What little girl doesn’t love Barbie, and what little girl has never dreamed of being a ballerina? Barbie stars in “Swan Lake,” bringing to life the classic tale accompanied by the music of famed Russian composer Tchaikovsky as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Odette is the young daughter of a baker. Shy and reserved, she is content to help her father in the bakery while her sister, Marie, gallivants around on her horse, having one grand adventure after another. Odette wishes she was braver, but every time she thinks about stepping outside her comfort zone, she freezes. It’s just not her.
One day, she sees a unicorn dashing through the village, chased by several of the local men who are intent on catching her. Odette follows the creature in the hopes of removing a rope that trails from the neck of the beast and keeps getting tangled. Deeper and deeper into the woods they go, crossing a slippery log bridge and finally entering a section of the forest no one has ever seen before; that is, no one but the magical creatures who live there. Odette grabs a crystal from off a nearby tree and uses it to cut the rope from the neck of the unicorn, only to find that she has fulfilled a prophecy and has been chosen to free the Enchanted Forest from the blight of the wicked Rothbart (voiced by Kelsey Grammer.)
Odette isn’t sure she can carry out her task. She’s not the brave one, after all. On her way out of the forest, she is confronted by Rothbart himself, and Lila, the unicorn, tells him that Odette has come to overthrow him. This makes Rothbart angry and he turns Odette into a swan. The fairy princess is able to summon just enough power to allow Odette to be herself at night, but during the day, she is a swan, and until she can break the curse, Rothbart will continue to take over the forest and ruin the lives of all who live there. True love will break the curse, but how will Odette find someone to love, spending half her life as a swan?
The movie is punctuated by beautiful dance numbers, staged by the world famous choreographer Peter Martins. As “Swan Lake” was originally a ballet, it’s very appropriate that portions of the tale be told in dance. So strap on your toe shoes and enjoy the show!
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