Barbiehas reigned supreme since its creation in 1959. Since then, we’ve seen a whopping 42 animated Barbie movies come to life. On top of this, there have been several animated specials, as well as a few shows. In July of 2023, we were even given the live-action Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
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Although Barbie came to life, the animated movies are still quite classic. Here, we are going to look at the best animated Barbie movies out there. Many are a bit on the older side, releasing in the early 2000s, but they still stand up against newer movies.
This list is presented in no particular order.
8Barbie Of Swan Lake
Barbie of Swan Lake is one of the classics, released in 2003. Like several other Barbie movies from this time, the movie featured a soundtrack of classical music. In this case, we hear Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet. Movie watchers across the interest often proclaim this as their favorite movie in the Barbie franchise.
For a movie released in 2003, Barbie of Swan Lake has beautiful animation, with carefully orchestrated dancing scenes. The characters themselves are charming, with the villains of the movie being quite funny.
7Barbie As The Princess And The Pauper
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper is another fan favorite, released just one year after Barbie of Swan Lake. This movie was inspired by the classic book The Price and the Pauper. As such, we see Barbie (Princess Anneliese), and a pauper (Erika).
Throughout the course of the movie, the two become acquainted and eventually develop a powerful friendship. Interestingly, this is also the first musical within the Barbie franchise, with seven original songs made just for the movie.
6Barbie In The Nutcracker
Okay, we know. This is another Barbie movie inspired by the classics. This time, inspiration is drawn from the story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, with music from The Nutcracker ballet, which is also from Tchaikovsky.
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A lot of work went into the creation of this movie; the choreographed by the New York City ballet master-in-chief at the time, ensuring that the dances shown in the movie were authentic. In addition to a phenomenal story, one reviewer evens stated that Barbie in the Nutcracker was “…the reason Leonardo Dicaprio didn’t receive his Oscar for so long”.
5Barbie: Fairytopia
Barbie (known as Elina Sebbane) looks a bit scary in the image above, but hear us out. There is something so cozy about fairies. The tiny world they live in isn’t too obscure, but it’s still captivating nonetheless.
Throughout Barbie: Fairytopia, Barbie is accompanied by a little creature named Bibble, who definitely leaves an impression on anyone who watches. Of course, reviewers often just refer to him as “the little fat guy”.
4Barbie In The 12 Dancing Princesses
Barbie movies based on classic literature seem to be a hit, and Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses is no exception. This 2006 movie is inspired by a fairytale of the same name. Like nearly all Barbie movies, this one holds several strong messages that resonate with children and parents alike.
Similar to Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses features a lot of dancing, with movement provided by the New York City Ballet. Overall, watching this will give you a blast of nostalgia, especially if you grew up watching Barbie movies.
3Barbie And The Magic Of Pegasus
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus utilize the Greek creature Pegasus, but interestingly, when the movie was released in 2005, it was only the second to have an original plot with no source material.
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As such, the movie will take you on a magical journey, as you follow Princess Annika and Princess Brietta. Oh, did we mention that the end credits song “Hope Has Wings” was sung by Brie Larson?
2Barbie As Rapunzel
If you were a kid around the time Barbie as Rapunzel came out (2002), there is a good chance that you had theRapunzel-themed Barbie doll. As the name suggests, this movie is based on the story of Rapunzel, a girl with flowing blonde hair.
Barbie as Rapunzel is full of creativity, with paintings shown in the movie even being from a real artist (Amanda Dunbar). The movie is another fan favorite, but it also won two awards in 2002; Best Animated Character Performance and Best Original Score. In addition to this, it was nominated for several other awards.
1Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia
Lastly, we have Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia. This is a sequel to the original Barbie Fairytopia movie, taking us underwater to Mermaidia. Thankfully, we also see the return of Bibble, as well as several new mermaids, such as the blue-haired Nori.
Overall, Barbie Mermaidia adds a new magical element to the Fairytopia world. If you are as captivated by the Fairytopia series as we are, there are three additional movies to check out; one final sequel and two spin-offs.
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