For the second time I had the opportunity to return to my favorite childhood animations. Again, I invite you to read my Barbie Retroséans, this time from 2007-2009.
2007: Barbie and the Magic of the Rainbow
With great excitement I returned to the third part of Elina’s adventures. Magic of the Rainbow is the last installment of the trilogy started by Fairyland , but also not the last moment when we meet the bravest fairy. The heroine comes across the teachings of a certain ritual called Spring Flight. This should be done every year. If this is not done, the whole world will be covered with snow and there will be eternal winter. Elina finds herself in a school-like environment where she is met with coldness from some of the students. He also meets new friends there, but no one is aware that Laverna will return and threaten the Spring Flight ceremony.
Magic of the Rainbow perfectly closes the story of the main character, emphasizing all themes and morals from the previous two installments. In addition, the creators showed very clearly how important friendship and support are. Besides, Elina herself showed it to others, even to those who had not been fair to her from the beginning. This time the heroine did not perform daring feats alone, but with the help of her friends. She wouldn’t have made it with Laverna without them.
Here again there was no room for any romantic thread, which I perceive very positively. Not every Barbie needs to have her prince to be a beautiful and valuable woman.
As the youngest of all three films, this one impresses with its graphics. Elina and the other fairies look phenomenal. After this screening, I really felt that I would miss this particular world a lot.
Still from the trailer of the animation “Barbie and the Magic of the Rainbow”
2007: Barbie as the Island Princess
As a child, Ro (played by the irreplaceable Barbie , of course ) was washed up by the sea on a deserted island after the ship she was traveling on crashed. She survived as a shipwreck thanks to the help of several friendly animals that became her new family. Unfortunately, she did not remember anything that happened before the accident. Many years later, Prince Antonio arrives on the island – a born traveler who does not want to take over royal duties at all costs. She prefers to study and explore the world. When he meets Ro, he invites her to return with him to his kingdom. The heroine, unaware of anything, agrees to the aristocrat’s proposal and travels with him to civilization. Soon there will be a clash with the past waiting for her there.
The Island Princess is another beautiful musical on this list. The songs included in the production are as wonderful as those from The Princess and the Pauper .
The plot and moral revolve around love – both the romantic and the familial. Normally I am more moved by any dilemma of the heart, but not this time. The story of the Ro family and its resolution will bring anyone to tears, no doubt.
It is with a heavy heart that I must point out one minor flaw in this episode. The princesses in this series always have gorgeous outfits, and Ro’s ball gown is totally not my taste.
Still from the animation trailer “Barbie as the Island Princess”
2008: Barbie Mariposa
I approached this post with a lot of skepticism. I didn’t remember much about it from my childhood, and in my residual memories I compared it to the Fairyland trilogy , as it’s also about fairies. In Mariposa we are again greeted by Elina – the whole story is told by her. She shares with little Bibi a story about her friend, the title character, who lives in distant Wingland.
Mariposa was a little different from others of her kind. More than the affairs of Wingland and its inhabitants, she was interested in the stars. She loved reading about them and dreaming of a world beyond her little kingdom. It is worth noting that no one ventured beyond them, because everyone described the realities of the outside world as extremely dangerous. But when the queen of the land is poisoned, only Mariposa has the courage to go in search of an antidote. Fortunately, the girl can read the stars, so she knows which direction to go.
Despite my fears, this title surprised me very positively. I immediately began to sympathize with the main character – the film does a great job of portraying introverts. Mariposa has a completely different character than Elina – both were somehow excluded at the beginning, but the latter likes to be among people and make new friends. Mariposa, on the other hand, is a 100% introvert who often isolates herself. However, this does not prevent her from achieving her desired goal and facing evil. The antagonist also deserves a mention – we are dealing here with a real trickster.
Mermaids also appear in the film. They look beautiful, especially compared to the slightly older Syrenkolandia . From this example, it’s easy to see what progress the creators have made in the graphics and character designs.
Still from the animation trailer “Barbie Mariposa”
2008: Barbie and the Diamond Palace
Barbie and the Diamond Palace is the third title in the series, in which the first violin, in addition to a great moral and colorful main characters, is played by catchy songs. The whole plot focuses on music and the power of friendship.
In this production we meet two exemplary friends – blonde-haired Liana and dark-haired Alexa. At some point, a magic mirror comes into their hands – when they sing something, a mysterious girl appears in the reflection, adding her voice to their song. Her name is Melody and she hid in a mirror from the evil Lydia (who, by the way, reminds me a lot of Wenlock from The Magic of Pegasus). It turned out that Lydia and Melody used to live together in the Diamond Palace. The antagonist was one of the three muses until she finally wanted to be the only muse. She turned her flute into an instrument designed to cast evil spells. The other two muses, in fear of Lydia, before she turned them into stone, gave the key to Melody’s Palace, and she had to hide somewhere. Now, thanks to her friends, she has a chance to defeat the rebel muse and return to her beloved Diamond Palace.
