"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (German: Nußknacker und Mausekönig) is a Christmas story-tale by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann that has become an integral part of New Year and Christmas readings, plays and productions. After 200 years, the fairy tale has been interpreted in theatre performances, animation and feature films. Working on the production of The Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhail Shemyakin created about a thousand sketches, but it was important for him to ...