Barbie of Swan Lake
Originally published on social media on August 23rd, 2023
In the last couple years, I have been rewatching some of my favorite Barbie movies from childhood. In fact this summer, I had a quest to find the cheapest copies of my favorites to own. Today, I introduced a friend of mine to this film and I loved watching her joyful reactions. After it ended, she told me how she loved it and how it was unlike anything she had seen before. That’s the perfect way to describe a Barbie movie.
I love many of these movies, but I specifically recommend this one to everyone because it’s the best intro the Barbie canon. It’s cheesy, (as are all of them) but not too much so. Aside from that, this film is a true work of art. The animation is an early 2000’s quality, but there are shots that are simply beautiful. Speaking of artistic qualities, the animators worked with New York City Ballet Dancers to create almost lifelike dance scenes throughout the film. My friend was amazed by the quality of the dancing offered in this cartoon.
One of my favorite things about the Barbie movies is their soundtracks: classical music. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is played throughout this film, but you will find works of many other classical composers featured in other Barbie films. Barbie is one terrific way to introduce kids to classical music…who knew?
Barbie movies are all themed around qualities like bravery, courage, and kindness, and each lesson taught to Kelly is focused on these types of messages. Yes, there are princes and such in the Barbie films, but typically Barbie is the hero and I kind of love that. Princes and other male romantic interests always support Barbie and try to help her in any way they can, but they don’t take over for her. I love seeing this twist on fairytales because it reminds young women that they don’t need a man to complete or save them.
Perhaps I am biased towards Barbie of Swan Lake and her other films because they hold so much nostalgia for me. However, enough time has separated me from these films and I can confidently say these are enchanting and lovely films. I specifically recommend watching them while wearing sequenced slippers … like I did today.