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 TWO BARBIE MOVIES
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Just when you think
the Barbie franchise has reached its limit, they show up on DVDs. The
past few years have brought us “Barbie in the Nutcracker,” “Barbie of
Swan Lake,” and “Barbie as Rapunzel.” Girls in the 3- to 8-year-old
range go crazy for these sweet, cotton-candy offerings from everyone’s
favorite girly-girl. Here are a few recent offerings:
BARBIE AS THE
PRINCESS & THE PAUPER (2004, 85 minutes)
Based on the story
by Mark Twain, “Barbie as The Princess and The Pauper” features Barbie
in a dual role as a princess and a poor village girl - two girls who
look amazingly alike. The girls' paths cross when Princess Anneliese is
captured and Erika, her pauper look-alike, must try to save her. Can
Erika pretend to be the Princess and foil her captor, the evil Preminger?
And what of the handsome King Dominick, who falls in love with Erika,
mistaking her for Princess Anneliese?
This movie has
everything a little girl (and even a big girl!) could want: lovely
Barbies in beautiful dresses, funny kitties (including one who thinks
he’s a dog), and catchy tunes that’ll have you going around the house
singing, “…I’m just like yooooou, you’re just like meeeeee…”
Colorful animation,
excellent voice work, and a message about following your dreams makes
this a winner for both kids and adults. There’s also a hilarious “flubs”
section at the end of the DVD. Extras include a sing-along feature and a
CD with seven songs from the film.
SCORE: 4 out of
4 Reels
 BARBIE:
FAIRYTOPIA (2005, 75 minutes)
Barbie stars as
Elina, a beautiful flower fairy who discovers that her home, Magic
Meadow, has been overcome by a mysterious malady that is killing flowers
and making fairies unable to fly. With the help of Bibble, a loveable
puffball, and Hue, a giant butterfly, she attempts to find Azura, the
Guardian Fairy. Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing: Elina doesn’t
realize that the evil Laverna is causing the flying sickness as part of
her plan to take power from the Enchantress, ruler of Fairytopia!
Any
movie with both Barbies and fairies is an instant hit with girls. Don’t
be surprised if your youngster hits you up for a Fairytopia Halloween
costume this year or a Fairytopia-themed birthday party. While my
7-year-old Marissa loves both movies, she watches “Princess and the
Pauper” more often, I think because of the catchy songs. Still, colorful
visuals, a plot that moves along, and of course, Barbie as a fairy make
Fairytopia a must-see for little girls.
SCORE:
3 out of 4 Reels
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