Inside Disney’s Nutcracker and the Four Realms Pop-Up Exhibit in NYC!
I feel pretty spoiled that I live in the city that is hosting the artistic homage to my main pal Mickey. When Mickey: True Original Exhibition opens next month, you can bet I’ll be among the first of the many fans waiting for my chance to get inside! I’m also lucky in that I can pop into the flagship Disney Store anytime the mood strikes me. What I’m trying to say is, to be a Disney fan in New York is a wonderful thing- if you know where to look!
You’d be shocked at how many pops of Disney you’ll encounter on a simple evening stroll. Don’t believe me? Check out this article detailing the Mickey Mouse candy display I encountered at Sugarfina.
Yes, the city itself can be bleak and gray-looking, but if you put on a pair of Disney-colored glasses (that’s the saying, right?), your eyes will be opened to a whole new realm of Disney-saturated possibilities! Speaking of ‘realms’, recently, the stars of Disney’s Nutcracker and the Four Realms came out in the big apple, and we’ve got all the details!
The Oculus
![The Oculus](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/520C2A920Hufton2020Crow.jpg)
The Oculus is an ultra-sleek modern structure that was built in the post 9/11 rebuild of the affected area. On its own, it looks like a sculpture that belongs in a museum, but on the inside, it’s basically an entire city in and of itself! Shops, restaurants, coffee shops, meeting spaces, and- most importantly to any New Yorker- one of the most active NYC Subway stops of them all make up the massive structure.
On October 22, The Oculus was host to a pop-up event celebrating what Disney is hoping to be their latest holiday cinematic masterpiece, The Nutrcracker and the Four Realms. Sponsored by Disney and POPSUGAR, the pop-up exhibit featured interactive art that invited guests to step inside a different world, just like Clara!
The Four Realms
First, visitors to the exhibit were invitedto journey to the land of flowers. Live flowers adorned an immersive walk-in experience that led to a live flower wall just begging to be photographed! Stars of the film were on-hand to not only demonstrate the four realms, but also to pose for silly pictures and be photographed in front of the Instagram-worthy wall!
The land of snowflakes was highlighted too, and the backdrop (as shown on Disney’s Instagram account), consisted of a baby blue and white backdrop that, again, practically begs to be posted to Instagram!
![Disney Nutcracker](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IMG_3008-194x300.jpg)
![Disney Nutcracker](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IMG_3008-194x300.jpg)
(Instagram @Disney)
The land of sweets, though, is where the stars- and visitors- seemed to spend most of their time! Massive cotton candy clouds hung low over visitors’ heads. At first, the clear umbrella appears to be a cute prop to enhance photos, but mid-smile, guests were treated to rainbow sprinkle ‘rain’ that clearly delighted the film’s star, Mackenzie Foy.
I’ve been a fan of Misty Copeland ever since she became the strongest, fiercest, most fearless New York City Ballet headliner in history, and I really can’t wait to see her pirouette her way to silver screen stardom when the film opens in theatres!
Being a New York resident herself, she clearly didn’t want to miss her chance to experience the real-life version of the film she’s starring in, and who can blame her? Posing on a ‘land of sweets’-inspired horse and smiling in the sprinkle rain, it sure looks like both Misty and Mackenzie had a blast at the exhibit!
Special thanks to Maria Salerno for writing this article: Hiya pal! I am a NYC-based writer thrilled to a part of your Disney vacation planning! I’m a WDW Annual Passholder, so you can find me in the parks regularly throughout the year. In addition to being a Disney Parks loving girl, I’m also a Disney toy and merchandise collector, a runDisney enthusiast, and Disney music and movie aficionado. You can follow me on Instagram: NYCtoAP and find me on YouTube: NYCtoAP. Thanks for reading, hope to see ya real soon!