Barbie as the Island Princess is a 2007 animated musical film and the eleventh installment of the Barbie series based on Mattel's Barbie toyline. The only entry animated by Mainframe Studios and Rainmaker Animation, the film stars the voices of Kelly Sheridan.
The score is composed by Arnie Roth, with songs written by Megan Cavallari, Amy Powers and executive producer Rob Hudnut. It is released direct-to-DVD on September 18, 2007, with a television premiere five days later on Nickelodeon.
Plot[]
Sagi the red panda and Azul the Indian peacock live on a tropical island in the South Seas. One day, they discover a little girl washed up on shore after a storm, and decide to take her in. A chest washed up with her has the letters "R-O" on its broken nameplate; the animals name the girl Ro, and she grows up playing with them an Asian elephant named Tika, but having lost her memory of her past aside from a lullaby from her birth.
Ten years later, Prince Antonio of Apollonia is out exploring the South Seas, and finds himself on Ro's island. Ro, now a young woman able to communicate with animals, saves him from a float of crocodiles. Antonio invites her to come to Apollonia so she can research her past. Ro agrees, bringing her three friends with her. During the journey, Ro and Antonio begin to fall in love.
In Apollonia, Antonio's parents, King Peter and Queen Danielle, are shocked by Ro's arrival. While Antonio had been away, Peter had arranged a marriage to force him to settle down and stop adventuring. Peter immediately dislikes Ro for disrupting his plans; however, Antonio's little sisters Rita, Sofia, and Gina, and Danielle's pet rhesus monkey Tallulah, all immediately befriend Ro and her animals. When Ro is homesick and misses the island, she and the animals take up residence in the royal greenhouse where they feel more at home.
Antonio's betrothed, Princess Luciana, arrives in Apollonia with her mother Ariana so that Antonio can meet them. Unbeknownst to everyone present, even Luciana, Ariana is secretly the daughter of a couple of nobles whom Peter demoted to be swineherds after they committed treason. Ariana had moved abroad, married an elderly king to become queen, and has now returned to enact her revenge. Sensing that Ro may be a threat, she sabotages all Ro's attempts to fit in; however, Antonio only falls deeper in love with Ro, and Luciana comes to feel sorry for her.
Ro, demoralized by her "failures," thinks about returning to her island. The animals cheer her up and help her get dressed for the royal engagement ball. At the ball, everyone is impressed by Ro's beauty and grace, and Antonio privately proposes to her. Ro declines, unwilling to defy Peter. While outside, Sagi spots a carriage with the same flag washed ashore with Ro, and she talks with the horse, who reveals it belongs to another kingdom called Paladia, but the people he carries only have three sons and no daughters.
Antonio argues with Peter and abdicates the throne to Rita. He leaves a note for Ro, saying he will run away with her. Tika overhears and hides the note, fearing she may lose Ro. Meanwhile, Ariana sends her pet rats to spread "sunset herb" through the kingdom. The poison causes all animals who ingest it to fall into a coma, including Tallulah and Azul. Peter imprisons Ro and her animals, believing they brough the "disease" to Apollonia.
Peter strikes a bargain with Antonio - Ro and the animals will be freed if Antonio marries Luciana. Antonio reluctantly agrees. Shortly after, Ro and her animals are sent away on a ship. Tika realizes her mistake and apologizes for hiding the note, and Ro forgives her. A sailor in Ariana's pay knocks them all overboard, shortly before being rescued by dolphins, Ro has a flashback to the shipwreck in her childhood, and remembers her name is Rosella.
Returning to Apollonia, Ro learns from a little bird that Ariana had put sunset herb in the wedding cade to kill Peter and Antonio. Ro makes an antidote to wake Azul and the other animals, but is stopped by guards. Tika disrupts the wedding and gets Antonio to come to Ro's rescue, while Sagi takes the antidote to Tallulah, waking her. When Ro accuses Ariana, no one believes her; until Luciana reveals her mother had forbidden her to eat the wedding cake, claiming it was bad luck. Ariana attempts to flee in a carriage, but is wrecked and flung into a pigsty.
