Barbie is an all-age character that makes the little girls believe they can be and do everything they want. The doll crosses generations, and stands for inclusion, and, throughout the years, she gained new colors, shapes and made everyone find their inner Barbie.
Such an iconic character went beyond the dolls and gained movies that started adapting tales and ballet musicals, and later started gaining her original stories. Her Campus Cásper Líbero gathered a list of films that you can – and must – watch before the live-action starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling premieres.
Barbie: Fairytopia (2005)
It’s the first one of a series where Barbie is Elina, a wingless fairy who lives in a peony, and in the fairy world, many of her friends are losing their abilities to fly and becoming weak. And as the only one who is not affected by the magic, because she doesn’t have wings, Elina goes on an adventure looking for Azura, one of the guardian fairies.
The production has two sequences: Mermaidia and Magic of the Rainbow, putting Elina again on new adventures trying to stop the evil plan of Laverna, the villain. In the second movie, she goes to the sea and becomes a mermaid, trying to save Prince Nalu; and in the third, she goes to a fairy school.
Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
Barbie plays Genevieve, one of the 12 daughters of King Randolph, who calls his cousin Duchess Rowena to teach about royals and etiquette and ensure his daughters will become great princesses. But, what he doesn’t know is that his cousin wants the kingdom for herself.
In the motion picture, the princesses discover a magic world in their room where they can dance and sing, the two things they love the most, and that makes the Duchess furious. Of course, you have fantastic dancing scenes, which when I was a child I tried to copy but never actually could.
Barbie & The Diamond Castle (2008)
The movie shows Barbie and Teresa singing, and then her sister Stacy shows up and talks about her best friend. To help, Barbie and her best friend tell a story about friendship. The two friends star as Liana and Alexa, two girls who live in a cottage and have big dreams, until one day they find a muse of music trapped in a mirror and embark on a journey to help the muses of music and the Diamond Castle.
During the journey they go through ups and downs, to fight against Lidia who wants the music and the castle to herself. It’s one of the first musicals and the first production that features Teresa, her best friend, and Stacy.
Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008)
Based on a tale by Charles Dickens, the film tells about the true meaning of Christmas and helping the less fortunate, starring Barbie and her younger sister, Kelly, who doesn’t want to go to the Christmas Charity Ball. Barbie then tells the story of an opera singer called Eden Starling who hated Xmas. Her feelings towards the holiday change when the following nights she is visited by three spirits of Christmas, each one coming in one night after another, showing her the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future.
It’s the last movie featuring Kelly, since Mattel changed her name to Chelsea in 2009. Another one of Barbie’s Christmas movies was released in 2011, Barbie: A Perfect Christmas, showing the adventure of the main character and her three younger sisters, Skiper, Stacie and Chelsea, on a trip to visit Aunt Millicent.
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (2009)
Starring Corinne, the motion picture is about a brave French girl who wants to fight and protect the royal family like her father did. When she goes to Paris, she is disappointed to discover that girls cannot be musketeers, and then starts working at the palace.
Corinne and three other maids, Viveca, Aramina, and Renee share the same dream and later start to be secretly trained by an older maid and swordmaster to protect Prince Louis from a mysterious plan. In the end, it has a killer fight scene with a change of clothes and a lot of style.
Barbie in a Mermaid Tale (2010)
As a surfer, Barbie plays Merliah Summers who lives with her grandfather in Malibu, California. During a competition, her hair turned pink, and she discovers a family secret: her mother is a mermaid. After that, she goes with her dolphin friend Zuma on an undersea adventure to fight against her aunt Eris, who took her mother’s throne.
It has incredible surf scenes, a great soundtrack, and her two best friends Fallon and Hadley who are played by Grace and Teresa. And the film has a sequence, A Mermaid Tale 2, that introduces new characters and a new evil plan by Eris.
Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale (2010)
In this iconic movie, Barbie is playing herself, after getting fired from the movie production of The Princess and the Pea and getting dumped by her boyfriend Ken. Her friends Grace and Teresa suggest she goes with her poodle to Paris, to visit her Aunt Millicent, who is a fashion designer.
When she arrives in Paris, the main character discovers that her aunt sold her fashion house business because of the competition with Jacqueline. With the help of Alice, her aunt’s assistant, and the fashion fairies Shimmer, Glimmer, and Shyne, they come up with new ideas to save her aunt’s business. At the same time, Ken, who was tricked by Raquelle, goes to Paris to prove to Barbie his true love. It was the first time Ken appeared in a Barbie movie.
Barbie: A Fairy Secret (2011)
The return of Barbie, Ken and Raquelle to a movie where Ken is kidnapped by fairies and Barbie discovers her stylist friends are from a city called Gloss Angeles – such a clever name – and can help them save Barbie’s boyfriend. They go to the fairy city, where they discover the secrets behind the kidnapping and the power of friendship.
The movie is connected with A Fashion Fairytale, and it’s the one that started the theory behind the movies, where people believe that Barbie is an actress that plays the characters like Merliah, Corinne or Rapunzel. The theory was created when the fans realized that this film is the one where she is called Barbie and has a few references to the previous ones.
Barbie: Princess Charm School (2011)
This is the 20th Barbie film, and she is a waitress, named Blair Willows, who lives with her adopted mother and her younger sister, in the kingdom of Gardenia. Unexpectedly, she wins a raffle to be a student at the Princess Charm School, where she will be trained to be a royal lady.
She feels like she doesn’t belong there, but is willing to do everything to give a better prospect to her family. However, during her studies, she discovers the secrets and theories of the royal family and information about herself. It’s a fan-favorite and made everyone try to balance books on their heads and want to go to the school.
Barbie: The Princess & The Popstar (2012)
This is the second Barbie movie based on Mark Twain’s novel The Prince and the Pauper which was later The Princess and the Pauper released in 2004. The motion picture presents the kingdom of Meribella and Princess Victoria, or Tori, that is pressured by her aunt, Duchess Amelia, and her royal responsibilities. Meanwhile, the Popstar Keira is having concerts in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Meribella.
When the two meet, they discover a lot in common and become friends. Using Keira’s magic microphone and Tori’s magic hairbrush, they swap places and start to pretend to be one another, but unexpected events make the two reunite to save the kingdom and the magic. It has one of the best original songs, and a new Barbie version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun singing about being a princess.
Binge-watch this whole list of movies while you wait for the live-action, that looks incredible and gives a Life in the Dreamhouse vibe. Oh, and don’t forget to listen to a Barbie playlist, because there are only hits. PS: check out the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet.
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The article above was edited by Júlia Pupo Mucha Fagá.
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