 | 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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Barbie in The Nutcracker
- Review Date: September 27, 2010
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2001
Common Sense Media says
A more passive-than-usual Barbie in lackluster holiday tale.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there are dolls and product tie-ins that accompany this movie. Also, Barbie is not as strong-willed or as complete a character as she becomes in later Barbie movies. There are some perilous moments as well as some hand-to-hand combat; the Mouse King growls and threatens with ferocity, using words like, "stupid," "idiot," and so forth.
What's the story?
Barbie (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) plays Clara, the heroine from the Nutcracker, who falls asleep on Christmas Eve to find herself embroiled in a conflict between the Nutcracker ( Kirby Morrow) that she received for Christmas and the evil Mouse King (Tim Curry). She follows the Nutcracker to his homeland, Parthenia, which has been ravaged by the Mouse King's men. Can Clara and the Nutcracker dethrone the Mouse King and save the day? Fans of the original Nutcracker will know the answer.
Is it any good?
Compared to later Barbie movies, this variation of Tchaikovsky and Balanchine's Nutcracker portrays Barbie as a watcher, not a doer. She helps the Nutcracker with some of his tasks, and she stands up to the Mouse King in a scary confrontation, but she's more interested in being the romantic link than the heroic one.
The vocal and musical scores of this movie are impressive, since the London Symphony Orchestra plays the beautiful score. But the clumsy CGI animation takes the wind out of the sails here. Both Nutcracker and Barbie fans have better entertainment choices than this movie.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about leadership roles. Why does Prince Eric feel that he has let his people down? What are your ideas of good leadership?
Which came first? Barbie or the Barbie movies? Do you think that her movies have more value than long advertisements for the doll? Why or why not?
Here are some tips that can help parents keep a lid on the push to buy the products that are featured in movies.
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Teen, 13 years old
October 16, 2010
AGE
MirSan?! MIRSAAANNN
lol the only Barbie movie that got the pairings right. :P
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Parent of 1 and 3 year old
October 7, 2010
AGE
good for little want to be dancers, or any little girl
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Teen, 14 years old
October 16, 2010
AGE
One of my faves growing up!
I loved it when I was younger, I think some parts scared me.. I think it was mostly that giant rock thing that was creeply stomping up the hill to either capture them or kill them, and then that time on that frozen ocean (at least the creepy giant rock guy came to an end) Otherwise I liked it! I loved the fairies, sparkles, and when those flowers blossomed through the snow. It was beautifuly done, I watched it almost every Christmas. (I was also afraid of that clock at the beginning when it stroke midnight because when I was little I had a strange fear of clocks... don't know why) Excellent, though the rat guy irritated me, HA to him at the end. A very good Barbie movie (Though people irritate the living crud out of me when they make up stuff like 'sexual intendo' and 'cursing like a sailor' crap)- No, no that never happened. Awesome movie (Giant rock scared me though, still does)
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Kid, 11 years old
October 2, 2010
AGE
love it
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Kid, 10 years old
April 20, 2011
AGE
OMG WHY DOES MY FRIEND LIKE THIS! BARBIE! IF U WANT SOMETHING THAT KIDS WILL LIKE OR MAKE IT GIRLY GIRL THEN MAKE A MOVIE WITH NO VIOLENCE
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Teen, 15 years old
January 21, 2011
AGE
my fave barbie movie, i have this movie and i love it. barbie is cool. its not scary.
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Adult
October 31, 2011
AGE
fine
Bit of scary scenes. But I think they are tolerable for kids
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Teen, 13 years old
December 26, 2011
AGE
Good For Little Girls
The romantic parts are sweet and chaste. And the violence is at a minimum. Language is a bit of an issue. Overall good movie for little girls to watch.
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Parent
January 10, 2012
AGE
One of the best Barbie movies
I picked "educational" because I love the music from these. My daughter now knows the music from Swan lake and the Nutcracker. It's a fantastic movie to watch at Christmas time. It's one of the best Barbie movies, to me, that they've made.
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Parent
December 29, 2012
AGE
One of the good ones
I have been impressed and very un-impressed at some Barbie movies. Some are good and then some are terrible with cattiness, shallowness, and tween/teen situations. This is one I like and my girls like. It gave them a good idea of what the nutcracker was all about prior to seeing the live ballet. I put it on the list of good ones.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, princesses and fairies, holidays |
| Studio: | Mattel Entertainment Inc. |
| Director: | Owen Hurley |
| Cast: | Kelly Sheridan, Kirby Morrow, Tim Curry |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 78 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 23, 2001 |
| DVD release date: | October 5, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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