Barbie as Rapunzel (2002)
On October 3, 2023 by CrescentLong before the release of Disney’s Tangled, the prominent Rapunzel movie for those growing up in the 2000’s was the Barbie incarnation of the story. This version is very different from the Rapunzel story that has come to be widely known since Tangled came out, but it’s still a very fun one all around.
Story
The story of Rapunzel follows the titular heroine and her attempts to escape from the manor her caretaker, Gothel, has trapped her inside. She works with her dragon and rabbit friends, Penelope and Hobie respectively, to outwit Gothel and explore the outside world. Rapunzel meets the prince of the nearby kingdom, Stefan, and soon afterward finds a magic paintbrush to help her evade Gothel on her search for the truth behind her past.
The climax is gripping and the perfect culmination of everything that has happened up to that point, and it was lovely to see all the pieces fall into place. Rapunzel finally stood up to Gothel and managed to win against her not with violence but with her own wits. In defeating Gothel, Rapunzel helped to bring peace to warring kingdoms and find a home both in her father and Stefan. I loved finally seeing her win out over her cruel caretaker after everything that happened up to that point.
The story was lots of fun, but it had one primary problem for me, and that was the pacing. I wish the film had moved a bit faster since a few parts near the middle drag on a bit too long. As much fun as the climax was, it was the best paced part of the movie, and I wish the rest of the film could follow that example. The movie also tended to focus a bit too much on the supporting characters for my liking, and that is where the drag seems to come from.
I enjoyed the story of Rapunzel greatly, but it is unfortunately held back by its lackluster pacing around the middle segments and a consistent skew toward the secondary cast.
Story: 7/10
Characters
Rapunzel is a strong protagonist, and you truly want her to succeed against Gothel. Stefan is a fine prince as well, and his soft-spoken kindness is a nice contrast to some of the later love interests in the series. Gothel is an amazing villain with a surprising amount of stage presence for someone so quietly threatening. Her unsettling manipulation of the other characters and the story as a whole gives a lot of narrative weight to Rapunzel’s adventure.
This movie has a much greater focus on its secondary cast than most other films, and for the most part, the side characters are great. Penelope and Hobie are great sidekicks to Rapunzel, and while they may not be the best Barbie sidekicks, they still stand strong as the first of their kind. Otto is strange but entertaining to watch in all his weird discomfort. The conflict between Wilhelm and Frederick is interesting and helps to expand the world, and the political draw of the film does a lot to elevate its universe.
The primary problem I have with this cast is Hugo, Penelope’s father and the dragon who guards the manor. He fears Gothel and takes this out on his daughter, but his cruelty makes it difficult to root for him. Half the time he was on screen, I was distracted by how much I despised him, and he takes away from an otherwise great cast with how infuriating he is in his treatment of Penelope.
The cast of Rapunzel is strong, but it is weighed down massively by one particular failure.
Characters: 8/10
World Building
The conflict and setup of this world is incredibly interesting. I found myself getting lost in the story of the two warring kingdoms and the reason behind their conflict. There’s a surprising amount of political intrigue in this movie, and I loved every second of it.
There is one primary question I have about all of this though: what does the presence of magic mean? Gothel is the only one who seems to have magic, and I have to wonder if magic is normal in this world or if it is exclusive to her. People and animals can talk freely in this film, and both magic and dragons exist, but the implications of this are never discussed. A bit more information about that would have been nice to flesh out the rest of the world.
Even so, I find myself loving the idea of the warring kingdoms finding peace enough to put this aside. I greatly enjoyed the world building, and the universe established by the film is a strong one.
World Building: 7/10
Themes
The theme of the movie as stated at the end of the credits is that imagination and love can change the world. Overall, this fits far better when put through the narrative framing of Barbie telling the story to Shelly. The theme isn’t as applicable as I would like it to be though, especially with characters like Hugo going against it so constantly. The delivery is fine, but it could be better at the same time.
Themes: 7/10
Production
Coming into this movie after watching Barbie in the Nutcracker, I was looking for more of that ambient lighting found in its predecessor. All of those lighting effects are absent from this movie, and while the animation has much sharper edges here, the flaws are much more apparent as well. The animation is far from being so poor it’s distracting, but Hobie in particular looks a bit… Off.
The voice acting is fine, and it maintains the same high standards of the first movie in the franchise. The voices are all well-cast, and for the most part, the dialogue is easy to understand. Gothel has a few mumbling problems from time to time, but this is rare. I can’t mention the voice acting without pointing out the strange noises Otto makes… Take that how you will.
The real star of the production for this movie is in the music. The instrumental score of this film is phenomenal, and the main theme became the backbone of nostalgia for Barbie kids for a reason. This movie had no source material to lean on, but it still shines as the gemstone of the film. The music truly is gorgeous, shining especially bright with the main theme.
The animation and voice acting may be a slight step down from its predecessor, but the music of Rapunzel goes above and beyond expectations.
Production: 7/10
Overall
Barbie as Rapunzel is a great movie with surprisingly powerful political intrigue and a beautiful score. While the film struggles with pacing and the writing of the secondary cast, it remains an overall positive experience. It may not be Tangled, but it’s still a perfectly fine adaptation of the classic Rapunzel story for children of all ages. I would recommend the movie to anyone interested in watching it.
Overall: 7.2/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the weirdest sounds made by an animal (Otto)
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