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 princes 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 nine. They vary in quality and most are not musicals, but so far we've enjoyed every one of them.

This month, Universal is releasing the 10th Barbie film, "Barbie: The Island Princess" 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. I opted to read over the back of the case, since we still had to eat dinner before watching it. I noticed something that made my heart sink a little. It did not say Mainframe Entertainment… it said Rainmaker Entertainment. Hmmmmm… I hoped that this did not mean the quality had diminished.

Once we started the movie, my fears were pretty much put to rest. The animation, though it looked slightly different, was still very well done. I started thinking that the animation still looked too close to Mainframe's so I did a little quick checking and found that Mainframe had actually merged with Rainmaker, so it was still technically the same company and group of animators.

In "The Island Princess", Barbie plays Ro, a girl who was shipwrecked as a child on an island. The island is inhabited by a number of animals, most notably an elephant, a red panda and a peacock. The film starts with the discovery of Ro by the animals then quickly skips forward a few years where she has grown up and can now communicate with them. Though she happy with her island friends, Ro cannot help but wonder where she came from or who her parents are. Her life suddenly changes upon the arrival of a young and handsome explorer, Prince Antonio, who convinces her to come back with him to his kingdom. She in turn convinces her animal friends to join her on her adventure, unbeknownst that there is evil afoot in the Prince's kingdom.

I know, the story sounds kind of hackneyed but it is perfect for the younger set. I'll admit that it is my least favorite so far of the series and the songs are nowhere near as good as those that were in "Princess and the Pauper," but it is still very colorful, wonderfully animated and funny in all the right places. It just didn't hook me in like a lot of the earlier films.

Universal has tacked on some extra features, most of which are for the kids. There is a sing along feature which is exactly what it sounds like, a music video for the song "I Need to Know", and if you pop it into the computer, you can print out sheet music, lyrics and some additional activities. Rainmaker / Mainframe took a nod from Pixar and started creating 'blooper' for their Barbie releases. These are usually pretty funny, and the humor is occasionally aimed at the parents. The ones here on this disc are pretty funny.

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: Barbie Island Karaoke Club, Movie Outtakes, "I Need to Know" Music Video, DVD ROM Printables - Sheet music, lyrics, and activities for island fun
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 9/18/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR

We'll give Barbie: The Island Princess a B.