Barbie - Then & Now
I decided at the beginning of the year that I was going to watch all the Barbie movies in the order they were released. I wanted to see the evolution of them and it was very revealing. Despite the library shutting down, I was able to see (in one way or another) every Barbie movie from Nutcracker to The Secret Door. (In full disclosure, I did skip A Christmas Carol, Mariposa and the Fairy Princess, A Pony Tale & A Perfect Christmas. The first because it was not Christmas time, the second because I did not really care for the first Mariposa movie and therefore it didn't matter to me if I skipped it, and the last two because they don't fit the rest of what I consider the good Barbie movies.)
Now that we have all that out of the way, let's talk about what I discovered. There were three main things that I noticed as the series goes on. (For reference, this is 24 movies from 2001 - 2014).
1. The Animation. There is a distinct change in Barbie's appearance, and the appearance of all the characters, as we get further into the series. It's not necessarily better or worse. I personally think she looks more like a Barbie doll in the earlier ones - particularly the first four. From Fairytopia through the Three Muskateers, the animation is pretty consistent, and then in A Mermaid Tale, it jumps to a very different style again.
2. The Music. With The Princess & The Pauper, Barbie started singing. In all the movies there is music and singing, but several feature Barbie herself singing songs. Particularly with Princess & Pauper vs Princess & Popstar, you can see a lack of creativity in the latter movie. I like the music itself throughout all the movies but the lyrics become lacking.
3. The Guys. In the early movies, there were "Ken dolls" that participated in the action with Barbie. She was still a "strong, female character" and definitely a main character but the guys helped out and it was kind of a joint effort. In Mariposa/Diamond Castle, there is the first shift. There are still guys, but they are much more minor and/or they are rather dimwitted. From there on out, if a guy is in the movie at all, he is like a cameo character. Movies like Pearl Princess, The Secret Door, and Charm School have a prince in them but mostly at the end. (I should make the caveat that Fairy Secret and Fashion Fairytale are supposed to be set "in real life", so the guy is Ken and he is in them a little more).
This might be a good place to differentiate between the two kinds of Barbie movies. There are movies where Barbie "plays herself". These are supposed to take place in the real world. The Barbie Diaries, Thumbelina, and the newer ones with her sisters are other examples of those. Then there are ones where Barbie is playing a role. I tend to like better the ones where Barbie is playing a role :)
One last thing that really stood out was the difference between the two "Prince & The Pauper" versions. When you make two movies based on the same thing, it's easy to compare them. In the first one, there is an opening song that is sung by Princess Anneliese and the pauper, Erika. They both wish for a day, just one day, to do whatever they wanted. Not to have responsibilities or worries, but to just be themselves. Near the end of the song they sing this:
Now that we have all that out of the way, let's talk about what I discovered. There were three main things that I noticed as the series goes on. (For reference, this is 24 movies from 2001 - 2014).
1. The Animation. There is a distinct change in Barbie's appearance, and the appearance of all the characters, as we get further into the series. It's not necessarily better or worse. I personally think she looks more like a Barbie doll in the earlier ones - particularly the first four. From Fairytopia through the Three Muskateers, the animation is pretty consistent, and then in A Mermaid Tale, it jumps to a very different style again.
2. The Music. With The Princess & The Pauper, Barbie started singing. In all the movies there is music and singing, but several feature Barbie herself singing songs. Particularly with Princess & Pauper vs Princess & Popstar, you can see a lack of creativity in the latter movie. I like the music itself throughout all the movies but the lyrics become lacking.
3. The Guys. In the early movies, there were "Ken dolls" that participated in the action with Barbie. She was still a "strong, female character" and definitely a main character but the guys helped out and it was kind of a joint effort. In Mariposa/Diamond Castle, there is the first shift. There are still guys, but they are much more minor and/or they are rather dimwitted. From there on out, if a guy is in the movie at all, he is like a cameo character. Movies like Pearl Princess, The Secret Door, and Charm School have a prince in them but mostly at the end. (I should make the caveat that Fairy Secret and Fashion Fairytale are supposed to be set "in real life", so the guy is Ken and he is in them a little more).
This might be a good place to differentiate between the two kinds of Barbie movies. There are movies where Barbie "plays herself". These are supposed to take place in the real world. The Barbie Diaries, Thumbelina, and the newer ones with her sisters are other examples of those. Then there are ones where Barbie is playing a role. I tend to like better the ones where Barbie is playing a role :)
One last thing that really stood out was the difference between the two "Prince & The Pauper" versions. When you make two movies based on the same thing, it's easy to compare them. In the first one, there is an opening song that is sung by Princess Anneliese and the pauper, Erika. They both wish for a day, just one day, to do whatever they wanted. Not to have responsibilities or worries, but to just be themselves. Near the end of the song they sing this:
BOTH: I close my eyes and feel myself fly a thousand miles away
I could take flight but would it be right
My conscience tells me stay
I could take flight but would it be right
My conscience tells me stay
ANNELIESE: I'll remain forever royal
ERIKA: I'll repay my parent's debt
BOTH: Duty means doing the things your heart may well regret
BOTH: Duty means doing the things your heart may well regret
They have a dream, a wish, but they chose duty and responsibility because they know it is the right thing to do. This is the message in 2004. Fast-forward to 2012 with The Princess & The Popstar. In the song that is supposed to correspond to "Free" from the 2004 version, we see Princess Tori and the popstar, Kiera, singing these words:
I wish I had her life
Then I would be so free
I wish I had her life
I'd be another me
I wish I had her life
I'd be another me
Both girls see the other's life, the "social media highlights" and think the other one has the perfect life. It's a very envious song and it kind of shocked me. This is the message we are sending to little girls these days? And that's 2012. I haven't seen any recent movies.
I still really like the Barbie movies. My favorites are the older ones, yes, but some new ones are good and fun too. I don't agree with all the messages but I think you can work around them and talk about them. It's been very interesting seeing the changes that you can only see when you watch them all in a "short" amount of time.
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