Film Integrity  
By A3M81YQA9Z6F0W on 2007-09-20
I once heard a definition of integrity as something you are when nobody's watching. I also once heard someone comment that there must be no honor among filmmakers because apparently nobody in a high-budget production cared that the movie made was terrible. Well, I have to say, this movie is yet another shining example of the Barbie movies' integrity.
They could get away with SO much--they don't NEED to put a plot or characters or even any kind of acting into this, honestly. BUT THEY DO. The reason I pick this movie out of the crop is that (a) it was just released, and (b) it's a great example of the integrity that is so lost among high-end studio productions these days. Why? Think--what movie is similar to this? Can you think of any parallels? Especially in the Disney array? It's a movie with striking similarities to the Little Mermaid.
BUT, instead of making the heroine a selfish brat and saving it with appealing sidekicks and great music, the characters themselves are likable (or hate-able) and they DON'T have to make the person trying to marry the prince a creepy person either. It's so great! The music, as in the Princess and the Pauper, is shockingly good; the animation and visuals just keep getting better and better; and the storytelling and character development are far above the par of the so-called "best" of Hollywood today.
If you have already started collecting the Barbie movies, get this one too. If not, start right now! Little girls and you(!) will ACTUALLY enjoy them together. This is a worthwhile movie to see, as are the other Barbie movies. Even the weakest of them (story-wise) is morally strong and is better quality than most Hollywood fare these days.
Enjoy this film integrity!
Not our favorite Barbie movie
By A3CKBFRM6VQJ8G on 2007-09-19
Okay, I will admit up front that my five-year-old daughter and I have only watched this DVD once, and sometimes movies grow on you the more you watch them. But our initial reaction is one of disappointment. I thought the songs were very forgettable and the main characters weren't very interesting (Prince Antonio, in particular, is pretty bland and the villaness is not as colorful as in past Barbie movies.) My daughter had been so excited about finally getting to see Island Princess, especially since it is a musical, but she wandered away several times while it was on (something she doesn't do while watching Princess and the Pauper or Swan Lake, her two favorite Barbie movies.) I have a feeling Island Princess is not going to join the list of her most-requested DVDs.
Great KIDS movie
By A2PJOAL5DD04QL on 2007-09-21
I'm amazed at some of the detailed reviews about this kids movie. My 5 year old liked it and that's great. It had a cute story and some nice songs. I don't think she really cares that much about character development, etc. So if you want a nice fun movie for your child, get it. If you are looking for something deeper, move on.
Not that bad
By A1E7IUT8XKDUZC on 2007-09-21
Okay, this is not going to win any awards by any means, but really what barbie movie is? I really enjoyed Princess and the Pauper and the Dancing Princesses was pretty good, but the rest were hard to sit through. I'm giving it 4 stars because my kids did seem to enjoy it. As an adult, the plot was very bland and predictable, but it had a few fun songs I enjoyed. Although it wasn't wonderful, it wasn't terrible either. If you have a barbie fan, it's worth a look.
Outstanding!
By on 2007-09-22
I love the Barbie movies, and this is my favorite one by far. Never have I seen better. I loved Rosella, and I'm glad she found her mother. I also liked Tika a lot. She was a cute character. The songs were really fun. I especially liked "At the Ball" and "The Rat Song." I highly reccomend this movie. My mom loved it, too!
- A reasonable new Barbie movie
By A2W7C0V4G36EB9 on 2007-09-26
What I liked:
1) The story was cute
2) The other woman wasn't a jerk
3) Ro's reunion at the end with someone who missed her all those years
4) barbie's animation was good (not creepy like the earlier barbie movies)
What I didn't like:
1) The obligatory 3 kelly dolls - one blonde, one brunette, one red-head. Marketing so obvious even my 8yo figured out their ploy
2) The ugly peacock dress and accompanying song. Who goes to a party after being showered with glitter? And how come the feathers didn't look like feathers by the time she put them on her dress?
3) The mother was very much an absentee mother in the roles of her children, choosing instead to obsess over her monkey
4) A missed opportunity for the queen to learn to treat the intelligent animals as friends rather than pets
5) The very stereotypical ugly villainess with a bad pompadour and insane pets
6) The prince's animation lacked soul
7) Tika's nightmares. What were they all about?
