This holiday season, Disney is releasing a brand-new film called “Nutcrackers”, which tells the story of Mike, who is on the heels of closing the biggest deal of his career, he’s pulled away from his bachelor life in the big city to a farm in rural Ohio in order to take care of his recently orphaned nephews. The four rowdy boys cause trouble every which way they turn. What Mike thought was going to be a quick trip turned into an unexpected adventure. As the holidays approach, he discovers the big hearts behind the boys’ mischief. This forces him to decide between his career and being the uncle his nephews need him to be.

Disney picked up “Nutcrackers” earlier this year at the Toronto Film Festival for “over eight figures (aka over a million dollars)”, and it will be released on November 29th 2024, on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ in the United States and on Disney+ around the world.

The film’s director, David Gordon Green, recently spoke to Deadline about the new holiday film and was asked about the deal with Disney to bring it to its streaming services, as David had previously wanted the film to go to cinemas first, but ended up making a deal with Disney for over eight figures. 

That’s a great question, probably complicated. I haven’t fully processed it because this is the first film I’ve taken that step with, but all I can say is so far, they’ve said the right things. They’ve created the right marketing materials. I’ve really enjoyed the collaboration with Hulu, and I’m excited to see them get this film out in a way that I’m enthusiastic about. So we’ll see.

There’s a bit of a romantic notion I have for the cinematic experience, and guess what? They gave it to me at the Murphy Theatre. So having those experiences and screenings I’ve had, in the Toronto Film Festival and others, I get my fix of sharing this movie with an audience. My parents saw it last night at an Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas, so that’s fun, that they got to bring their friends and see it with a crowd. We shot the movie on 35mm, so I want it to be seen and appreciated in all of its beauty, [but] more than anything, you want eyeballs and hearts to enjoy the film you made.

Roger’s Take: Ultimately, while most creators do want their films to go directly to cinemas rather than straight to streaming, some genres are struggling more than others in terms of getting audiences through the door.  Disney generally releases more theatrical releases, but comedies, especially holiday-themed ones, have a limited window of opportunity.  The good thing is, this film is going to be out there on Disney+ and Hulu for the world to watch over the holiday season, plus he managed to get a deal worth millions, so it’s not all bad!

Are you going to be checking out “Nutcrackers” this weekend?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts