Barbie: Mariposa (2008)
On October 21, 2023 by CrescentBarbie: Mariposa is something of a spiritual successor to the Fairytopia trilogy. The audience is welcomed into a world of magic and wonder in a new, original fairy tale. Mariposa is charming from the start and is well worth any viewer’s attention the whole way through.
Story
Mariposa follows the adventures of the titular character, Mariposa, as she searches for the antidote to a rare poison. After unofficially teaming up with the prince, Carlos, Mariposa sets off on a quest to find the cure to a dangerous poison to save the life of the comatose queen. With her home and loved ones at stake, Mariposa prepares for the journey of her life to rescue her home.
And what a journey it is! Mariposa is far from the first movie to use the same overall formula of going from one location to the next in search of something magical, but it’s one of the best. Every minute of this movie feels intentional, and nothing ever drags or goes by too quickly. The movie knows how to keep things interesting the whole way through.
I have one issue with Mariposa though: the climax. Unfortunately, the end of the movie is the weakest part. Mariposa and Henna’s fight doesn’t really feel much like a battle. If anything, it feels a bit sad how quickly Mariposa lost. The characters stand around and talk but don’t do much to try and stop each other. Still, the rest of the movie is strong, and I had fun with it.
The story may not reinvent the wheel, but it remains a fun time from beginning to end.
Story: 8/10
Characters
Mariposa is a unique character among the Barbie leads before now. She’s clumsy and awkward, unsure of how to talk to people and clueless about how to be confident. Her arc throughout the movie of coming into her own and learning to stand her ground is perfect for her. Every little detail feels like it contributes to Mariposa’s greater arc. She’s one of the best Barbies out there, and she wears that title with pride.
The secondary cast isn’t as strong as Mariposa, but they’re all fine in their own right. Rayna and Rayla go through believable, strong arcs over the course of the film. While they start off as self-centered and somewhat grating, they end the movie as great characters. Their time in the mermaid cove went a long way to help that. The twins work very well with Zinzie too, and while she’s a slightly unorthodox Barbie sidekick, she’s still a great one.
Willa and Carlos is one character combination I didn’t expect when I first watched this movie, but they’re so fun together. Willa’s hesitation and cowardice is a perfect contrast to Carlos’ grace and ambition. The two make for surprisingly good friends, and I think they honestly have even more chemistry than Carlos and Mariposa. I love them both even though Carlos is lacking a bit in screen time compared to other Barbie love interests.
Last but not least, there’s Henna. She’s a perfect villain for Mariposa with how manipulative and subtle she is. She can give everything Mariposa has ever wanted, and she owns it. Henna has such amazing stage presence and intrigue from the start, and you can see how everyone fell for her act for so long. It makes me wish she appeared again in the Mariposa sequel, but at the very least, she’s great in this movie.
The cast of Mariposa is very strong despite its limited numbers, and I think it’s a model ensemble among the Barbie franchise.
Characters: 9/10
World Building
Mariposa begins in the land of Flutterfield, the home of the butterfly fairies. The opening establishes a strong history for Flutterfield and its people’s natural rivalry with the Skeezites. This information does a great job of setting up just why the conflict is so important. Flutterfield is a great location, and I love every second it’s on screen.
The other locations don’t have quite as much kick though. The Bewilderness and mermaid cove are both fine, but they’re nowhere near as interesting as Flutterfield. The only location that comes close is the Cave of Reflection which does an amazing job of setting up the emotional culmination of the film. I adore the Cave of Reflection and the fairy who calls it home. The location is a perfect way to complete Mariposa’s character arc.
The one other thing I think needs criticism here is the Spanish influences. Mariposa gives a lot of its characters Spanish accents, but it doesn’t go anywhere with that influence beyond the accents. I think it would have been much more interesting if they went above and beyond with this idea. It certainly would have made the world more unique, but as it is, this aspect just feels like missed potential.
While most of the minor locations aren’t as intriguing, Flutterfield and the Cave of Reflection hit it out of the park as interesting, detailed settings.
World Building: 7/10
Themes
The theme of Mariposa is that the best thing you can be is yourself. This movie returns to the old tradition of framing the story as one told to another person. This time though, the narrator is Elina from Fairytopia, and the story is being shared with Bibble. The tale works perfectly under this framing device. Beyond that, the theme really feels perfect for the story of Mariposa and the arc of the title character. Seeing her come into her own is great, and the theme works exactly as it should. It’s perfect for a story like this.
Themes: 9/10
Production
Mariposa goes for something unique with its voice acting, giving nearly every character a Spanish accent… Well, some of them, at the very least. Rayna, Rayla, Carlos, and Marabella all have Spanish accents, but nobody else does, and it’s very jarring. The voices are all understandable and done well regardless of the accent, but it’s oddly inconsistent. As I said before, I wish they had leaned into this more or not done it at all.
The animation of Mariposa is overall strong. The people all look incredible, and you can see how much the art style has evolved and grown over the years. The only exception to this is the Skeezites… But that’s kind of the point. I don’t want to rag on this movie for the Skeezites not looking great when I know that was done on purpose. They’re meant to be unsettling because they’re monsters. Still, it can get a bit distracting, so it bears mentioning here.
The music of Mariposa is incredible though. There are no catches here; it’s just great. The music feels like it slightly hints at the Spanish inspirations even if it doesn’t fully commit. The score works perfectly with the story, and it fits the world of Flutterfield specifically. I love the music, and it deserves more praise than it gets.
The production of Mariposa is overall strong, but there are a few bizarre low points that need to be brought up.
Production: 8/10
Overall
Barbie: Mariposa is an amazingly fun movie from beginning to end. It remains consistently strong the whole way through and follows one of the best leading characters Barbie has ever had. I highly recommend this movie, especially to those interested in fairies or other types of fantasy stories.
Overall: 8.2/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the worst Spanish accents
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