about the importance of the Christmas star, stating that without it, Christmas will be “gone forever”. Fortunately, Marie has the star in her possession and she, along with the prince and the foods, head into the Sugar Plum Fairy’s kingdom, intent on seeking her help in getting the star back on the tree. Meanwhile, Reginald has become lovesick over Marie and is furious to find out from his sargeant that he is with “Nut-Boy”. In a jealous rage, he plans to make Marie his queen and so he captures her just when the entourage reaches the outskirts of the Sugar Plum Fairy’s castle.

Marie is placed into the cheese foundry of Reginald’s palace, where she laments her failure to save Christmas and imagines herself dancing with the prince in a chapel before she is summoned to Reginald. After being crowned, Reginald offers Marie to marry her, but she refuses (“No way, cheese-ball!” she rebukes. “I wouldn’t marry you if my life depended on it!”). But eventually, she soon sympathizes with the mouse king after he tells her that nobody gave him a single Christmas gift.

The prince and the foods arrive at Regniald’s palace, advent on rescuing Marie and the others captured by Reginald’s army. The foods are reluctant at first, given their defeat at the previous battle, but eventually agree to sneak their way into the palace and the prince reunited with Marie just after Reginald and his sargeant perform a dance number set to ‘’Dance of the Sugar Plum Faries’’.

Chaos ensues when Reginald overhears a black eyed pea laughing at his misfortune of not winning Marie’s heart and a chase on flying motorcycles made of crackers and grapes follows suit. In the middle of it all however, Reginald’s palace starts to collapse. After rescuing the foods, Reginald’s vehicle runs out of gas and he falls into the cheese river. Marie, having grown soft for the king, goes after him with the prince’s help but the star falls out of her possession in the process. Although the nuts are confused at first, Reginald admits that it was “the first nice thing that anyone had ever done to [him]” and he produces the star to Marie.

The group arrives at the Sugar Plum Fairy’s castle where she reveals that the Christmas star is able to grant any wish, including the power to bring Marie’s parents home. After making her wish, Marie gently tosses the star to the ceiling and all goes to white.

Marie wakes up to find her parents (only her mother is seen) greeting her along with Uncle Drosselmeyer and a guest resembling the prince. The film then ends with Marie and the prince sharing a kiss while Mac and the nuts provide the mistletoe.

Voice cast

 * Debi Derryberry as Marie, the protagonist / Fritz, Marie's little brother
 * Cam Clarke as the Prince, a nutcracker / Asparagus / Mouse Sergeant
 * Jim Belushi as Reginald the Mouse King
 * Cheech Marin as Mac the Macadamia Nut
 * Phyllis Diller as the Sugar Plum Fairy
 * Desirée Goyette as Sparkle, a nut in a blue dress
 * Tress MacNeille as L'il Pea, a peanut kid / Broccoli Floret, a broccoli in a tutu
 * Jeff Bennett as Colonel the peanut, / Mouse Doctor / Mouse Soldier | Soldier
 * Jim Cummings as Uncle Drozzelmeyer / Gramps the Walnut
 * Kevin Schon as Stash, a cashew with a weird hat