It's time for a small nostalgia throwback moment. Growing up I was obsessed with Barbie movies, and I still am to an extent. Barbie movies were a weird realm where a new movie would come out each year with matching dolls, music videos, teasers, "bloopers", and my favorite, the matching chapter books. Barbie movies never aired in theaters and only made debuts on DVD, it was almost like a secret fandom for little girls who kept up everything Barbie. Here are my favorite Barbie movies through out the years. They are in no particular order, because I can't exactly place them into definite ranks. They are all good in their own way.
1. Barbie And The 3 Musketeers: This movie features Barbie as a poor girl who lives near Paris. Her dream is to be a musketeer in a time where women barely had lucrative jobs. She leaves home and travels to the heart of Paris to pursue her dreams. Along the way she gets rejected by many higher up musketeers and has to settle for a job as the royal maid. She meets other girls at her new job who also wanted to become musketeers. Together the girls band together and solve a mystery to help save the prince from being murdered at his coronation. They prove their potential by showing that common royal maids are capable of so much more.
2. Barbie And The Magic Of The Pegasus: This movie features Barbie as a princess in a small snowy kingdom. She is heavily sheltered by parents who are always stressed for her safety. She does not understand why her parents keep her locked away in the castle most of the time. That is until the evil villian Wenlock attacks her kingdom and freezes her parents and all her people. He gives Barbie 3 days to wed him, otherwise the curse he cast will become permanent. Barbie heads off an an adventure to create a staff of light, a magical wand, that can defeat the darkest of magic. On the way she makes friends and discovers a dark secret about her long lost sister.
3. Barbie Princess Charm School: Barbie is a poor girl working as a waitress and struggling to make ends meet for her family. She suddenly wins the lottery to attend a prestigious charm school for princesses and lady royals. She is whisked away into a world where she does not quite fit in. She feels like a misfit amongst all the rich and natural princesses as she struggles to complete her studies as a lady royal. On top of that, she discovers her secret past that she had no awareness of. Her life changes from there as she discovers who she really is.
4. Barbie In A Fashion Fairytale: Barbie visits Paris to see her Aunt Millicent, who runs a fashion house. Barbie is torn to see her aunt is selling the place as her fashion business has tanked. Barbie then discovers 3 magical fashion fairies who agree to help. She sets out on a mission to help her aunt's business become the top fashion brand once more. But she runs into some rivals who are willing to play dirty to get ahead. Barbie only has one shot at one runway show to save it all, but with rivals sabotaging her designs, the mission seems alot more impossible.
5. Barbie And The Diamond Castle: Barbie and her friend are small town girls who sell bouquets of flowers for a living. They both share a passion for music. Their lives change forever when they buy a small hand mirror from an old lady. The mirror had a girl a trapped in it that knew of a magical diamond castle where people with magical music powers reside. She had been trapped in the mirror by a fellow magical muse who had turned evil. The girls decide to go on an adventure to find the diamond castle and free the girl trapped in the mirror.
6. Barbie In The Princess And The Pauper: A classic spin on the Mark Twain tale. Barbie and another girl named Erika swap lives. Erika becomes a princess and Barbie gets to explore and enjoy freedom as a pauper. All is going well until the Erika is kidnapped by the evil villian, who believed she was the real princess. Barbie then has to step up and save her friend. She must set things right and save her kingdom from evil hands. She also has to find the courage to be honest and speak up about the freedom and independence she has always wanted as a royal princess.
7. Barbie In The Princess And The Popstar: A modern take on the same classic tale but with twists and a different plot. Barbie is a princess who again longs for freedom ans adventure. She swaps lives with famous popstar Keira who yearns to live in luxury and ease. The girls see their kingdom from entirely different perspectives and realize that lives look ideal from the outside but are very different on the inside. Barbie realizes that her kingdom is need of financial support and improvement, this was something she had not seen living in a castle in her royal bubble. And Keira learns that princesses don't live easy lives made of dreams.
8. Barbie And The 12 Dancing Princesses: A unique and enchanting tale about 12 princesses who love to dance. Their mother has passed away and their Duchess moves in to train them in princess etiquette. The Duchess is actually evil and slowly poisoning the king while oppressing the girls. One of the princesses, Barbie, discovers a magical riddle that is solved by dancing. It leads to a secret passageway to a magical island from their own bedroom. The girls would sneak away at night to relieve their grief, but they came to learn that the island is only open for 3 more nights. They soon come to terms with their problems and take a stand against the evil Duchess.
9. Barbie As The Pearl Princess: This mermaid tale takes place under the sea in a aquatic kingdom. Barbie is a mermaid with magical pearl powers and is raised by an old merwoman that had adopted her. The old lady keeps barbie in hiding and parents her safety very closely. She then departs for a few days to aid in the royal palace for a ceremony. Misunderstandings occur that lead Barbie to believe the old merwoman is evil and actually wants to poison the royal family. Barbie sets off on an adventure to the royal palace and only comes to learn that it was some other villian who intends on poisoning, not her adopted mother. Barbie also learns a huge secret about her true identity.
10. Barbie In A Fairy Secret: Barbie is a movie star along with her co-star Raquelle. The two girls can never get along due to Raquelle's constant jealousy and unfriendly attitude towards Barbie. Barbie then comes to learn that her two stylists are actually fairies in disguise. After Ken gets kidnapped by the fairy queen who is bent on marrying him, Barbie and Raquelle are forced to set aside their differences to save their friend. They travel with their stylist friends to the fairy realm on a rescue mission and even reconcile friendships along the way.
This was my list of Barbie movies I personally enjoyed the most. They all have a magical touch to them that can spark colorful imaginations. The dolls and books for these movies were also very gorgeous. Most of these movies are older Barbie movies. Many Barbie fans argue that her past eras were the best, and they do hold a valid point. The newer movies just don't hit that fantastical mark the older ones did. Hopefully, Mattel will turn this around and return to their roots and original story telling style. Until then, enjoy these movies!
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