Although I do not fully understand the final choice of the characters and their quarrels on the way to the goal, I was still very moved during this screening. The friendship that will endure everything and is stronger than evil, shown in this way, completely won my heart.
The Diamond Palace is a breathtaking movie. The music adds charm to it, and the locations, including the title Palace itself, make an amazing impression. In this case, there is also no dominant romantic plot. Despite this, the girls are accompanied by two bards on their way. They are very funny and I still wonder what happened to them after the action, as we never get such information.
Once again, the costumes of the main characters are delightful – the dresses they are wearing in the final scene have stolen my heart.
Still from the trailer of the animation “Barbie and the Diamond Palace”
2008: Barbie in a Christmas Carol
If the title of this film brings to mind associations with the work of Charles Dickens, that’s good, although it’s also something new. We are not dealing here with a faithful adaptation, but rather with a kind of interpretation of Scrooge’s story.
The main character is Eden Starlling, a great star of the London theater. On stage, she seems charming, but in private, just after coming backstage, she becomes obnoxious. After the pre-Christmas performance, he leaves the stage and heads to the other theater employees to tell them that he wants them to work on Christmas as well. She remains deaf to other artists’ requests for a day off. He makes no exception even for his friend Katherine. What Eden doesn’t know yet is that three ghosts will visit her that night and show her the brutal reality of the situation she has put herself in. The moral of this adventure is the same as in Dickens’s original, although the process of the heroine’s transformation is worth attention. It’s something new and fresh.
I think a Barbie Christmas movie is a great idea. A Christmas Carol is perfect for a Christmas movie with the family. It will go to both the younger and the slightly older ones. The ending moved me a lot and reminded me of a few values that I should pay more attention to.
Still from the animation trailer “Barbie’s A Christmas Carol”
2009: Barbie as Thumbelina
This title is another departure from the classic aesthetics and atmosphere of Barbie animation. We get production in a completely new style, for the second time in the modern world. Last time ( The Barbie Diaries ) didn’t work out, how was this case?
Thumbelina is a story about little elves who live in a clearing near a big city. However, it turns out that an investor has bought this land and, in order to develop his projects, intends to destroy the bushes and grass in which these tiny creatures are hiding. However, Thumbelina’s courage proves that even such a small creature has an impact on the world around her and can prevent tragic events.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this show as much as the previous ones. I really like the message of the animation, but the characters let me down. Most of the supporting characters don’t have any developed personalities, and on top of that, the movie lacks a major villain. At first, you can think of him as a businessman who wants to destroy the clearing, but later it turns out that the man did not want to kill anyone or deprive anyone of their home. He just didn’t know this place was home to such a large community.
The land presented in the production is also not one of my favorites. It cannot compete with the charm of, for example , Fairyland or other fairy-tale places from the universe.
Still from the animation trailer “Barbie as Thumbelina”
2009: Barbie and the Three Musketeers
At full firecracker we return to the theme of strong female characters. You think women can’t become musketeers because they’re too weak? You are wrong.
This wonderful film takes us to France, to the times when the musketeers defended Paris and were the pride of the state. Despite its similarities to Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers , it tells a completely different story. It focuses on the fate of four palace servants; in the role of one of them, Corine (D’Artagnan’s daughter), Barbie of course. Each of them dreams of becoming a musketeer. Of course, everyone – even the prince himself, who is also a dreamer – laughs at the idea, claiming that it is a profession only for men. However, the girls do not give up and soon become involved in a mysterious court intrigue. However, they see an opportunity in it – if they defend the ruler, they will prove to the world that they are worthy of the profession of a musketeer.
Barbie and the Three Musketeers is an hour and a half of really great fun. On the screen we have four inspiring, strong and courageous women, in addition beautifully dressed. The film also encourages you to make your dreams come true, no matter what. It seems a bit like it contains the essence of the most important themes from all previous great Barbie productions, as it also emphasizes the power of friendship.
SPOILER: This time it’s not the prince who saves the princess – he’s the one who needs saving from oppression.
Still from the trailer of the animation “Barbie and the Three Musketeers”
Barbie animations deserve more attention
I hope that with this Retroseans I have encouraged you to return or to watch one of the above-mentioned titles for the first time. Fairy-tale atmosphere and complex characters are just the beginning of the advantages of these productions, not to mention the morals. They will not only instill the right values in children, but also often give the adult viewer a flick on the nose, reminding them of things worth remembering. And even if not, some of them will move you to tears with original stories full of love and happy endings. 99% of Barbie movies from this period deserve a rating of 10/10 from me.