少年夹子心地善良，喜爱动物，与森林里的鹿群亲密无间。一天，国王带着狩猎队进山打猎，鹿群四处逃命，夹子心急如焚，连忙帮助鹿群躲进森林深处。但国王的马队依然紧追不舍，情况十分危急。为保护鹿群，夹子想出一个妙计。他披上—张鹿皮，装扮一头母鹿，朝着与鹿群相反的方向跑去。国王拉弓搭箭，瞄准了这头“母鹿”，一箭射去，正中夹子的心房。国王掀开鹿皮一看，原来是一个小孩。马队走了，鹿群回来了，它们围着夹子非常悲伤。鹿群们为了救活夹子，四处奔走。松鼠帮夹子拔去身上的利箭，几只小鸟衔来了仙草。在许多动物的帮助下，夹子终于睁开眼睛，坐起身来，他又复活了。

The history of the film is based on the renewal of an old friendship happening in unforeseen and strange circumstances. Seyed (Behrooz Vousoughi) is a drug addict working small jobs in a theatre to pay for his heavy addiction. One day he is visited by an old friend, Ghodrat (Faramarz Gharibian), for whom he was a role model and protector when they were teenagers. Ghodrat has just been shot by the police when an armed robbery went wrong and is now looking for a safe place to lay low for a while. Hence, he comes to stay with the only person that he could trust, Seyed. However, what he sees is miles away from the Seyed that he knew and had in mind. Although they are both happy to find each other after so many years, Ghodrat is completely shocked to see Seyed, once the ruler of the high school yards and neighbourhoods, to have become a complete and utterly useless heavy drug user living in a lowly state of physical and social being. 　　Seyed is very emotional to see Ghodrat. He is proud to see that some people from the old days still believe in him and are loyal to him, though he seems ashamed of what Seyed has become. Seyed helps Ghodrat by hiding him in his place, a small room containing only a bed and a samovar that is representative of the extreme poverty in which Seyed lives. They talk about the years since they had been separated. Ghodrat explains that he has become a professional thief and Seyed tells a story of how he had become an heroin addict after having served only two months in a jail for minor offenses. "The drug was distributed by cleaners in the jail," Seyed says. Once released, he found no opportunity in life because of lack of social support, poverty and "drug dealers being everywhere." He became a full-time heroin user after using the drug during alcohol- and drug-fueled parties with local drug dealers. 　　During the few days that Ghodrat is staying with Seyed, he also meets with Seyed's roommate Fati, a poor but beautiful, hard-working and romantic girl from the old days who was once in love with Seyed. Fati is now completely disillusioned about the future and considers Seyed as a brother and life companion. Ghodrat wants to revive Seyed's pride by reminding him of who he was long ago and how being the role model that he was helped him not to fall into drug or alcohol addiction during all those years. 　　Seyed tries to justify his failed life by blaming it on a lack of social and parental support, but this leads to an honest but tough exchange about the circumstances that them to their current stations in life. The discussion becomes so heated and emotional that the two start punching the wall in a show of remaining physical and mental strength. "It is too late," Seyed says. When Ghodrat tries to talk him out of his current state of mind, Seyed responds angrily by saying that being a thief is no better than being a drug addict. In full denial, he thinks that Ghodrat has no right to lecture him about life as "Ghodrat is a thief and doing things against the law." 　　Ghodrat also witnesses how deeply rooted poverty and a lack of basic education affect the daily life of every neighbour in the area. He and Seyed continue to have more meaningful discussions about life, education and opportunity, but no conclusion is really achieved. They are both so sorry about how they have become that they cry at the first opportunity to have an evening meal with aragh, an anise-based alcoholic drink. Ghodrat knows that his time there is limited and that he must find a way out. 　　The police come for Ghodrat after his picture had appeared in local newspapers as a "wanted and dangerous man"; presumably, one of the local people had informed the police of his whereabouts. The police besiege the house for several hours, but Ghodrat does not surrender. Seyed arrives home to discover the escalating situation, fearing Ghodrat's death at the hands of the large police force. He implores the police chief to allow him to enter the house in order to persuade Ghodrat to surrender. Feeling responsible for the danger in which his friend is now involved, Ghodrat beseeches Seyed not to intervene and to go away before he is hurt. However, Seyed chooses to remain with Ghodrat. He runs away from the police and is shot in the shoulder but eventually manages to get into the room with Ghodrat. 　　The two friends reflect on the nearly certain death they are facing. After a few minutes, the building comes under heavy fire, but Seyed stays with Ghodrat when a final police raid results in both men being killed by an explosion. Just before the raid, Seyed looks at Ghodrat and says, "I prefer to die by a bullet here in my room with you being there rather than alone under a bridge in a few years' time." This is a show of loyalty to his friend as well as an expression of his despair and hopelessness.

