Now that I know if any plagiarism happened it was on Disney’s end, I actually have a heightened respect for the writing.
BARBIE AS RAPUNZEL SONGS MOVIE
Despite the fact that I knew this movie came out right on the cusp of the 2000s, I had to check to make sure I hadn’t been having a stoke when I’d learned that, because I could have sworn this plagiarized from the Disney Rapunzel film (the one that came out a decade later). That was a very nice touch considering the protagonist is an artist (also the horse’s name is Botticelli!). One thing I noticed was that bits and pieces sort of draw from Renaissance-era art which is actually the era this film takes place in. I’m all for stylized animation, but it can be jarring to see that design next to the literal Barbie doll playing the lead. There is something to be said about the strangely cartoonish design of Gothel, however. Rapunzel was obviously the star of the show (after all she is the doll they’re trying to sell), but the Kellys (the little girls) also looked nice and no one really looked bad. The scenery isn’t great, it looks more like an old video game than anything else, and the color palate didn’t work for me (Green, pink, and purple?), but the characters are nicely designed and the costumes were accurate-ish to the time period. The Animation: Overall, a step up! While it’s still obvious that CG animated feature films had only been around for 8 years at this point, the animation isn’t horrible. While it is by no means perfect, or even close to the best Barbie movie put there, it is refreshing to see that instead of abandoning this project after the lack of success that was their debut film, Mattel instead stepped up their game and showed us that these films are worth caring about. The creators put significantly more effort into this production than their previous one and it shows. Barbie as Rapunzel is a story of children finding self worth and independence, and thereby growing into confident, competent, adults. It has a bit of an Enya feel that I enjoy.My Initial Thoughts: I’m not sure what happened between the making of Barbie in the Nutcracker and this, but goddamn am I glad it did. There are no songs but the score has choral notes to it and is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to a great story and voice casting, the music in Barbie as Rapunzel is strong. These are the kind of sweet simple messages little girls need to hear. Little Kelly learns to dream and put those dreams into her paintings – to let her art be a part of her, to express herself, and that’s when it really becomes art. Without spoilers, there is also a nice message in Barbie as Rapunzel. She’s the kind of icy, cold-hearted villain that I enjoy! I just love traditional old-school fairytales and that’s what you get here in Barbie as Rapunzel. As I said, I love Anjelica Huston as Gothel. Gothel obviously will have issues with Rapunzel’s dalliance into the village and the story takes on a bit of a Cinderella flavor as well as the traditional Rapunzel story. While there she rescues a little girl named Katrina, who has a handsome brother named Prince Stefan (who’s very convenient and adorable). One day, Rapunzel finds a tunnel under a hidden staircase that takes her to the village.
She’s a sweet, kind, and thoughtful character. Barbie could have been an airhead kind of role, but not in the hands of Sheridan. They both do a wonderful job in their roles. Rapunzel (and Barbie) are voiced by Kelly Sheridan and Mother Gothel is voiced by Anjelica Huston.
Mother Gothel hates Rapunzel’s hobbies but does not stop her. She amuses herself by painting pictures of her dreams. In this version, Rapunzel is locked in her tower with a friendly dragon and a worrisome rabbit. This is a different take on the story of Rapunzel, but it is surprisingly well written, performed, and produced.
In this story Barbie is telling Kelly the story of Rapunzel to encourage her sister to have more confidence in her painting. Today we are starting with the second Barbie release called Barbie as Rapunzel.