Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)

Thanks for the memories!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I watched this film for the first time years ago. As a child, the movie was so fascinating with beautiful ballet routines. Now as an adult, after watching it again, everything just the same. Barbie as Odette, a bakery's daughter, she is beautiful and has a sweet personality. One day, she sees a unicorn running around her shop. She tries to save the unicorn, and everything starts changing. This film is inspired by one of the most popular ballet, Swan Lake. Although the ending and main plot is totally different. This movie is clearly aimed for children and young viewers. The antagonist, Odile, is really interesting. Her voice is so unique, I still could remember her signature laugh since I was kid. Odette in this Barbie movie is quite strong and brave, I am not very fond of the prince characteristic as he is just too cliché and not that distinctive from other male partner of Barbie films. Overall, I enjoyed this movie as for young viewers. The story is light and quite enjoyable.

I will admit at 17, I do like a vast majority of the Barbie movies, Nutcracker being my personal favourite. Swan Lake, while not perfect, is still very enchanting. There are some slow parts in the film, and I was annoyed by Maggie Wheeler's Odile. However, the computer animation in general is stunning, especially the dance sequences and any scene in the forest. Plus the opening credits were beautifully done. The music, adapted from Tchaikovsky's timeless ballet is just wonderful, a real gem of a score. And although the story is not always faithful to the original story, it still has some elements of it embedded, while putting its own enchanting take on it. The voice acting is highly commendable, a standout being Kelsey Grammar, who was terrific as the villainous Rothbart. The unicorn Lila is one of my favourite Barbie sidekicks along with Major Mint and Penelope. Oh, and Odette both in human form and swan form, is so beautiful. All in all, not perfect but very sweet and charming, and a delight for preschoolers. 8/10 Bethany Cox

As for the movie, it is a great adventure with not one but two strong "human-looking" positive female role models - Odette and the Fairy Queen. Clean language. Much less violence than many classic cartoons 40 to 50 years older.Unlike many mainstream and Disney Products, the commercials are at the end of the disc where your child has to go and select them on purpose - not up front and auto-loading, where you have to be quick with your remote to avoid them.Three segments in the more fun section have proved to be a delightful surprise -1) a segment some of the specific ballet dances, 2)"The Music in You" a short documentary featuring real girls, who are serious young musicians playing real musical instruments, and 3)a segment on constellations. I have spent years trying to get my daughter interested in astronomy. This disc did it in a few brief minutes.Possible Spoiler: Also, the Prince is a dynamic swashbuckler who only falls for one of the villain's deceptions.

An excellent film for young and not so young viewers. Although artificially generated, the animation is superb and keeps the viewer's attention focused throughout most of the film. I was surprised to learn only afterwards that Kelsey Grammar had lent his voice for one of the characters. I have a question regarding the animation system used in making this film. The facial characteristics of the animated characters resemble those I've seen in software programs used by clothing and apparel industry manufacturers to simulate human models for garment design. I know that software designers often re-use modules from other projects they've worked on. Does anybody know anything about the technical background of the animation software used for this film?