We all know Barbie, the better-than-real-life woman made of plastic who can do anything, be anything, and have her makeup perfectly applied the entire time. An inspiration to girls since her invention and possibly the best-selling girls’ toy of all time, Barbie is an American icon that has surpassed the border and gone worldwide. She’s a toy, a game, a coloring book, a clothes label, and now, a movie star.
Yes, that’s right – through the miracle of modern technology, Barbie is now a movie star. Computer animators have taken her likeness and transformed her into a walking, talking woman, voiced by Kelly Sheridan. The interesting thing, though, is that she isn’t a woman who happens to look like Barbie – she still looks very much like the plastic Barbie doll. Her movements, facial expressions, and even the fact that her hair doesn’t swing back and forth all remind us that yes, she is a doll.
The first Barbie movie was released in 2001 and is a remake of the classic tale, “The Nutcracker.” Since then, we’ve seen versions of “Rapunzel,” “Swan Lake,” “The Princess and the Pauper,” and “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
Barbie has also made movies with more original themes, as we see in “Fairytopia,” “Mermaidia,” and “The Magic of Pegasus.”
Heedless of the theme, each of these movies contains classical music, choreographed dance numbers, lush scenery, and beautiful costuming. No details were missed in the production of these films.
Many of the fairy tale remakes revolve around the same idea: a little girl (usually Barbie’s little sister, but occasionally someone else) comes to Barbie with a problem, and Barbie uses the fairy tale as an object lesson for the girl to teach them about honesty, courage, or duty. The little girl imagines Barbie in the starring role and we see what is taking place in her imagination. By the end of the movie, the girl has grasped what Barbie is trying to tell her, and she is able to solve her problem.
I only have a couple of small complaints about these movies. The first is that Barbie never loses her temper. We always knew Barbie was perfect, but sheesh! She’s a little too perfect, if you ask me. Secondly, it does rankle me that the people look as plastic as they do. I know they’re supposed to be dolls, but I want to reach through the screen and muss up their hair.
Overall, I have found this series to be very enjoyable. It models strong women and compassionate men, ideal characteristics in today’s world. My daughter loves them and my sons will even sit down to watch as well. Over the next few weeks I’ll be reviewing these movies in more detail and sharing my favorites and not-so-favorites, starting with #2 in the series, “Rapunzel.” In the meantime, read Catherine Ipzicade’s blog about the movie that started it all, “Barbie in The Nutcracker.”
Kelly Sheridan, the voice of Barbie.
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