In her first animated musical featuring seven original songs, Barbie comes to life in this modern re-telling of a classic tale of mistaken identity and the power of friendship. Based on the story by Mark Twain, Barbie as The Princess and The Pauper features Barbie in a dual role as a princess and a poor village girl - who look amazingly alike.
Director: William Lau
Stars: Kelly Sheridan, Melissa Lyons, Julie Stevens.
Shelley Hunt ... motion capture choreographer
borrowed dvd
7 songs in the Soundtracks, all Composed by Megan Cavallari, 4 with Lyrics by Amy Powers and Rob Hudnut, 3 with Lyrics by Amy Powers alone.
It's good to have versions of The Prince and the Pauper with genders reversed, although I have not rated (nor own) any of the 31 versions of the story listed on the Connections page.
But these (not surprising) look-alike Barbies are competent, and assertive, each with a cat that aids the plot (and one actually plays a role in the rescue.
I don't like the animation, but they need to make the principals look like the doll, so they did a good job with that I suppose.
The songs got annoying. The dancing by the villain was good. I'd like to have learned how they did the animation, but no special features were included.
Rated 6.8 (3,943)
Mattel & more, distr. Universal, dir. Lau; 6-
