Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 (2012)
On November 9, 2023 by CrescentBarbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 brings back Merliah and all of her underwater friends for an international sequel. A grand adventure and an even greater conflict await them… Well, it awaits most of the original cast. At least the newcomers are good!
Story
Mermaid Tale 2 takes place a year after its predecessor. In that time, Merliah has become an even better surfer. She has made a rival in Kylie Morgan, an international surfer hoping to best her at an invitational. When Merliah’s aunt, Eris, tempts Kylie down a dark path, it’s up to Merliah to save her and the rest of the underwater world from Eris’ rule.
The story here is a fun one, and it feels like it has a bit more purpose than the first movie’s fetch quests. The characters are pushing things forward a lot more too. The conflict between Merliah, Calissa, and Kylie feels natural and helps to enforce the rest of the plot.
Unfortunately, there are a few story decisions that hamper the first movie in retrospect, and most of them revolve around the ceremony at the heart of the story. It feels like this goes against a lot of what was built up around Eris in the first movie. On top of that, Merliah’s final decision to not compete in the surf meet feels a bit contrived. There are much better ways to end the story than this.
Mermaid Tale 2 takes a while to get started, but once it does, it refuses to let up. The climax is exciting and a definite step up from the first movie’s ending. The opening is on the slow side though. After it hits its stride, the movie is great, but it takes a bit too long to reach that point.
Mermaid Tale 2 has a fine story, but its highs and lows ultimately average out to something decent but not incredible.
Story: 7/10
Characters
Mermaid Tale 2 brings back quite a few of its characters from the first film. Merliah has grown confident and comfortable with herself in the year since her story began, and it works wonders for her here. She’s on top of the world, and I really see her as having developed this much since her initial adventure.
The other returning characters are great too. Fallon and Hadley are always fun, and Calissa’s expanded role in this movie helps her a lot. Zuma and Snouts are nice to have around too. Eris is an entertaining villain, though she feels a bit less threatening here than in the first film. Even so, the returning cast is overall strong and deserves praise.
As for the new characters, Kylie is great. She and Merliah are the perfect foils for each other, and they develop very well as a team. These two share the protagonist role, and it couldn’t have been divided between a better pair. Alistair may try to get in between them with his conniving behavior, but their friendship is stronger than that by the end of the story.
However, this movie’s strong cast has a few problems, or more specifically, absences. Kayla and Xylie are completely gone from this story. Snouts, their pet, is here, but the two of them are not. Them not being around is a very glaring problem in my eyes. Why would Snouts be in the story while they’re missing? They don’t even get mentioned despite their importance to the first movie. The lack of consistency is unfortunately distracting and detracts from an otherwise great cast.
The characters in Mermaid Tale 2 are largely very strong, but a few notable faces from the first movie are nowhere to be found.
Characters: 7.5/10
World Building
Mermaid Tale 2 is in a strange place with its world building. The new developments are interesting, and the ceremony is certainly a point of intrigue… But it goes against what we learned in the first movie. If Eris wasn’t involved with the changing of the tides ceremony twenty years, then everyone should know she can’t spin Merillia. It also makes her feel a bit less captivating as a character in retrospect. Her inferiority complex to Calissa was one thing that made her so intriguing in the first place, but it all feels like it meant nothing with the addition of the ritual.
The magic system here feels shaky too. Eris has learned new magic during her time in the whirlpool, but it’s such a specific spell that it feels like it’s asking to be exploited. Why does Eris know magic where Calissa does not? What’s the difference between Eris’ magic and Calissa’s Merillia? I wish more of these questions were answered, but unfortunately, very few of them are.
The story also takes us to a different location from the first movie, so the problem from before of not spending enough time in Oceana remains. Instead, it is traded for Aquelia here. As much as I enjoy Aquelia as a setting, I want more content of Oceana. If nothing else, Aquelia’s history is interesting.
The world building of Mermaid Tale 2 feels counterintuitive with its poorly defined magic system retroactively harming the first movie.
World Building: 4/10
Themes
The theme of Mermaid Tale 2 is that it’s nice to be part of something bigger than yourself. I appreciate this lesson, though it is admittedly presented in a slightly strange way. For once, this isn’t a lesson that revolves around the Barbie. Instead, this is something Kylie learns. It still works for the story, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a bit odd. If nothing else, the phrase embodies Merliah and Kylie’s friendship well, so who am I to complain?
Themes: 7/10
Production
Mermaid Tale 2 has amazing animation. The motions are fluid, and the models all look great. I don’t really have any complaints here. This movie capitalizes on the advancements made for the first movie’s animation, and it expands on them too. It just looks great.
There’s one problem with the animation though… Hadley. They whitewashed her here, and it’s not even subtle. She looked Latina in the first movie, but here, she’s definitely white. Why did they take away her melanin? Give it back. Don’t make a poor decision on this, Mattel. Please.
At the very least, the production of the rest of the movie is strong. The voice acting is great, and the actors do an amazing job of bringing the story to life. The music is nice enough, though I personally found the soundtrack of the first movie to be stronger. “Do the Mermaid” is much weaker lyrically than “Queen of the Waves.” It’s not even a question. It’s a fine song, but I miss the theme of the first film.
The production of Mermaid Tale 2 is overall strong but held back by a weak theme song and a notably poor animation decision with one of its characters.
Production: 8/10
Overall
Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 has very strong characters and a fun story, but its world building holds it back. Merliah and Kylie’s dynamic alone makes it worth a watch though. I would recommend it to any fans of the first movie or to those looking for a rivals to friends story.
Overall: 6.7/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the most dramatic fish
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