8) When the prince danced with Ro at that party, it was a direct slap in the face to Luciana, who didn't care that she was being humiliated.
- Catchy songs, bright colors, cute animals - who could resist??
By A1ZV42KNC3RMV8 on 2007-10-05
I told people that if I ever had a daughter, I would NEVER buy her anything Barbie. But here I am, with 3 girls later, and I have bought them almost every Barbie movie on the market! This is by far the best Barbie movie, IMHO. My girls (ages 2 & 4) love the songs and the animals. The movie is also very brightly colored. Ever since I bought the movie for them, they've been watching it constantly. I try not to analyze the Barbie movies too much though. Otherwise I would be focusing in on Azul, the "happy" peacock, if you know what I mean... Barbie movie-makers always seem to throw in some unique characters. Embarrasingly enough, I cried at the end of the movie! I'm looking forward to the Mariposa movie next!
- the worst Barbie movie is still better than the Disney princesses
By A2QIV3NNF3VJJ9 on 2007-09-27
The worst Barbie movie is still better than the Disney princesses.
This was not Barbie's strongest movie. In fact, I was disappointed. I was excited for Island Princess because it was a musical.
We really enjoyed the songs and my girls liked the movie, but the storyline was poorly developed. All of a sudden a prince comes to the island and Ro not only decides she will sail away with him, but has "feelings" for him too. How is that possible when all they said was hello? Also Arianna's desire for revenge was merely mentioned in a song, again, poor development. Additionally, all the women in this movie looked about the same age. I know Barbies always look good, but come on. Arianna, in particular, hardly looked any older than her daughter. This has never been an issue in Barbie movies before. None of these things seemed to bother my daughters though.
Despite these flaws I know I will watch it again and again, mainly because my daughters will ask for it, but why not? The sound and color are amazingly well done, and I'd rather have a poorly developed female character who can take care of herself than one that needs to rely on her prince.
- There are worse movies than Island Barbie
By A3S68VEITRP8ZE on 2007-10-01
Island Barbie is predictable and the music is nice. My three year old enjoyed it enough to watch again. What I found I disliked the most about this DVD is that I cannot skip all the promitional and commercial items before the movie begins. Three year olds (at least mine) have very short attention spans and by the time the movie starts she's begging for something else because the Barbie movie isn't on. I then tend to reach for and redirect my daughter to other movies other than this DVD for this very reason. If you can get past having to watch all the commercials before the movie starts, it's a very enjoyable DVD to watch.
- my 4 yo loves it!
By A1IA0Q71H13Z3Y on 2007-10-04
My daughter loves it! We have watched it non stop for a week. She also loves Rapunzel, Princess and the pauper, and the Nutcracker. Swan Lake, Magic of Pegasus not as much. Personally, I think these are all better than the Fairytopia and Mermaidia movies which have very sarcastic characters with attitude and is not the way I want my kids to speak to me.
- Drugs, Gold Diggers, Romance, Lesbianism, Songs...Who could resist Barbie!
By A3M4DWBISHFDG4 on 2007-10-11
Let me start off by saying like most Barbie movies the color and animation is beautiful. Viewers really get a look at the colorful and magical island Barbie resides in. In this movie Barbie has new original songs! Much like her Princess and the Pauper days we not only see Barbie dance on her island but sing!
All her animal friends as always have a ton of mascara on with long eyelashes..must be that type Queen Latifa always be talking about!
There is an evil gold digger mother who sings about marrying the "oldest king she could find" and then he died the next day leaving the kingdom to her and how she wants her daughter to forget about "those other clowns" and concentrate on "boys with crowns". She not only drugs all the animals in the kingdom using a Lunesta or Valium type drug called "sunset herb" but manages to also hijack a carriage and almost run over three maidens causing one of them to almost fall of a cliff!
Next Barbie's elephant is very odd..she is obsessed with Barbie to the point of destroying a romantic letter the Prince left for Barbie and finally when she confesses to it she says things like "what about us" and "if you married the prince then you would not love me". The elephant even wants to follow them on their honeymoon saying "maybe we can stowaway". I think the elephant is a lesbian. She just acted strange throughout the whole movie like looking at herself in the waters reflection and having nightmares?
