Barbie: A Fairy Secret

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Shopping and cattiness dominate weak Barbie effort.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that fashion and shopping are the main attractions in this Barbie story. Not only are the fashion items shown in the movie available for purchase in the real world, but role model characters encourage the Barbie characters to shop as both a form of entertainment and a way to save a friend. In an interesting gender role twist, Ken must be saved from a forced marriage, but this storyline isn't enough to make up for catty behavior and other stereotypical female behavior.

  • Intended to entertain rather than educate.
  • Shopping and applying makeup take attention away from the movie's scanty sprinkling of good stuff -- the diverse cast, and the fact that Ken is the one waiting to be saved in this movie. Girls engage in mean behavior but admit that their bad attitudes are based on insecurity.
  • The two adult role models are involved in fashion: One is a helpful fashion magazine editor, and the other is a helpful shop owner. They encourage the girls to shop, shop, shop! In a flip gender role, it's Ken who's been kidnapped and is being forced to marry a princess.
  • A few falls from great heights and peril while riding through wind tunnels on Pega-Ponies, but everyone is fine. Ken and Zane have sport duels to show their manliness.
  • Characters kiss on the lips.
  • Not applicable.
  • The movie is dripping with product tie-ins. Fairies have magical shoes, purses, and "matching belts," which allow them to fly. The girls are going to save Ken by "going shopping" at a magical shopping mall. Phones look an awful lot like iPhones.
  • Magic potion looks like wine, and it causes the drinker  to act strangely.

What's the story?

Barbie (voiced by Diana Kaarina) is getting ready for a walk down the red carpet with the help of her stylist friends Taylor (Kate Higgins) and Carrie (Cassandra Morris). When she gets to her movie debut, her co-star, Raquelle (Britt Irvin), ruins her dress. Not to worry! Barbie's stylists know what to do, and, as if by magic, her dress is repaired. But magic actually is at work, since the stylists are really fairies. Meanwhile, a spellbound fairy princess kidnaps Ken to be her fiance, which means that Barbie and her fairy friends have to do some fancy maneuvering to save him.


Is it any good?

 

There isn't much substance to BARBIE: A FAIRY SECRET, which makes its faults all the more obvious. Most glaring is the gotta-have-it shopping compulsion that dominates the plot. One of the role model-type adults admits that she has created fairy transport portals to take her to "two of my favorite shopping spots when I just can't wait" to buy something. That's not just a subtle pitch for kids to get hooked on spending -- it's a frontal assault. 

Though it's targeted at younger kids, there are themes here that are better suited to tweens and teens -- like very sarcastic, catty comments among frenemies, girls flirting with other girls' boyfriends, and plots to undermine girls' success. Most of these issues are confronted and dealt with, but with what consequences? There's too much Real Housewives and not enough fairy innocence in this movie for it to be recommended.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about product placement. Do you notice certain items in the movie that you've also seen in a store? How are they are advertised in this movie? Does seeing a toy or other product in a movie or TV show make you want to buy it?

  • Raquelle admits that she has been mean to Barbie because she felt insecure about herself. How else do we act out when we feel badly about ourselves? What are more constructive ways to make ourselves feel better?

  • Ken is kidnapped and forced to wed a princess. What's unusual about that set-up? Who usually rescues whom?


This review was written by Joly Herman
Teen, 16 years old
May 2, 2011
 
Kissing, but it's still fun

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Kid, 11 years old
April 30, 2011
 
Lamest movie in history!(Hope I didn't go to far O_o')
Barbie movies are getting a lot lame when they make a new one!The movie doesn't even make sense!Why,it's all about fashion,make-up and all kinds of icky girly stuff!The graphics hurt me a lot.It's giving me a headache!A fairy princess(So stupid!)who suddenly drunk a magical potion that made her in love with Ken?!?!And then a war on who shall marry the princess?!Fairies are the lamest things you'll ever see in this movie.You know why?Instead of being those fairies you see in fairy tales(Which is so awesome!The lands are so magical looking!)You see a fairyland that you only see are the colors pink,pink,PINK!!!And instead it's just full of boutiques!Fairies' lands are supposed to be colorful!Barbie is such a pink and fashion wannabe!She's not a good role model for girls.She will never be!What she just talks about are girly stuff that you not-so-girly girls will barf and complain about!The worst movie in history!

