So… I imagine the first question that you might want to ask me is "Why… oh why… are you reviewing a BARBIE movie?" To tell you the truth, I would have wondered the same thing myself if you asked me that about 2 years ago. My wife and I were out shopping one day with our daughter and she caught sight of a DVD called "Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper." She went nuts over the whole princess theme and we picked up a copy for her. I looked it over thinking that it would probably be awful… but fun for the kiddo. That night, we popped in the DVD and I settled down to watch it with her (a little niggling of dread creeping up my spine). But when it started I was almost instantly taken aback by the computer animation, which was better than I expected. Then I quickly learned that it was a musical and (being that I'm into Broadway musicals) was shocked that the songs were really, really good. The story, which was of course a take-off of 'Prince and the Pauper', actually kept my interest and even the humorous elements were actually funny.

I decided to take a closer look at the DVD case and noticed on the back that the film was produced by Mattel (of course) in conjunction with… Mainframe Entertainment. Now many of you might not recognize that name, but being that I was a huge fan of the old "Reboot" series, I immediately knew who they were. Mainframe was also the studio responsible for "Beast Wars" and "War Planets", as well as a bunch of other really terrific computer animated shows. Then I checked out the credits and recognized some of the voice actors from other projects, but was again shocked when Martin Short's name appeared (he played the villain of the movie.)

Over the next couple of weeks, my daughter and I watched "Princess and the Pauper" several times and I honestly found that I wasn't getting tired of it. The DVD even came with a soundtrack and I… ahem… listened to it in the car. It was actually that good. Since that time, we've tracked down all of the rest of the Barbie movies that Mainframe has been involved with, which up until a few days ago was twelve. They vary in quality and most are not musicals, but so far we've enjoyed every single one of them and look forward to more. I did notice that starting with “Barbie and the Island Princess”, the cases no longer said Mainframe. Instead they were done by Rainmaker Studios, which at first caused my heart to sink a little, until I learned that Mainframe had actually merged with Rainmaker, so it was still technically the same company and group of animators. (Whew…)

This month, Universal is releasing the 13th Barbie film, "Barbie in A Christmas Carol" and when it showed up to review, I was actually pretty excited. Not as excited as my little girl, who immediately began to do the 'happy dance' in the kitchen when I opened the package. There was no way we were going to wait all the way until Christmas to watch it, so we watched it right after dinner. Now, as most of the Barbie movies take liberties with their versions of classic tales and this one was no different. There is no Scrooge here, but instead a ‘Scrooge-like’ diva by the name of Eden Starling. Eden is a renowned opera singer who feels that her talents are far too good to be wasted on Christmas Carols, but still sings them as she knows it will bring audiences into her theater during the holidays. She does not believe in the sentimentality of Christmas, going so far as to order all of the performers in her theater to stay and rehearse during the holidays in order to make her look good upon the theater’s re-opening. This includes her costume designer, who was once her best friend. That very night however, Eden is visited by three spirits who hope to change her mind about Christmas and the importance of giving. I’d rather not spoil the ending so I’ll stop right there.

I know, the story sounds kind of hackneyed and you are probably thinking, “Sheesh, a Barbie movie…” but it is perfect for the younger set. I'll admit I absolutely loved every campy moment of it. But more importantly, my daughter loved every campy moment of it and sharing that kind of experience with her parents is as important to her at that age as anything we as adults deem as such. Even if I didn’t like the movie, I would have still been more than happy to watch it with her just to see her face light up when the spirits appear or fireworks start. And hearing her laugh… well that’s just about the best sound in the world.

Universal has tacked on some extra features, most of which are for the kids. There is a Christmas Carol sing along feature which is exactly what it sounds like, an extra scene that was cut from “Barbie & the Diamond Castle” (a movie I also recommend) and a look at the designing of the new Holiday Barbie Doll.

If you have little girls, any of the Barbie movies make for a wonderful viewing experience for you to share with them. Even the most hardened heart will surely enjoy the time spent with your kids.

Extras: Collecting Dreams: Designing Holiday Barbie Doll, "Barbie & The Diamond Castle" Dance Party, Christmas Carol Sing-Along
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 10/4/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Barbie in A Christmas Carol a B.