End credits state: “The children appearing in this production are from School of American Ballet”; “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker was filmed at The Performing Arts Centre, SUNY Purchase”; “The book version of ‘George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker’ by Joel Meyerowitz is published by Little, Brown and Company and is available wherever fine books are sold”; “This program has been produced by arrangement with the George Balanchine Trust and in accordance with Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® standards”; with “Special thanks” to: “Bash Electrical Equipment, School of American Ballet, Longwharf Theatre, Stouffer Westchester Hotel, Irwin Young/Duart, Bob Mastronardi/Eastman Kodak Film, Doral Arrowwood, Steve Reuther, Carol Dantuono, and Courtney Sale Ross”; and, “The artists employed in this production are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, the Union of Professional Dancers, Singers and Staging Personnel in the United States.”
       Production notes in AMPAS library files stated that development began around Christmas 1989, when New York City Ballet Master-in-Chief Peter Martins learned that former Time Warner Entertainment Chairman Steve Ross wanted to produce a film with the company. Robert A. Krasnow, “ballet enthusiast” and executive at Time Warner’s subsidiary, Elektra Entertainment, oversaw the project as producer. Krasnow was joined by Robert Hurwitz, who worked for Elektra’s classical recording division, Elektra Nonesuch, and previously produced “A Balanchine Album” with the New York City Ballet Orchestra. A 28 Jul 1992 HR article stated that the production marked the first feature film collaboration between Elektra and Arnon Milchan’s Regency Enterprises.
       Once George Balanchine Trust trustee Barbara Horgan hired director Emile Ardolino, Macaulay Culkin was cast as “The Nutcracker Prince,” based on his status as a child star and his experience dancing as “Fritz” for the School of American Ballet during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. In summer 1992, a “major star” was in consideration to portray “Marie’s” godfather, “Drosselmeier.” The 21 Sep 1992 New York linked Dustin Hoffman to the role, but dancer Bart Robinson Cook was cast instead. According to production notes, several of the principal dancers had previously performed the ballet’s featured roles, while Martins and Ardolino auditioned School of American Ballet students for the fifty child roles.
       Rehearsals began 27 Jul 1992 at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and continued until 3 Aug 1992 at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase, where the production was filmed. Ardolino, Martins, and director of photography Ralf Bode reportedly watched “every version of The Nutcracker ever produced” and videotaped rehearsals to determine how to shoot each dance. During filming, the crew used a Louma crane, Steadicam, and three additional cameras and viewed each take through a video monitor in order to save time, since the minors in the cast were restricted to working only eight hours per day, including a two-hour lunch break. To transform the SUNY stage, crew replaced the orchestra pit and seats with a camera platform, while scenery, costumes, and sacks of paper snow were borrowed from Lincoln Center. The 28 Jul 1992 HR and 1 Nov 1993 DV listed conflicting production costs of $12 million and $10 million, respectively. According to the 9 Mar 1993 DV, the picture was in the final stages of editing.
       In his 1 Nov 1993 DV article, Michael Fleming reported that Macaulay Culkin’s father and manager, Kit Culkin, threatened to withdraw his son’s services in promoting the film and deny the use of his likeness in all promotional materials in retaliation for Milchan’s refusal to reshoot footage and remix audio as requested by Kit Culkin. The article stated that this followed an earlier threat to withdraw Macaulay Culkin’s promotional services over a demand to remove voice-over narration recorded by Kevin Kline. It was suggested that Kit Culkin, who was “believed to have once danced in the ballet,” was seeking to impose his own vision on the film. The article suggested that this move had the potential to diminish Macaulay Culkin’s earnings, because he “deferred salary for gross participation from the first dollar.”
       A follow-up article by Andy Marx in the 10 Nov 1993 DV offered a version of events from the perspectives of both Macaulay Culkin’s agent, Sam Cohn of International Creative Management, and New Regency producer Steven Reuther. According to Cohn, the Culkins “simply [wanted] a faithful adaptation of the original production,” and he referred to the producers as “philistines bent on desecrating a classic.” Despite the Culkins’ objections, however, the George Balanchine Trust “sanctioned the narration.” According to Reuther, “We had agreed to remove the narration when he [Kit Culkin] threatened to withdraw Macaulay’s support from the film. When we asked him to commit that to writing he began making further demands.” Macaulay Culkin was said to have signed for an up-front salary of $10,000 and a percentage of film rentals. According to Cohn, “the Culkins offered, in return for having the narration removed, to give up all compensation payable to Macaulay Culkin on the back end. In addition Macaulay would be available ‘to publicize and promote the film . . . Unfortunately this offer has been rejected.’” Ultimately, the narration was retained, and the article quoted a letter from Barbara Horgan, trustee of the George Balanchine Trust, written to the producers stating: “I want you to know how pleased and relieved I am to hear that the narration has been put back in ‘The Nutcracker.’ I do believe George Balanchine would have been pleased with the final version we now have.”
       20 Sep 1993 Var and 19 Oct 1993 NYT news items announced that the world premiere was scheduled to take place 24 Oct 1993, during the Hamptons Film Festival in NY. According to the 8 Nov 1993 DV, a 23 Nov 1993 screening at the Academy Plaza Theater in North Hollywood, CA was held as a benefit for Habitat for Humanity.
       Although reviews were generally positive, several critics, such as Stephen Holden of NYT, suggested Culkin was miscast and brought an “uncomfortably heavy presence” to the role.
       George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker was Emile Ardolino’s final theatrical feature. He died 20 Nov 1993, four days before its release.
      Opening credits misspell the surname of music composer Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky as “Tschaikovsky.” End credits also misspell insurance company Albert G. Ruben & Co. as “Albert G. Rubin & Co.”