Barbie looks really pretty in this movie, in Fairytopia her face looked older. I even thought her bitchy mermaid friend Nori was better looking.
One thing though..she did need some lipstick in this movie..I mean the animals wore more makeup than her..
Of course there is a very touching moment at the end and not to mention great songs, romance and laughs along the way. If you love Barbie and all the amazing things she can do, add this to your collection!
I know I have! Can't wait till the next one!
- magical musical, witty, funny and bright
By AGG9C66TOLJZB on 2007-10-14
It is great to see Barbie returning to the musical format. Much of the plot of the movie might be trite, but the format is clever, and there is a great deal of appeal in these for adults and children. My 4 and 5 year old girls really enjoyed the film, and I loved the music.
The basic story is that a young girl is washed up on an isolated island. She grows up with animals and learns to speak `animal' so she can communicate with them like we would with each other. The island is visited by a Prince who is rescued by Ro and then takes her back to his land (with her animal friends of course), she wants to find out where she comes from (a great song accompanies this!) However once there Prince Antonio finds that he has been betrothed to a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. Unbeknownst to them all, the mother of the Princess has a score to settle with Prince Antonio's father, King Peter, and intends to exact revenge on them all once the wedding has happened. Ro gets dressed for the royal ball, (another fabulous song!) but feels out of place there. Ro, realizing she is out of place wants to go back to her own island. Prince Antonio is forced to give her up and she gets put on a boat, but is betrayed and nearly dies when she is knocked into the water. She manages to survive by calling the dolphins. Making her way back to land she rescues everyone from the evil queen discovers what she needs to know about herself and marries prince Antonio (of course) - the final song is just amazing.
The colours of Barbie movies are incredibly bright, and this is no exception, perhaps a bit too bright, but it does set them apart
The animators of these movies are clearly developing with each movie, and the animation is in this is really very good. We see greater range of movement depicted in this than in any other movie and the characters manage to move in fairly realistic form. I like the way the camera plays at different angles making it feel much more like modern film-making (the scene when Ro is in the ballroom talking to Prince Antonio is a case in point) but also when Prince Antonio jumps off the moving carriage to rescue the girl knocked off the bridge - very smart and `die hard' action style scene - most impressive!
My only real dislike in this movie is the animals - the Red panda, Saj is fine, but the Elephant (Tika) and the Monkey, Tallulah are just plain freaky. Tallulah really scared my children she looks almost human but in a totally unnatural way. Please a little more realism there!
The Music is just extraordinary. These are great sing-along style songs. There are some which are incredibly witty in almost Cole Porter style - the song about getting dressed for the ball is a case in point - smart, sassy and snappy lyrics. The music for it has great harmonys and style. It might be trite at times, but it is great to sing along with and we have been using the Karaoke section to learn them (great idea thanks!)
The various comments in other reviews about Tika the Elephants' nightmares. This isn't absolutely obvious, but Tika is scared of being left alone, of Ro leaving her. She expresses this when they leave the island, and again on the boat when she admits to hiding Prince Antonio's note from Ro. The ending shows that she has come to terms with this.
Anyway, there are some drawbacks to the movie, holes in the plot you could drive an elephant through. On the other hand, there are things in here such as the music which take the movie up to a new level. This is overall a great movie and gets a 5 out of 5 easily from my family.
- excellent for under youngsters
By A22J41JW8JOD04 on 2007-10-15
A fabulous story. Female hero, female villan and girl drives the wedding carriage. Adventure/romance/animals and never had to cringe or hear the term "shut-up" spoken. Wide range of male characters as well. Great for children 3-8. Barbie gets better and better.
- Enjoyable, but not as good as the previous Barbie movies
By A2FOISVI5GC46W on 2007-10-17
My daughter LOVES all of the Barbie movies and was very excited about the Island Princess. She watched it 2 times and has not asked for it since. The music isn't as entertaining and somehow doesn't have the charm of the others.
