- Princess and the Pauper (2004)
Barbie as the Princess the Pauper is Barbie’s first on screen musical movie, and is the epitome of what makes a Barbie movie: humor and nostalgia. The movie follows a princess, Annalise, and a poor seamstress, Erika, who both feel trapped in their lives. When Annalise goes missing, Erika is enlisted to impersonate her to avoid panic. This movie features the best Barbie villain, who is as fabulous as he is devious, and catchy songs, which complete this movie. The aged animation and awkward dialogue create the distinct Barbie movie experience and place it at the top of the list.
2. 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
Another classic, Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, retells a German fairytale from the 1800s, but Barbie puts a new twist on it, adding a treacherous relative and an adorable romance. When the king of the land realizes that his 12 daughters aren’t up to the royal standards of elegance and grace, he asks his cousin to train the girls, but the evil Duchess not only treats the girls poorly, but also threatens the king. The beautiful artistic style of the movie elevates the experience as well, as every viewing reveals more detail in the backgrounds and character design.
3. Princess Charm School (2011)
While more recent, Barbie: Princess Charm School contains a compelling story and important lessons. Deviating from tradition, Barbie leads this movie as Blair, who is not graceful or elegant. Beginning the movie as a waitress, Blair ends up at a school for training princesses and ladies in waiting, and has to decide whether to go with the crowd or stand up for who she is. Her interactions with mean girls and determination through difficulty within a school setting is inspiring to the target audience of young girls attending school themselves, making it an instant classic.
4. Diamond Castle (2008)
While Barbie & the Diamond Castle contains a romantic storyline, it is secondary to the one centered around friendship. The movie focuses on Liana and Alexa, who befriend a mysterious woman trapped in a mirror and go on a quest to restore a magical, musical castle while facing opposition from a power hungry enchantress. The focus on friendship, along with the addicting music and high stakes, makes his movie stand out. The movie also contains a series of adorable animal sidekick characters and a vile villain. The storyline is predictable enough to be comforting, but interesting enough to retain attention, even after several watch throughs.
5. Fashion Fairytale (2010)
Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale is packed with nostalgia and storylines. While Barbie is meeting fairies (or, more specifically flairies) and designing an entire fashion line in a week, Ken is struggling to fly across the world to clear up a misunderstanding, and a cheating villain is attempting to undercut all of Barbie’s work. All of these storylines come together to create a fast paced, modern Barbie story with themes of using fashion to express oneself rather than to follow the crowd.
