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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.
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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.
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