九岁的小女孩玛丽（艾丽·范宁 Elle Fanning 饰）拥有锦衣玉食的生活，却缺乏父母的陪伴。圣诞节前夜，玛丽收到了叔叔送来的一份珍贵礼物——一个装木偶的小房子和一只胡桃夹子。喜出望外的玛丽将胡桃夹子视作自己的知心伙伴，竟意外地发现它会说话，并声称自己名叫NC（查理·罗 Charlie Rowe 饰），是玩具王国的王子，然而在一场噩梦中，美好的王国被凶残的鼠王（约翰·特托罗 John Turturro 饰）占领了，他还将王子变成一只木偶永远驱逐出境，只有找到真正相信童话的人才能解除咒语。在雪仙子（朱莉娅·维斯托斯卡亚 Yuliya Vysotskaya 饰）的指引下，玛丽帮NC恢复了肉身，并勇敢地答应与他一起回王国打败鼠王，解放子民。然而，这两个毫无武力只有一颗纯真之心的孩子，能否对抗整支血腥残暴的老鼠大军和卑鄙狡猾的鼠王呢？ 片中歌曲多数改编自柴可夫斯基的交响乐，其中一部分来自芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》。

九岁的小女孩玛丽（艾丽·范宁 Elle Fanning 饰）拥有锦衣玉食的生活，却缺乏父母的陪伴。圣诞节前夜，玛丽收到了叔叔送来的一份珍贵礼物——一个装木偶的小房子和一只胡桃夹子。喜出望外的玛丽将胡桃夹子视作自己的知心伙伴，竟意外地发现它会说话，并声称自己名叫NC（查理·罗 Charlie Rowe 饰），是玩具王国的王子，然而在一场噩梦中，美好的王国被凶残的鼠王（约翰·特托罗 John Turturro 饰）占领了，他还将王子变成一只木偶永远驱逐出境，只有找到真正相信童话的人才能解除咒语。在雪仙子（朱莉娅·维斯托斯卡亚 Yuliya Vysotskaya 饰）的指引下，玛丽帮NC恢复了肉身，并勇敢地答应与他一起回王国打败鼠王，解放子民。然而，这两个毫无武力只有一颗纯真之心的孩子，能否对抗整支血腥残暴的老鼠大军和卑鄙狡猾的鼠王呢？ 片中歌曲多数改编自柴可夫斯基的交响乐，其中一部分来自芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》。

