BARBIE IN THE NUTCRACKER

BARBIE IN THE NUTCRACKER is a very well-written, beautifully animated video movie. Those who love Barbie and her friends should love this video movie. Even those who never felt enamored by Barbie will enjoy this movie, which has been written and produced in part by MOVIEGUIDE® friend Rob Hudnut.

The movie opens with Barbie and her little friend Kelly practicing their ballet moves. Kelly falls and becomes discouraged, so Barbie tells her a modern adaptation of the famous E. T. A. Hoffmann classic tale of THE NUTCRACKER.

In the tale, Clara, who looks like Barbie, receives a toy nutcracker from her favorite aunt, Elizabeth. Regrettably, her brother Tommy grabs for the Nutcracker, and the Nutcracker’s arm is dislocated. Clara bandages up the arm and falls asleep under the Christmas tree.

She awakens in her dream to find the Nutcracker fighting off a well-armed horde of attacking mice. When she intercedes to protect the Nutcracker, the Mouse King turns her mouse size with his scepter.

The Nutcracker tells Clara that the only way she can return to normal is to come with him to the kingdom of Parthenia and find the Sugarplum Fairy. On their journey to Parthenia, Clara realizes that the Nutcracker is none other than Prince Eric. The Mouse King was his regent, who seized control of the kingdom, and turned Prince Eric into the Nutcracker. The people have a low opinion of Prince Eric, because he was selfish and spoiled.

On this journey to rescue the kingdom and restore Clara, Prince Eric, Clara and their friends learn many moral principles, including serving others, laying down your life for others, honesty, integrity, courage, valor, mutual dependence, and compassion. These moral messages do not take away from the entertaining quality of the video. This is a fairy tale in a classic sense, where the messages are part of the fabric of the tale. The tale is enhanced with spectacular dance scenes using the real-life movements of dancers from the New York City Ballet.

Barbie is a warm and caring character in the movie. The Nutcracker learns his lesson that a prince needs to serve his people. Regrettably, there is magic in the movie. The Mouse King, who is a very scary creature, uses magic to transform others and to transform his scepter into various weapons. However, it is his magic that destroys him, so in fact magic is rebuked. Thus, the magic here is much like the magic in C.S. Lewis’s THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.

Even though the magic is rebuked, however, there seems to be some confusion between fact and fiction, and this video is watched best with your children. Also, there are battle sequences and frightening creatures that the Mouse King creates. Of course, for entertainment to work you need a villain, and the stronger the villain, the stronger the story. This is a compelling movie because of the mouse villain.

All in all, BARBIE IN THE NUTCRACKER is an unexpected, delightful fantasy, suitable for children with parental involvement.