THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS –
Dance Augmentation Concepts

Before production began on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, we were invited to develop conceptual treatments for a pivotal sequence — a magical transition from the real world into the four fantastical realms of the story.

Our contribution focused on exploring how visual effects could enhance a choreographed dance scene, using motion and materials to blur the boundary between physical performance and enchanted transformation. Final post-production was delivered by One of Us and MPC.

Inspired by the tradition of theatrical illusion and hand-crafted stage magic, our concepts aimed to integrate seamlessly into the film’s Victorian set design. Each approach was built on the idea that the environment would respond organically to the dancer — her gestures triggering transformations that unfold around, beneath, and beyond her.

We combined spatial, surface and narrative techniques to create layered realms — where the floor itself became partially translucent, revealing hidden worlds below, and where ambient elements shimmered in and out of view, guided by choreography. The result was a visual language that could evolve in tone and technique as we moved from realm to realm.

This realm emerged through a choreography of blooming fractals and spirals — inspired by petal phyllotaxis and the golden ratio. As the dancer moved, ornate floral structures unfurled across surfaces and into space, rooted in the materials of the room: etched brass, pressed fabric, and curling woodgrain. Subtle shifts in light revealed a vibrant, dreamlike garden just beneath the floorboards — a hidden ecosystem called forth by motion.

Here, we imagined frozen geometries that grew across surfaces in crystalline forms — angular, delicate, and interlocking. Snowflake structures emerged in response to footsteps, breath, and temperature, drifting between dimensions. Transparent layers beneath the floor glowed with refracted light, revealing vast frozen networks that echoed the dancer’s rhythm. Material references included ice, glass, and lacquered tinplate.

In this realm, physicality gave way to whimsy — with motion triggering floating confections, swirling particles, and iridescent ornamentation. The floor revealed playful layers of colour and pattern beneath its surface, animated like marbled sugar or spun candy. Elements hovered and danced in space, reacting as if drawn to the dancer’s gravity. Brass piping, ceramic tiles, and pastel fondant textures shaped the material palette.

This ominous final realm drew on gothic stagecraft and shadow play. The dancer’s shadow took on a life of its own, revealing unseen characters and narrative fragments across the set. Tangled roots and branches began to breach the surface — etched into walls or rising through cracks in the floor, as though the forest were claiming the space. Projection-like motifs flickered across surfaces like memory or threat, rendered in ink, ash, and oxidised copper.