巴伦伯伊姆和来自巴黎歌剧院的编舞大师Patrice Bart在1998年合作了毁誉参半的新版《天鹅湖》后（参见www.douban.com/subject/3904149/），于1999年再度推出新版《胡桃夹子》，Patrice Bart的改编思路和《天鹅湖》如出一辙——保持大致风貌不动，但对人物关系大动手术。新版《天鹅湖》增添了母子情结，而新版《胡桃夹子》则增添了母女情结——主人公是一个名叫玛丽的孤女，她的贵族母亲在俄国革命的兵荒马乱中和她失散。多年后，玛丽成了施塔鲍姆博士家的养女。胡桃夹子是早年玛丽母亲送给女儿的礼物，如今成为一把富于魔力的钥匙。圣诞夜，一个神秘的客人德罗塞迈尔带给玛丽早已遗失的胡桃夹子，唤醒了她的痛苦记忆。德罗塞迈尔带玛丽进入一个奇妙世界，和母亲重逢。新版《胡桃夹子》将德罗塞迈尔刻画成魔法师式的人物，兼有原著小说作者E.T.A.霍夫曼的特点。(novich整理)

故事发生在19世纪初的德国，克拉拉和弗里茨正满心期待的准备迎接即将到来的圣诞晚会，当晚，从教父德罗赛尔梅亚手中，克拉拉得到了一枚其貌不扬的胡桃夹子作为今年的圣诞礼物，克拉拉非常的喜欢胡桃夹子，就连睡觉也带着它一起。 　　夜里，一阵响动吵醒了克拉拉，原来是鼠王带领着它的老鼠大军们来袭，想要夺走胡桃夹子。就在这个节骨眼上，胡桃夹子变大了，他指挥着木偶们击退了老鼠大军。原来，胡桃夹子的真身是一位英俊的王子，王子热情的邀请克拉拉前往他统治的糖果王国做客。就这样，克拉拉的奇幻旅程拉开了序幕。

故事发生在19世纪初的德国，克拉拉（Julie Rose 饰）和弗里茨正满心期待的准备迎接即将到来的圣诞晚会，当晚，从教父德罗赛尔梅亚手中，克拉拉得到了一枚其貌不扬的胡桃夹子作为今年的圣诞礼物，克拉拉非常的喜欢胡桃夹子，就连睡觉也带着它一起。 　　夜里，一阵响动吵醒了克拉拉，原来是鼠王带领着它的老鼠大军们来袭，想要夺走胡桃夹子。就在这个节骨眼上，胡桃夹子变大了，他指挥着木偶们击退了老鼠大军。原来，胡桃夹子的真身是一位英俊的王子，王子热情的邀请克拉拉前往他统治的糖果王国做客。就这样，克拉拉的奇幻旅程拉开了序幕。

サンリオが1979年に製作・公開したコマ撮り人形アニメーション「くるみ割り人形」をもとに、原宿Kawaiiカルチャーの第一人者としても知られるアートディレクターの増田セバスチャンが、新たに作り上げたミュージカルファンタジー。オリジナル作品のネガフィルムをデジタル化して色彩処理や全く異なる編集を施し、新撮カットやアニメーションパートも加えた上で3D映像化した。大切なくるみ割り人形をネズミの大群にさらわれてしまった少女クララは、ネズミたちの後を追いかけて人形の国に迷い込む。そこで人形とネズミの戦いに巻き込まれたクララは、くるみ割り人形に隠された悲しい秘密を知る。声優に有村架純、松坂桃李、広末涼子、市村正親ほか。

由英国皇家芭蕾舞团出演。 芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》是世界上最优秀的芭蕾舞剧之一，它之所以能吸引千千万万的观众，一方面是由于它有华丽壮观的场面、诙谐有趣的表演，但更重要的原因是柴科夫斯基的音乐赋予舞剧以强烈的感染力。 《胡桃夹子》剧本是根据德国名作家霍夫曼的童话《胡桃夹子和鼠王》改编的，全剧共分两幕，描绘了儿童的独特天地。舞剧的音乐充满了单纯而神秘的神话色彩，具有强烈的儿童音乐特色。剧情大致为：圣诞节，女孩玛丽得到一只胡桃夹子。夜晚，她梦见这胡桃夹子变成了一位王子，领着她的一群玩具同老鼠兵作战。后来又把她带到果酱山，受到糖果仙子的欢迎，享受了一次玩具、舞蹈和盛宴的快乐。