Barbie as The Princess & the Pauper (2004)

Purely Joyful Movie!

How sad is this?

Absolutely Fantastic

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Barbie Rapunzel. Barbie Mariposa. Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. While all of these are classic, mindblowing, unbelievably incredible films, there is one that exceeds them all. You probably guessed it: Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. William Lau directed this masterfully created spin-off of Mark Twain's the Prince and the Pauper. While the names Kelly Sheridan, Melissa Lyons, Martin Short, and Alessandro Juliani alone might be enough to get you to see this fantastic movie, there's so much more to this movie that makes it well worth the watch.Personally, I've always been drawn to musicals, but only if the music is well written and performed. There are eight songs total (plus an additional 'I'm on My Way' by Sara Niemietz that plays during the closing credits), and each one has a unique objective and purpose. Of the eight songs, almost all of them are duets, filled with melodic harmonies which make the music all the more first-rate.Different people prefer different movie genres. Fortunately for you, as well as everybody else considering watching this amazing film, this movie appeals to every age and group of people. For the romance lovers out there, this film has a heart-wrenching forced marriage between a princess who is in love with a commoner and the dashing King Dominick who wishes to find a spouse who shares his love of music. People who prefer classical entertainment will find this twist of the Prince and the Pauper an extremely well done and worthwhile movie. To those who are more interested in comedy, there are countless moments that are sure to leave you holding your stomach in laughter. And although this movie has adventurous scenes, it never gets too intense to the point where watchers are unable to relax and enjoy the movie.Every movie has a weakness, but the only flaw I was able to find in this film was that the songs got stuck in my head and I find myself singing them to myself constantly, which, truthfully, isn't a bad thing. One other thing that people might complain about is the talking animals. However, give these hilarious creatures a chance, and you'll soon find out that they are an indispensable part of the movie. Essential to the plot and providing lots of comedy, the animals are one of the key reasons this movie is so good.If you're feeling doubtful about how good this movie is, the only way to truly find out and experience the true fascination of this film is to watch it, and that is what I urge you to do as soon as you can. You will not regret watching this one of a kind Barbie movie and it won't be long before you're singing along to the songs 24/7.

For my daughter, this movie was pretty much the ultimate best thing ever for about six months (longer than both Cinderella AND Beauty and the Beast!!!!!) She gained her love of singing from this movie, and I must admit I was incredibly impressed!! I have seen this movie about three times on my own, without my girls around (one is more of a tomboy, and thinks she's "too cool" for Barbie), but after finding myself with the tune "Free" stuck in my head for days on end, I realized that in fact, I truly did enjoy the movie, for its own merit and not just because my daughter was so infatuated. I have seen Swan Lake, Rapunzel, 12 Dancing Princesses, and actually bought myself Nutcracker because the Barbie movies were so wonderful. They are my guilty pleasure and I enjoy them immensely, although not as often as my daughter did!

I've read many of the other reviews for this movie and usually I read the negative first.First of all this movie is aimed at little girls. Girls probably from 3-10 who love all the beautiful magic this film brings to life.The story is similar to the Prince and the Pauper and it isn't historically accurate. This is after all a simple movie for children and doesn't need a lot of violence, action, or too much depth.The colors are rich and the animation (all computer animated) is beautiful. The details and the softness of the characters make the movie much easier to watch than some of today's - Saturday morning cartoons.I am a sucker for all fairy -tales and like to watch them all - even as an adult so I can sit and enjoy these types of movies with my daughter.This movie defiantly isn't for everyone- but if you are into the girlie scene and love fairy tales and won't go overboard if there is changes made - then this is your ticket! And it's perfect for the little princess who would love to see her toys come to life on screen.

Being sceptical of Barbie computer animation, I hesitantly agreed to watch this film with my 6 year old daughter. I was wonderfully surprised. The music, the animation, and the story were fluid, artistic, and actually captivating. I found myself WANTING to see what was going to happen next. It wasn't as predictable as I initially thought, and I found myself singing along by the end! Well done to the producers of the film along with everyone else involved. I would highly recommend this film to anyone with children (my 8 year old son even watched it without a moan) and to anyone who is just a hopeless romantic. Very enjoyable viewing. I have since seen the movie several times...sometimes with no children accompanying me.