Barbie: The Pearl Princess (2014)
On November 11, 2023 by CrescentBarbie: The Pearl Princess returns us to an underwater world of mermaids and mystery. After years spent in modern storylines, it’s time to go back to the classic days of medieval tales of good triumphing over evil. Pearl Princess fits right in with all those older stories, and it deserves far more praise than it gets.
Story
Pearl Princess follows Lumina, a mermaid raised far from the prying eyes of society by her aunt, Scylla. Lumina dreams of leaving her home behind to explore the world, but her aunt refuses to let her. When Scylla is given a chance to visit the castle, Lumina decides to follow her, not knowing of Scylla’s true purpose there. In truth, Scylla is being set up to kill the king and queen, and it’s up to Lumina to save her aunt and uncover the secrets of her past.
In many ways, Pearl Princess reminds me of Rapunzel. The main character is a princess who was raised outside her kingdom by an older woman. The story is all about said princess uncovering her history and finally reconnecting with her birth family. Pearl Princess takes this simple concept to another level though. The story is full of twists I never expected, and it had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
The pacing of Pearl Princess is great too. Everything is spaced out evenly and deliberately, something that only adds to the intrigue of the mystery. I was excited to learn everything Pearl Princess had in store for me, and it was tons of fun from beginning to end. The movie has one of my favorite stories in Barbie, and I can’t emphasize enough how high of praise that is.
Pearl Princess has an intriguing, gripping story that keeps you hooked from minute one.
Story: 10/10
Characters
Lumina is admittedly a somewhat unorthodox Barbie. She is a rather naive protagonist, and the world is experienced entirely through the lens of her boundless kindness. Lumina not seeing the darkness of her situation, especially later in the movie, is what makes her so interesting. I really wanted to see her succeed, and her bright view of the world is infectious.
Kuda is a nice animal companion too. In fact, I would argue that Kuda is one of the better animal sidekicks in the Barbie franchise. She feels like a character in herself rather than just relying on her human companion. Kuda is a perfect friend for Lumina, and I was happy to have her around.
Scylla is definitely a character that surprised me. I assumed she would be the villain of the story given the plot’s resemblance to Rapunzel, but I was very happy to be proven wrong. I found her conflict with Calligo and Murray very interesting, and I’m glad the movie chose to not make her the antagonist. She’s so much more compelling this way.
Calligo is a fine villain too, and Murray is every bit as slimy and irritating as he needs to be. They contrast perfectly with the kind Fergus and his lofty ambitions. I loved how active Calligo and Murray were in the story. They took matters into their own hands without missing a beat, and their proactiveness is what makes them so terrifying.
I only really have a few complaints here. I know this is a personal opinion, but I’m not the biggest fan of Spike’s role in the story. It feels like he was added in for the climax alone, and the story could have probably done without him with a bit of rewriting. Delphin is also a fairly underdeveloped love interest. He’s fine, but I wish we got more from him.
As a whole though, the cast of Pearl Princess is very strong, and a few nitpicks won’t hold it back.
Characters: 9/10
World Building
The world building of Pearl Princess is experienced through the eyes of the naive newcomer of Lumina. She knows little about the world around her, and we are learning along with her what everything in Seagundia is like. The audience is encouraged to feel the same emotions Lumina is as she learns more about the kingdom, and I thought that added to the whimsy of the story. I’m just as caught up in the wonder and fantasy as Lumina is.
The history of Pearl Princess is where its world building really shines though. I wanted to learn more about the past relations of Scylla and Calligo up to the last minute. Their intertwined histories are what make this plot so interesting. Even if you’re not fond of the world, the past of Seagundia will definitely have something for you.
The world of Pearl Princess is fun, and its history as expressed through the characters only makes it shine more.
World Building: 8/10
Themes
The stated theme of Pearl Princess is to always leave things better than you found them… But that doesn’t really make much sense. This is the definition of a theme being tacked on without any purpose. If you ask me, a much better theme would be that it’s never too late to do the right thing. That applies more to Scylla and Fergus than Lumina, but it makes more a bit more sense. The moral is a good one, but I can’t give that theme full points since it isn’t the stated lesson of the story.
Themes: 7/10
Production
Pearl Princess continues to build upon the past of Barbie’s film franchise to improve its animation. This movie looks amazing, and it helps the underwater world to feel all the more real and expansive. The voice acting is great too, and every casting decision fleshes out the story more.
The score is incredible too. I absolutely love the instrumental tracks of Pearl Princess. The only real complaint I have about the production is from the one vocal track near the middle of the movie. It’s a bit lackluster in terms of lyrics and sound. Even so, the song is serviceable, and the rest of the production is amazing enough that I can overlook it.
Pearl Princess has a stunning production with amazing animation and a strong soundtrack.
Production: 9/10
Overall
Barbie: The Pearl Princess brings back the old nostalgia of classic movies, but even without that, it stands powerfully on its own. I was invested in this film from beginning to end, and I honestly wish I grew up with it the way I did with older movies in this franchise. I can’t recommend Pearl Princess enough; every fan of Barbie should watch this at some point.
Overall: 8.6/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the best villain fake out
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