Barbie as the Island Princess (2007)

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

02 Oct 2007 04:50 AM

I am constantly impressed by the level of quality not only in the CGI animation, but also in the storytelling of the Barbie movies. The latest installment, Barbie as the Island Princess is yet another remarkable addition to this must-own collection.

A Tale Of Woe

Barbie stars as Ro in this film, a young girl who was shipwrecked on an island in the South Seas. She is raised by friendly animals that she can communicate with. Sagi the red panda, Azul the beautiful, royal peacock and Tika, the elephant. Ro has no idea where she came from or who her parents are. While she dreams of someday finding out, she is content with the wonder of her life.

She is discovered on the island by Prince Antonio. He is an explorer who loves to discover new things. He is enchanted by Ro almost immediately, taken as much with her personality as her ability to communicate with the animals. He offers to take her home with him so she can see his kingdom and where he comes from. She consents only after the animals offer to go with her.

Civilization

Prince Antonio has three younger sisters and parents who are concerned about his exploring ways. They've arranged a marriage for him in his absence to a very nice princess and spring this announcement on him when he returns with Ro. What I loved most about this, the woman his parents have chosen for him is not a bad guy. She is a decent enough girl, but he is already falling in love with Ro. Ro is falling in love with him, but she has no inkling of what that really means.

Of course there is adversity to overcome and Ro is having difficulty assimilating into life in civilization. Eventually, she discovers her mother and she and the prince have their happily ever after, but the storytellers don't sacrifice their characters to clichés to get there. The music is wonderful, the score is wonderful and the integrity of the film is wonderful. If you enjoyed any of the earlier Barbie installments from The Princess and the Pauper to Fairytopia to The Magic of Pegasus -- you will definitely enjoy this film.

Although it's marked for girls 3-7, older children may enjoy it for the visual effects and I know several boys that like the Barbie movies for their quality storytelling and adventure.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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