Barbie: Princess Adventure (2020)
On December 5, 2023 by CrescentAfter a few years away from movie making, Barbie is back in Barbie: Princess Adventure. In another life swapping story, Barbie learns what it means to be a princess… And sometimes, that includes being trapped on a yacht. I guess life is just like that.
Story
In Princess Adventure, Barbie is an online blogger with a small but dedicated following. One such fan of hers is Princess Amelia, and she invites Barbie and her friends to come visit her small kingdom. After they meet, Barbie and Amelia realize they look identical and agree to swap lives for a new perspective on the world. However, this leads to danger unlike anything they ever expected.
Overall, I enjoyed Princess Adventure. It’s a nice twist on the life swap, and it’s a much better version than Princess and the Popstar. While the story is nothing new, I thought it was fun, and the dialogue was written well for a plot like this.
My one complaint about the movie is how lopsided the pacing is. The story is fun, but it also takes a long time to get going. We don’t spend much time with Amelia overall, and the villain isn’t revealed until about forty-five minutes into the seventy-two minute movie. The storyline is interesting, yes, but I wish we had more time to sit with the developments in the second half of the film.
Princess Adventure is a fun story that unfortunately struggles due to lackluster pacing.
Story: 7.5/10
Characters
Princess Adventure follows Barbie and Amelia as its two protagonists. They act as perfect foils for one another, and I loved the idea of Barbie getting the chance to see the world through Amelia’s eyes and vice versa. They learned a lot about each other and their own lives in stepping into another person’s shoes. I wish we got more time with Amelia though. Barbie is on the screen constantly, but Amelia gets a lot less time to shine, and I would have liked to see more of her development. I enjoyed her, but I wish we got more.
An unexpected favorite for me in this movie was Alfonso. I had a lot of fun with him even though I tend to be neutral on characters of his stern overseer archetype. He went a long way to make this story more interesting, and I enjoyed every second he was on the screen. Alfonso’s interactions with Barbie and Amelia were both great the whole way through.
The cast has a handful of important figures and a prominent ensemble. Barbie has a lot of friends, and the writing works well to make sure none of them are forgotten. They all get a little time in the spotlight even as background characters. I had fun with all of them, and they never overstayed their welcome while still staying relevant. It’s a fine balance to walk, and the movie does it perfectly. Ken is easily my favorite of the bunch, and I look forward to seeing him again in other movies as he grapples with his feelings for Barbie.
The only real weakness of this cast comes in the form of its villain. Johan first reveals his true colors very late into the movie, and a lack of time spent with his villainous side makes him feel underbaked. He’s a fine enough antagonist, but he could be so much stronger with more time. Johan is a bit on the generic side, and I think better pacing would have made this much easier to fix.
The cast of Princess Adventure is overall strong, but its villain is a bit lackluster.
Characters: 7.5/10
World Building
The world of Floravia is a nice setting, and I enjoy it for blending both modern technology and the medieval aesthetic of old castles. It really leans into the idea of an updated twist on the Princess and the Pauper role switch, and it’s the perfect backdrop for the story. While the world itself is nothing too inventive, I enjoyed it.
The history between Floravia’s characters is where the world building really shines. I loved learning about Amelia’s relationships with people like Alfonso and Johan. I thought Johan did a great job of introducing the information about his kingdom’s history with Floravia too. I can understand how we got to this point, and I want to see what happens next in the setting.
The world building of Princess Adventure is generally fun even if it’s nothing new.
World Building: 7/10
Themes
The theme of Princess Adventure is that the best things happen when we live life away from the screen. I think this theme works in a loose sense, especially in the context of the song where it is first mentioned, but it feels very shoehorned in. Aside from that one scene, the theme doesn’t mean much to the rest of the story. Barbie and Amelia meet because of a screen. Ignoring that feels wrong in a lot of ways. The movie isn’t great with its theme, and it only really fits in one scene.
Themes: 4/10
Production
Princess Adventure is very well animated. The movies have really hit their stride in terms of aesthetic, and the characters and settings all look amazing. The characters are incredibly expressive too, and I had a lot of fun watching them. This era of animation is great, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
The voice acting is great too. I had a lot of fun listening to the cast talk… And sing for that matter. All of the voice actors for the characters’ speaking voices sing for them too, and it’s perfect. There are no distractions due to clashing voices. Everything just works perfectly.
My only complaint here is that I’m not as big of a fan of these songs as I would like to be. They’re fine enough songs, but I wish I liked them more. The ways in which the songs start can feel a little forced at times, but they’re usually good when they hit their strides. The music is fine, just not my cup of tea.
As a whole, the production of Princess Adventure is strong even though the music isn’t entirely to my tastes.
Production: 9/10
Overall
Barbie: Princess Adventure is a nice return to form with an old Barbie trope given a modern spin. This was the first movie back after a few years of hiatus, and the series came back strong. I had a lot of fun with this, and I’d gladly recommend this movie to anyone interested in Barbie.
Overall: 7/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the most transparent fabric
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