Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper
Year: 2004
Director: William Lau
Starring: Kelly Sheridan, Martin Short & Julie Stevens
Runtime: 85 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 23/08/23
Director: William Lau
Starring: Kelly Sheridan, Martin Short & Julie Stevens
Runtime: 85 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 23/08/23
Continuing the trend of adapting classic princess stories, Barbie’s fourth animated adventure would shake things up slightly. Having done two ballet’s and a fairytale, The Princess and the Pauper would be Barbie’s first attempt at a musical. Having handled ballet’s fairly well, I had high expectations for this fourth film, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Princess Anneliese (Barbie/Kelly Sheridan) is due to be married off to King Dominick (Mark Hildreth), in order to save the kingdom from bankruptcy; but she yearns for a life where she can do whatever she wants, not what is expected of her.
Meanwhile Erika (Barbie/Julie Stevens) is an indentured servant to the royal seamstress, Madame Carp (Pam Hyatt), and dreams of a life of fame as a singer.
When the two cross paths and realise how similar they look, they quickly become friends.
However, Preminger (Martin Short), the royal advisor, has been draining the mines of gold leading to the kingdom’s financial struggles. Learning of Anneliese’s betrothal he schemes a way to kidnap her, and then save her, earning him the right to marriage and title of King. Erika learns that the only way to stop him is by taking Anneliese’s place, and trying to find her before anybody notices she’s even missing.
Generally speaking, The Princess and the Pauper is the strongest Barbie animated film yet. I definitely have issues with the story, namely Preminger’s plan seems extremely complex and relies on far too much luck to actually be feasible. But the story is definitely the most enjoyable of the Barbie films so far in spite of this.
I think the main reason for this is that the characters are genuinely well written, and there are no annoying comic relief sidekicks in sight.
Princess Anneliese (Barbie/Kelly Sheridan) is due to be married off to King Dominick (Mark Hildreth), in order to save the kingdom from bankruptcy; but she yearns for a life where she can do whatever she wants, not what is expected of her.
Meanwhile Erika (Barbie/Julie Stevens) is an indentured servant to the royal seamstress, Madame Carp (Pam Hyatt), and dreams of a life of fame as a singer.
When the two cross paths and realise how similar they look, they quickly become friends.
However, Preminger (Martin Short), the royal advisor, has been draining the mines of gold leading to the kingdom’s financial struggles. Learning of Anneliese’s betrothal he schemes a way to kidnap her, and then save her, earning him the right to marriage and title of King. Erika learns that the only way to stop him is by taking Anneliese’s place, and trying to find her before anybody notices she’s even missing.
Generally speaking, The Princess and the Pauper is the strongest Barbie animated film yet. I definitely have issues with the story, namely Preminger’s plan seems extremely complex and relies on far too much luck to actually be feasible. But the story is definitely the most enjoyable of the Barbie films so far in spite of this.
I think the main reason for this is that the characters are genuinely well written, and there are no annoying comic relief sidekicks in sight.
The score remains one of the strongest elements, as was the case in the previous films. Performed by the London Symphonic Orchestra, and the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the classical score is a delight to listen to. This is only strengthened by the strong musical numbers performed by the cast. They don’t reach the same kind of quality as a Disney musical for example, but they’re still good in their own right, and considering this was Mattel’s first attempt at a musical for Barbie it’s a pretty good result.
The visuals are starting to show their age though when compared to other straight to DVD animated films of the time. The Barbie films were always years ahead of the competition in terms of character animation, and that stays true here, but the environments are definitely looking barren and cheap even when judged against other budget kids films.
The Princess and the Pauper gets it right where it counts for Barbie’s first musical. I may take issues with elements of the story and the overall animation quality, but the music and character animation are brilliant.
The visuals are starting to show their age though when compared to other straight to DVD animated films of the time. The Barbie films were always years ahead of the competition in terms of character animation, and that stays true here, but the environments are definitely looking barren and cheap even when judged against other budget kids films.
The Princess and the Pauper gets it right where it counts for Barbie’s first musical. I may take issues with elements of the story and the overall animation quality, but the music and character animation are brilliant.