Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (2005)
On October 8, 2023 by CrescentAs a child, Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus terrified me. The story is far darker than what you would expect from a Barbie movie… But it’s incredible too. Now that I’m older, I’ve gained a new appreciation for this movie, and I invite everyone else to look back on it with me.
Story
The story of Magic of Pegasus follows Annika, the princess of a wintry kingdom who seeks freedom from her parents’ overprotectiveness. After finding herself the target of an evil sorcerer, Annika has three days to reverse his magic to save her kingdom. She teams up with the wandering traveler Aidan and mysterious pegasus Brietta in a race against the clock to stop Wenlock once and for all.
Looking back on this movie now, I can certainly see why it terrified me so much as a child. This movie has a lot to say about systemic misogyny, and the entire plot starts because of the main villain refusing to take no for an answer from a woman he seeks to make his bride. Magic of Pegasus handles this subject with a surprising amount of grace, and it keeps things interesting in a way few other Barbie movies have. This film only starts to reveal its secrets when the audience grows older, and I’ve come to appreciate it a lot more with the passage of time.
The one gripe I have with the story is that the pacing can be a bit lopsided at times. The story has a three day time limit to stop Wenlock, but the second day is much shorter than the other two. This is a small issue and one that I can easily move past though. The rest of the film is paced incredibly well, making it a fun ride from beginning to end.
Magic of Pegasus has a shockingly dignified story for a kids’ film, and it has only continued to show its grace with time.
Story: 10/10
Characters
The cast of Magic of Pegasus is lean but refined. Annika is a headstrong and confident protagonist while suffering from anger issues and a healthy dose of stubbornness. Aidan is stubborn in much the same way, and the two only start to relax their preconceived notions of the world when they begin to open up to each other. Brietta is the most soft-spoken member of the cast, but she balances Annika and Aidan well. The three of them have lovely relationships with one another, and they feel believable in all their flawed glory.
The villain of this film is perhaps the most horrible antagonist in any Barbie movie. Wenlock is the personification of misogyny, overconfident in a way that reminds me a lot of less than pleasant men I’ve met in the past. Much like the story of the movie, he shows his darker side as the audience gets older. Wenlock is truly terrifying as a villain, and seeing him taken down was so, so satisfying.
The supporting cast primarily consists of the citizens of the Cloud Kingdom. The Cloud Queen, Rayla, feels like an evolved version of the Fairy Queen from Swan Lake without any of the previous plot contrivances involved. The three cloud sprites she oversees are the perfect bit of levity in the film’s darkest scenes without taking away from the solemnity at hand. The movie doesn’t let the side characters detract from the main story at any point, and I can’t help but thank it for that.
Well… That’s almost always the case. Shiver is the exception here. This polar bear is charming at some points and grating at others. Every viewer’s mileage may vary with her, but for me, I found her to be frustrating and a bit distracting in moments that would have been much stronger without her present.
Magic of Pegasus has an overall incredibly strong cast with a main trio and villain for the record books, but it’s held back by an admittedly irritating animal companion.
Characters: 9/10
World Building
Compared to other Barbie movies, Magic of Pegasus stands out for its unique setting. The kingdom is one of snow and ice, a stark contrast to the warm and sunny weather seen in the previous nations of other movies. It makes for a series of incredibly interesting locations that stick in your mind compared to those of other films.
The primary kingdom is a captivating one, and the true beauty thrives in the details. The pegasus symbol on the flags is subtle foreshadowing of what is to come. The kingdom at risk is a grounded one, believing firmly in reality without magic. It makes the contrast between Annika’s past and her uncertain future even more dramatic and stark, and it works to the movie’s advantage immediately.
The fantasy of Magic of Pegasus feels grounded too, never quite spiraling out of control in a way that could open plot holes. The Cloud Kingdom is an intriguing location backed by a series of rules that avoid the pitfalls and contrivances of Swan Lake, and it’s a beautiful place on top of that. Everything feels rooted in purpose and reason, and that helps to bring the world to life even more.
The universe is perfect to get lost in, and its fantasy is just right to fit the scope of the story at hand.
World Building: 10/10
Theme
The driving force behind the story is to never give up hope, and in my eyes, this is the perfect plot to show that lesson through. Even when times seem hopeless or a path to the future looks impossible, Annika keeps her spirits high. In the end, it pays off with her managing to defeat Wenlock not through hatred but her own hope for the future. Annika’s stubborn refusal to give up is the definition of hope, and it plays perfectly into the story at hand. This movie has a perfect theme, and everything works exactly as it should under that umbrella.
Theme: 10/10
Production
The score of Magic of Pegasus definitely fits the slightly more advanced fantasy world compared to the other movies up to this point. Its pace is much faster, feeling exciting and dramatic in the same breath. While the score is far from Barbie’s best, it still fits perfectly for the story being told here.
The animation is a massive step up from Fairytopia and a return to form from the older movies. While it could still be improved in some ways, it no longer outright distracts the audience. I have one issue with the animation though, and that would be the colors of the movie. The settings, especially near the middle of the movie, tend to skew toward the dark and dreary, allowing the eye to wander and the mind to grow weary. I have never been fond of movies with darker color schemes, and while this film still keeps it bright enough to be interesting, I wish the scenes in the forest had been a bit brighter color wise.
The voice acting is just as strong as has come to be expected from Barbie movies leading up to this point, though there is one exception to this. The cloud sprites have somewhat lopsided voice acting that can sound a bit forced at times. They are the only ones who suffer from this problem, and while it can be ignored, it definitely took me out of the story a few times.
The animation and voice acting of Magic of Pegasus are largely strong with a few faults, though they are backed by a lovely score to fit the advanced setting.
Production: 7/10
Overall
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus is a gripping adventure of darkness and the hope that shines through it. While the film occasionally stumbles, it keeps itself going through a powerful, resonating story and characters to match. If you have not seen this movie yet, I highly suggest you check it out. If you have seen it before, you should watch it again; your perspective has definitely changed with time, and hopefully, it will be for the better.
Overall: 9.2/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the most open murder attempts
Archives
Calendar
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 |
Leave a Reply