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Kid, 12 years old
April 19, 2011
 
STUPIDEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a boy who likes Miranda Cosgrove so I AM SUSSPOSED TO HATE THIS MOVIE!!!!!

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Parent of 5, 7, and 10 year old
April 13, 2011
 
I'm very disappointed! Direct and subtle themes are not very ideal for kids!
I'm very disappointed with this movie. If I have my own kids, I don't think I would want them to see it. It has very little substance to it and is more centered on fashion (make-up, dresses, skimpy and tight clothes (subtle message on dressing sexy and provocatively) stylish shoes, matching belt, etc.) and unnecessary spending. A person's character is far more important than how someone looks. It is so ironic that the fairy whom they said was wise created fairy transport portals to take her to her favorite shopping spots when she just "can't wait" to buy something. This is the current state of most people in North America (women in general) - spending, spending, spending, living on credit cards and debt. The movie has too much immediate gratification mentality - getting what they want when they want it at whatever cause (unnecessary shopping, flirting with someone else's bf, manipulation, forcing someone to marriage, the list goes on and on. We are molding our kids to grow up to be kids and immature. No wonder our society is in shambles because the grownups who are supposed to be our role models are acting like kids and NOT responsible adults. Not to mention that there's a misplaced role between women and men. I can see that the movie depicted well the sad reality between gender roles. How many times do we see in our own households mothers taking the role of the fathers at home? In most cases, mothers have one more child than they asked for. Why? Because men are becoming more and more passive and it drives the women wild. And this movie is encouraging that (Ken playing the damsel in distress; the guy folded when the princess raised her voice and threatened to unleash her fury at him if he doesn’t shut up; etc.) This is the kind of mentality we are passing on to the next generation. I have nothing against women who can stand on her own two feet, but ladies, we have our own role to play already, let’s not take the men’s as well. Although they tried to address some negative issues in the end and tried to sprinkle values like friendship, forgiveness, communication and love, there are really no real consequences pertaining to the negative behaviour of the characters in the film. And again, this is exactly how we are now functioning at home nowadays. If kids will not be given real consequences for their actions, they will come back again and again to whatever they were doing wrong until they hit the wall. Boundaries are essential to develop one’s character and when they are crossed there should be serious consequences. When the princess found out that Crystal tricked her into marrying Ken so Crystal can scheme her way to have her bf she was secretly and desperately in love with, she was asked to clean up after the wedding reception as a punishment. How lame is that? This is supposedly a movie for kids. Let’s make some that is suited for them with morals and values they can imitate and live by – not some crappy movie enticing kids to just look pretty outside but rotten within.

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Teen, 15 years old
March 29, 2011
 
barbie movies
Always the same story. Barbie is a fairy/princess. There's usually some evil witch trying to get her. Barbie goes on quest. Barbie meets dumb friends and cheesy prince. Barbie wins and marries prince for no reason whatsoever. Bottom line: Barbie movies are always the same story, dumb, cheesy, pointless.

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Parent of 6, 7, and 9 year old
April 6, 2011
 
overall a good movie
at the end of the movie it talks a great deal about friendship and how to use your words( communiction skills) to find out why someone is not nice to you or why a friendship has fallen out.

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Teen, 14 years old
March 22, 2011
 
HIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR ANYONE!

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Kid, 11 years old
March 21, 2011
 
it is supper

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Parent
September 17, 2011
 
Not the worst Barbie movie.
This is absolute drivel on the level of Twilight. Preteens do not need to know about romance. You can safely let your kid watch this all by herself, as she is too young to understand why Barbie is a terrible influence on older girls, because this is absolute torture to sit through as an adult.

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Kid, 11 years old
October 28, 2011
 
NOT AGAIn
Personally, as a ten year old being put through endless barbie movies by my best friend who has trouble with movies. Lets just say she acts weirdly for her age... I think its fine, but Really,Boutiques + 4 year olds = good movie???? Ken is being forced into mariage by the Princess Fairy, I know i'm ten but, look just not a good movie, ive seen better [I'm always forced to watch them.] Honestly, One scene shows then trapped in these nice balls composed of magic, cannot escape [Except for forgiveness which seems to overload the system] But if you look at it, they could fly through. noobish and boring as usual....

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This review was written by Joly Herman
Studio:Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Director:William Lau
Cast:Adrian Petriw, Britt Irvin, Diana Kaarina
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:90 minutes
DVD release date:March 15, 2011
MPAA rating:NR

This review was written by Joly Herman
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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