Barbie in Schwanensee

I watched this film for the first time years ago. As a child, the movie was so fascinating with beautiful ballet routines. Now as an adult, after watching it again, everything just the same. Barbie as Odette, a bakery's daughter, she is beautiful and has a sweet personality. One day, she sees a unicorn running around her shop. She tries to save the unicorn, and everything starts changing. This film is inspired by one of the most popular ballet, Swan Lake. Although the ending and main plot is totally different. This movie is clearly aimed for children and young viewers. The antagonist, Odile, is really interesting. Her voice is so unique, I still could remember her signature laugh since I was kid. Odette in this Barbie movie is quite strong and brave, I am not very fond of the prince characteristic as he is just too cliché and not that distinctive from other male partner of Barbie films. Overall, I enjoyed this movie as for young viewers. The story is light and quite enjoyable.

This animated film shows not only the incredible use computer graphics but the beauty of dance as well. I have one of the many little girls who have been inspired to the call of ballet after watching this creation. The overall story has it's short comings, but to take a popular toy and turn it into an inspiration of dance is truly wonderful. Anything that can motivate a child to reach high into the dream clouds of hope will get my vote. My kids would like to see them do the story of rumplestilskin and the spinning wheel that spins gold.

Little girls will love the beauty, little boys with like the drama and heroics, the parents will praise the pure G rating and content. Great Work.

Story - 8/10 It changes aspects of the original ballet but still kept the storyline,

Animation 6/10 Because the movie was made in 2003 i'll give it a pass

Characters 7/10 Likeable characters that originated from the ballet alongside with new characters.

Total = 21/30

Barbie of Swan lake has been my favorite Barbie movie(and quite frankly, movie in general) since I was 3 years old. I would watch it nonstop on realest until the dvd broke(I think my mom was ok with that (; ). The story is incredible full of twists that still keep me on the edge of my seat even as a teen. The music, gorgeous, I love the music in swan lake and I enjoy seeing little badly animated figures on my tv screen dance to it. The dances are gorgeous. But with that said, the animation of course is not great, but it was made in 2003. And unfortunately the story is not the same as the original swan lake. But otherwise it is such a great movie for kids. Girls get positive female role models, Barbie and the fairy queen and Laila(the unicorn).

The story and characterizations are packed with instant-recognition cliches for the kids, but that way the kids will appreciate the dancing because it's done in character. Though the dancing takes only a small fraction of the screen time, it's well animated (computerized from the dancers of the New York City Ballet) and the medium is used well as a way of eliminating distractions and directing attention.

Thanks to animation, the film shows us little children who dance like trained professionals. There seems to be a problem with the way they come down from jumps-- they seem to take as long as if they were bigger and had jumped higher-- but it's no big deal. I think the film could give a kid a helpful push toward appreciating ballet in particular and serious music in general. Sure the story is awful, but one movie can't have everything...