- Never been a Barbie fan
By ALJV82SEASOZA on 2007-10-19
I've never been much of a Barbie fan, but I really enjoyed The Princess and the Pauper, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Rupunzel made from fairy tales and all starring Barbie. So I special ordered the Island Princess and couldn't wait for it to come. I was not disappointed. It is great! By the way, I'm 52 and enjoy these with my granddaughter who is 4 years old. My husband even likes them.
- VERY SWEET MOVIE
By A3BBSASA8NASXL on 2007-10-24
My family and I loved this movie and we have seen every Barbie movie. I find they really make an effort to create a nice story, with a real plot, lovely songs, and a nice message. I find them very well done, they could easily make them cheap and boring with unimaginative CGI (as someone else mentioned)but, I think they put a lot of heart into these movies. I thought this story had a unique twist to it(in terms of Ro's struggle to be accepted) and visually all the Barbie movies are very beautiful, escpecially this one. My only complaint is that the main character is always blond, blue eyed, caucasian Barbie and I think children deserve more reality, they've done the blond thing over and over (and there's nothing wrong with it) BUT it's time to move on and give a more realistic view of women. Maybe in the next movie Barbie could take a sidekick role so we could have a little healthy cultural variety, they do it with their dolls why not with their movies? Other than that I recommend this adorable touching movie and I quite enjoyed the songs.
- Wonderful uplifting movie
By A1VMXGHX82D9BE on 2007-10-31
We bought Barbie Island Princess this afternoon. My daughter is watching it now for the 2nd time. The music is very good - lovely melodies and great harmonies. I agree with the other reviewer saying that it is a breath of fresh air to have morally good characters, no bad language and great lessons learned. We love the Barbie movies and I was pleased with this one as well. I disagree with the reviewer that said it was not one of the best Barbie movies - my daughter is saying it is the best so far. Lovely story - I recommend to your daughters who love their Barbies and those older and younger as well. I enjoyed it as well and I love the music.
- Amazing Barbie Movie! The best yet!
By AEWYUPCNDV7HY on 2007-11-23
We own 4 Barbie movies, and this one is the best yet! I was so impressed with the storyline, which is similar to Disney's The Little Mermaid. The voice talent is excellent, the colors are vivid and bright, and the character development is very clear and understandable for young children. Every scene is absolutely breathtaking, the artists that worked on this film should be commended for their terrific work! I hope to see more Barbie movies of this quality in the near future.
The bonus features included with the movie are Karaoke sing-a-long, outtakes, and dvd content that you can play in your computer. The DVD had 9 full length songs beautifully sung. I have had trouble in the past sitting through the earlier Barbie movies with my daughter, but we found ourselves not only watching this movie in it's entirety last night but again tonight. I really love this movie and it's the first one that I have felt compelled to buy the dolls and books to go along with it. You just might like it more than The Little Mermaid!
- Almost the Best of Barbie Movies
By A1G5CAR4D3L00G on 2007-10-12
We have all of the Barbie movies except for Nutcracker, but we have rented it and watched it as well. My daughter, my mother, and myself all enjoy watching these Barbie movies together. This one is up there at the level of our favorite - The Princess and the Pauper. Although the songs aren't quite as catchy as that one, we rank Barbie as the Island Princess as number 2 in the growing list of Barbie movies. Their animation is getting better and smoother looking as time goes by, and they offer great role models for young girls. Mattel is on the right track for girls with these Barbie movies. I just hope they can keep up the momentum offering this new generation of girls a code of ethics, a can do attitude, sharing of thoughts and communication, along with a consideration of others. Bravo to one toy maker who's getting it right. I wish the rest would follow. And my daughter asks, "When will they have a Barbie movie in theater?" Now that would be neat!
- Another great Barbie movie!
By A2DHDE6PNTACXZ on 2007-10-15
Daughter, age 5, has all the Barbie movies and this one is really good and she adores it!
- barbie as a role model
By A35GXEQVD7KY81 on 2007-10-17
The creators of the barbie line have sent another message of girl power. this time in the form of an island princess. she is strong caring and smart. I can't wait to see what they come up with next
- Such an adorable movie!
