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Barbie and the Three Musketeers (NR)

common sense media says

Barbie gets the swashbuckler treatment; some violence.

parents & educators say
  • 67% say there are positive messages
  • 67% say violence is an issue
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Barbie is supposed to be a French "countryside girl" whose dream is to be a Musketeer like her father once was. Some parents might question "girl power" being defined by using weapons. Barbie and her friends fight and go after bad guys with their self-made weapons.

Positive messages: Barbie goes to battle? Maybe not as egregious as this, but Barbie and her friends train to fight and do indeed drop a host of bad guys with their self-made weapons. The idea that girls can't be Musketeers motivates Barbie and her friends to try their hardest to fulfill their dreams to be swashbucklers with swords. Eh...
Positive role models: Brandishing a weapon does not make Barbie a strong, empowered role model. And Musketeers do not necessarily screech, "Musketeers rock!" with a cheerleader bounce.
Violence & scariness: Considering that it's Barbie, there's a lot of sword play and macho language from the girls. "Let's do this!" Barbie shouts as they take on a group of ne'er-do-wells. As they prepare for a costume ball where there's danger, Barbie and her friends decide to make "weapons that blend in with our costumes." Barbie runs with a sword to best the bad guy atop a Parisian church.
Sexy stuff: A good deal of accidental touching and special moments with the Prince, as Barbie attempts to save his life. Swoony, dreamy sighs as the Prince walks by.
Consumerism: Obviously the Barbie tie-ins with the movie are must-haves for fans. A Corinne doll, complete with a sword, is on the shelves.
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More on Barbie and the Three Musketeers

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the history of females as warriors. Who are the women who have gone to battle in times past? Is there a reason why women should or shouldn't go to war? Why have women traditionally left the violence to men?
  • Though it's not exactly violent, this movie has a lot of sword play and fighting. How does even the mildest level of violence affect a young viewer? This article looks at the effects of media violence on our society's most impressionable viewers.
  • Barbie and her friends help to save the Prince. This is a role-reversal from the typical fairy tale. Can you think of some alternate ending to some other fairy tales? How are girls portrayed in typical fairy tales?
  • Does being equal mean that girls must be initiated into the violent world of boys?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Barbie plays Corinne (voiced by Kelly Sheridan), a girl from the French countryside who has always dreamed of being a Musketeer like her father. Now that she is seventeen, she has enough skills to go to Paris and follow her passion. She takes her horse, her cat, and a letter of introduction to the big city. But she soon discovers that girls are not allowed to be Musketeers, which makes her even more determined to follow her dream. She happens to become employed by the royal family as a maid, and meets three other girls who also want to be Musketeers. They are trained by the house maid, who is secretly also a Musketeer, and soon the four girls find themselves defending the Prince's life in earnest.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Though it feels more like Cinderella, this movie looks like an attempt by the creators to jump on the Pirates of the Caribbean ship. Barbie does all kinds of acrobatic moves, which flaunt her girlishness, but putting a sword in her dainty little hands seems to be a stretch. When she boasts, "I'm gonna be a Musketeer," she sounds a little too much like a cheerleader. Moreover, the high-toned language of Tim Curry, who plays the bad guy, Philippe, strikes a jangly contrast to Barbie and her friends who say things like, "Musketeers rock!" and "Let's do this!"

On the other hand, trying to fashion strong female characters isn't a bad thing -- like Helene (Kathleen Barr), the chamber maid-slash ninja master who teaches the girls how to fight. But she's ultimately never elevated beyond her maid status. And though Barbie and her crew become Musketeers in the end, their hair is perfectly coiffed as they ride into the sunset with their matching outfits and their kitten. A pretty good try, but this Musketeer misses the mark. 

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Mattel Entertainment Inc.
Director: William Lau
Cast: Kelly Sheridan, Kira Tozer, Tim Curry
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 81 minutes
DVD release: September 15, 2009
MPAA Rating: NR
MPAA explanation: Not Rated
This review was written by Joly Herman
 
 

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What parents & educators say

4
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 67% say there are positive messages
  • 67% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say there are positive role models
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

Turtlewomyn
parent of 5 year old
4
 
Teaches your child to be violent
My daughter is now getting in trouble at daycare for increased hitting of her friends since the first time she saw this movie. I noticed a change in her behavior immediately after watching the movie for the first time.
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cinderella as ...
kid, 9 years old
5
 
it's very good
i love so much
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helped me decide (9) | had useful details (9) | read my mind (9)
poca77
kid, 13 years old
2
 
Terrible!!!!!!
I hated it! It has bad anamation and a bad story line. Do not waste your time watching this dumb movie.
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Nectaria
teen, 17 years old
6
 
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fastraxsg
parent of 6 and 10 year old
4
 
Girl power
I think it might be a little scary because of fighting but it does have good messages. No one can tell them they can't be musketeer because girls can be anything they want to be!
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smgm01
parent of and 2 , 4 , 7 year old
5
 
I really like barbie movies as an alternative to the disney princess movies for my girls. It seems that most disney movies are girls in distress and boys coming to save them with a kiss and then they get married. I want my girls to know there are more options for them. I like how Mattel has barbie as the hero in most of the movies. Just a nice change of pace.
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Ugli Chic
teen, 18 years old
3
 
My cousin has me watching this with her, and I'm thinking,"A Barbie Musketeer? Come on!" But I was surprised; though the story line was convenient (prince happens to fall for Barbie/Corienne, Corienne happens to be leader of girls, etc.), it was one of the best Barbie movies I've seen so far. At least it's not some sappy love story; yuck! Animation was ok; loved the fighting scenes and the girls' creative dresses. Somewhat reminded me of Mulan, with the sword and fan-fighting. No language to worry about, just some really lame lines that don't belong in the movie. It's the 1600s, people; girls didn't go around saying words like "date", "you rock",or things like that. Otherwise, all clear!
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Hiya55karate9
kid, 10 years old
2
 
OMG
Okay turtlewomyn, a child in daycare shouldn't be watching this, and second, where is your knowledge?
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arthur16morgana
teen, 16 years old
6
 
i love this movie.i love barbie movies. an i actually really liked her in this movie. i liked how she had to save the prince and not the other way around. good movie
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heavenlygirl
teen, 17 years old
2
 
im almost 16 and liked it
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Swit Swat
kid, 12 years old
5
 
Somewhat strange barbie movie is best reserved for young girls!
Yes, it is kind of iffy for a barbie movie. But it was okay. Not like other boring Barbie movies. 4 year olds can watch it, but you have to make sure they are mature enough because they might start punching and kicking at people or objects. Anyway, 4 year olds are okay. But, if they are still not mature, maybe at 5 years of age.
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tangled
teen, 14 years old
6
 
smgm01, there are quite a few disney movies not like that Beauty and the Beast Princess and the frog Little Mermaid (well the princess does anything to follow her dreams, much like this movie) Pochahontas (pardon my spelling) Mulan (obvious one) Rapunzel (not sure about this one. But in the trailers for tangled she seem like the "tough doesn`t care about prince type") Trying to prove a point here XD
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