The leads all have fantastic arcs that are handled masterfully. I was never bored, even at my fifth viewing of this (during this decade that is).
I love the way this movie handles this message and I’ll elaborate more when I discuss themes later. In doing so she realized that her obligation to Madame Carp wasn’t justified in the slightest. She had previously made the decision not to run away from it (“ I’ll repay my parents’ debt”), but with this added on top of it, I think it gave her a convenient reason to take a risk. She obviously didn’t want Preminger ruling the kingdom and she probably didn’t want to see Annalise married off to a guy about 40 years her elder, but I think these two things are just what gave her the push to try to break out of her debt trap. Her choice to go along with Julian’s plan is a surprisingly complicated one. She obviously still puts others first, but she now allows herself to prioritize her needs as well and look for a middle ground. Annalise realizes that she is a human being with life just like any of her subjects and she should get to make choices for herself when it comes to something as serious as marriage. In doing so, the leads are able to explore their desires and they come to understand that they have a right to consider other options before making such huge sacrifices. The plot doesn’t really happen until someone in a similar situation chooses instead, to put his wants over other’s needs. They put others’ needs over what they perceive to be their wants. It’s almost tragic, each girl choosing to sacrifice their one desire in order to do what’s right. The lyrics “I’ll remain forever royal, I’ll repay my parents’ debt, duty means doing the things your heart may well regret” illustrate this perfectly. Both characters desire something that their situation denies them, but they acknowledge there are people depending on them sacrificing this thing they want. At the beginning both protagonists have already learned the lesson from the classic tale, the song “Free” sets this up beautifully. The writers strongly deviated from the source material, if anything this feels like a sequel to the original story. The Plot: Finally an actual plot! What I love about this plot is that I’ve never really seen anything like it before. The shade they chose isn’t great and its almost distracting at times. The only complaint I have is that in some scenes Annalise and Ericka’s eyes look abnormally blue. The movements are also much, much smoother.
Her expressions are much more natural here. I didn’t really mention this in my pervious reviews, but in the past Barbie spends a solid 75% of each movie with this off-putting smile on her face, even when it isn’t really appropriate for her to be smiling. Everyone is way more expressive in this film than in the previous three. The two leads are stunning as always, really just beautiful to look at. Mattel really pours everything into the character animations, but really that’s all this film needs. The Animation: I admit it was still early Barbie animation.
This movie is just a wonderful example of what humans can create despite limited resources and a small niche to fill. What we make is a reflection of the lives we live and I wan’t to understand as much of that as I can.
In order to encompass the broadest variety of those experiences, I consume media religiously, whether that be art, music, literature, film, or any other medium. The philosophy I’ve been trying to live is that I am here for no other reason than to experience the experiences that are unique to being human. This doesn’t mean I can’t recognize good art. I’m a sad sixteen-year-old trying to work through some repressed childhood memories. My initial thoughts: I am by no means a proper film critic. Not just one of the best animated Barbie films, one of the best animated films period. This is one of the best animated films ever made.