By AK42FVPJMZP5L on 2007-09-26
I love all the Barbie movies, but this has to be my favorite! It has a lot of similar aspects to some of my favorite Disney (and non-Disney) animated movies, which I loved. The story flows well and the characters are endearing. The animation is, in my opinion, the best in the series; the colors are more vibrant, which makes it less jarringly CG, and I love the character designs (such as Ro's braid and Prince Antonio's face, which was different than all the other "Kens").
What really makes this movie a winner, though, is the soundtrack. Just TRY and tell me that those songs don't get stuck in your head. I've been listening to them OVER and OVER. The best song in the movie by far is "I Need to Know." The duet between Alessandro Juliani (Antonio) and Melissa Lyons (Ro) is absolutely GORGEOUS. Their harmony is amazing, I got goosebumps! The other songs are good too, I can't get "The Rat Song" out of my head.
These movies are good for people who like visually pleasing stories that don't make you think too hard. Call it predictable, but it's nice when you can count on everyone living happily ever after. While deep, dark, thought-provoking movies serve their purpose, when you're stressed out or just want to relax, sometimes you just need a good cartoon. That's what Disney movies USED to be about, and the Barbie movies have taken over in their stead. This movie has excellent values in it, such as respect for animals, the value of caring for others, and the importance of sharing (the lyrics to the song "Always More" are really good for this), and following your heart. I would definitely show this movie to little girls, as it's movies like this that provide wholesome entertainment with good values to children, while being entertaining to adults as well.
I encourage you to try this movie out before you make up your mind that it's "silly" or "kids stuff."
- Previews
By A2P39Z9BK2VKTC on 2007-10-05
I have not seen this yet, but I have a question: what are the
Barbie movie previews on this disc? Thanks. :)
- barbie as island priciness
By A3FH8Z7NYBT7H6 on 2007-10-18
Service is good, easily to purchase in the web site and processing is fast. So I got my order only two days, But I used UPS ground.
- Everything My Daughter Wanted it to Be!
By A26MX4YTUORM61 on 2007-10-19
My daughter purchased this movie with her allowance money. It was everything she desired.
- Barbie's 2nd Movie Musical Since The Princess and The Pauper
By A2MPLYFT1RCYAK on 2007-10-22
Since Barbie's first movie musical, Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper, comes an all new second movie musical...Barbie as The Island Princess.
The Island Princess' name is Ro which is short for Rosella. Two animals, Azual the Peacock and Sagi the red Panda finds poor young Ro washed ashore as a six year old kid...they decide to raise Ro not only as their own but as an Island Princess. My favorite parts of the movie was how Prince Antonio discovers Ro's Island, Ro falls in love with the Prince, the animals and Rosella become friends with a monkey, and of course-the wedding.
There are 9 original songs in this movie, but my most favorite song of all is "Here On My Island"
- Pleasantly surprised
By A2GW92YPLA8CMF on 2007-11-03
We purchared Barbie as The Island Princess for our granddaughter because SHE specifically requested it. We are so familiar with Disney and Noogin heroes that we were afraid Barbie wouldn't measure up. Therefore, we previewed the DVD before giving it as a gift. It was wonderful. The animation isn't as crisp as Pixar or other better known products, but the story line was very good and certainly has a life lesson to impart. Our granddaughter loved it. She has watched it over and over and it has become one of her favorites. We will certainly purchase other Barbie DVDs as Christmas gifts for all our granddaughters (we have four, ages 3 to 7).
- In all fairness to Little Mermaid
By A31QNGWLXFO26C on 2007-11-03
Sorry, I haven't seen this Island Princess movie. But just to comment on the other reviewers thoughts on the Little Mermaid, you must keep in mind that Disney was working tightly within the confines of an existing story. Barbie seems to take much more license with their tales based on existing works. So far, this approach has been a huge success for them as far as the quality and depth of their renditions of these classic tales.
- Great!
By A2ZLI0H1DUAIWW on 2007-12-23
My 3 year old loves this movie! I can also watch it over and over with her! We gave it to her 1 month before Christmas to get her ready for the presents related to this movie (Elephant, barbies, etc..)
Very good movie--highly recommend it!
- Love those Barbie Movies
By A1PQ70SHAWU78I on 2007-12-26
Daughter loves all the Barbie movies and I like getting them at a great price. Great movie.
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