Ashleigh Powell has always had a taste for the whimsical and magical. As a kid, she was distinctly drawn to author E. T. A. Hoffmann's book, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which has since been adapted into several ballets, TV specials, and movies.
"I remember the image of the clock striking midnight and the Christmas tree growing to massive proportions right in front of Clara’s eyes," Powell recalled in an interview with Townhall. "It was such a great moment of whimsy and magic and that really struck me and stayed with me."
It makes complete sense that Powell grew up to become a screenwriter for the new film adaptation of the ballet story she loves so much. Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, in theaters this week, completes the "unfinished" plot.
"What we did was start with the ballet that everyone knows as the jumping off point," Powell explained. "If you think about the ballet, it almost feels a little bit unfinished in terms of a traditional story arc. We wanted to imagine, Clara and the Nutcracker, they defeat the Mouse King, they make it to the Land of Sweets, and then what happens? What if that’s just the entry into our larger story."
So, she is “front loading” the classic story because "there’s a much larger adventure waiting for you."
Powell hasn't lost her sense of wonder as an adult. That's why she could so easily "get into the headspace" of some of the story's most iconic characters, like the Sugar Plum Fairy. It also helps that the cast "knocks it out of the park." (Powell's words.)
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Keira Knightley's colorful Sugar Plum Fairy getup gives her an instantly "iconic" status, Powell noted.
"I think she brought her own spin to the character," the screenwriter added. "It’s an unexpected departure for her, she had a lot of fun."
The less experienced, but just as talented, Mackenzie Foy is "phenomenal" as the protagonist Clara, Powell beamed. "She is the heart and soul of this story. You can’t take your eyes off of her and you're compelled to go on on this emotional journey with her."
As for Hollywood vet Morgan Freeman, he is "completely entertaining" as Drosselmeyer.
Powell's new projects like The Hazel Wood, featuring a girl and her grandmother as they wander through a supernatural forest, suggest that the screenwriter plans to keep her head in the fantasy genre.
"I love finding new ways to reimagine classic stories we all know and love," she explained, adding how she'd "love to find ways to bring new big franchises to the big screen."
Powell, who described herself as an "Amblin kid," explained that her love of movies all started with her family's two boxed set VHS tapes. One of them was Indiana Jones, the other was the Star Wars trilogy. But, she was careful to note, it was a dinosaur that really stole her heart.
"Jurassic Park was huge for me," she said. "I grew up with a love of epic mythology and hero and villain stories."
For Powell, it often seems like her actual life as a Hollywood screenwriter is a fantasy in itself.
"This is beyond my wildest dreams. I'm having so much fun."
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is in theaters Friday, November 2.
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