of toys. The Rat King and Queen escape by returning to their original rat forms and fleeing into the sewers. NC is crowned king and peace is restored in the kingdom as everyone celebrates. The Snow Fairy reappears and tells Mary it is time for her to go back home, though she is reluctant to leave. Before she goes, NC promises that they will meet again. Mary wakes up in her own room where her parents apologise for their earlier criticisms of her and promise to spend more time with her. She goes downstairs to Uncle Albert who introduces her to his new neighbour: a boy her age, who resembles the Nutcracker Prince and asks to be called NC. They soon become friends and the two go ice-skating together. Cast Production Development Director Konchalovsky stated that the film had been his "dream project" for over twenty years. He was inspired to adapt it into 3D for several reasons; he believed that the format would be useful in conveying the fantastical nature of the material, capturing the emotions of CGI characters, and appealing to a family audience. At the same time, he opted to adapt it with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well." Konchalovsky gave the rats who try to take over the fantasy kingdom Nazi-like qualities in his production, one of the many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences. Financing A 2022 article in Meduza reported that the film was primarily financed by VEB.RF, a Russian state development corporation chaired by Vladimir Putin, and that it was the most expensive Russian film made to date. In December 2020, VEB filed a lawsuit against the producers for unpaid loans, totaling 127.8 million US dollars, claiming they had withheld proceeds from the film’s ticket sales. Filming The film was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and principal photography took place primarily in Budapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio in Pomáz. Music The film's score is derived from Tchaikovsky's original music for The Nutcracker, the ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Others are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as his Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 6. Release The film was first