Antonio proposes to Ro, who is at last welcomed into the family. When Ro reveals her full name, one of the wedding guests, Queen Marissa of Paladia, comes forward and says that her daughter, Princess Rosella, had gone overboard in a shipwreck while they are at sea many years ago. Ro's memory returns, realizing she is the long lost princess of Paladia, and she and Marissa sing the lullaby from her childhood together, proving they are related. Ro and Antonio are married, and Luciana meets a handsome prince at their wedding. Ro and Antonio then sail off to go on new adventures, with Tika, Sagi, Azul, and Tallulah in tow.
Voice Cast[]
- Kelly Sheridan as "Ro"/Princess Rosella of Paladia, Queen Marissa's long-lost daughter (played by Barbie)
- Melissa Lyons as the singing voice of Ro
- Alessandro Juliani as Prince Antonio of Apollonia (played by Ken), Luciana's betrothed.
- Christopher Gaze as Sagi, a wise and kindly red panda who takes Ro in after the wreck and acts a father figure.
- Steve Marvel as Azul, a flamboyant and self-important Indian peacock.
- Susan Roman as Tika, a young Asian elephant who looks up to Ro as an older sister, and is jealous of Antonia.
- Garry Chalk as Frazer, Antonio's traveling companion/friend/manservant. Chalk also voiced a minor character named Calvin.
- Russell Roberts as King Peter, Antonio's father and Danielle's husband, who disapproves of his son's adventuring.
- Patricia Drake as Queen Danielle, Antonio's mother, Peter's wife, and the doting owner of Tallulah. Drake also voices the Mama Pig.
- Bets Malone as Tallulah, Queen Danielle's friendly but somewhat spoiled rhesus monkey who was orphaned on a South Seas island, and discovered and brought back as a pet for Antonio's mother.
- Britt McKillip as Princess Rita (played by Chelsie), Antonio's little sister.
- Carly McKillip as Princess Gina (played by Becky), Antonio's other little sister.
- Chantal Stand as Princess Sofia (played by Kelly), Antonio's other little sister.
- Andrea Martin as Queen Ariana, a woman who plots to get her revenge on King Peter by having her daughter, Luciana, marry Prince Antonio.
- Candice Nicole as Princess Luciana (played by Summer), Arianna's kindhearted and friendly daughter, and Antonio's betrothed.
- Kate Fisher as Queen Marissa of Paladia, Ro's long-lost mother.
- Brian Drummond as Lorenzo, the vet.
- Terry Klassen as Butler, Guard, and Horse
- David Kaye as Guard
- Kathleen Barr as Tiny, a little bluebird.
- Scott Page-Pagter as Nat, one of Ariana's pet rats.
- Ian James Corlett as Pat, one of Ariana's pet rats.
Songs[]
The songs are written by Megan Cavallari and Amy Powers, with executive producer Rob Hudnut.
- Here on My Island - Melissa Lyons, Christopher Gaze and Susan Roman
- Right Here in My Arms - Lyons
- A Brand New Shore - Alessandro Juliana, Roman, Gaze, Marvel and Lyons
- I Need to Know - Lyons and Juliani
- Love is for Peasants - Andrea Martin and Candice Nicole
- Right Here in My Arms (Greenhouse) - Lyons
- At the Ball - Bets Malone, Gaze, Lyons, Roman and Marvel
- The Rat Song - Martin, Scott Page-Pagter and Ian James Corlett
- Always More - Lyons
- Right Here in My Arms (Reunion) - Lyons and Kate Fisher
- When We Have Love - Nicole, Kate Fisher, Malone, Marvel, Roman, Gaze, Lyons and Juliani
- I Need to Know (pop version) - Cassidy Ladden
Reception[]
Paul Mavis of DVD Talk wrote, "Barbie as The Island Princess is a well-executed CGI animated fantasy with a sweet, tender, believable approach to its love story that will no double make little girls sigh with delight." Catherine Dawson March of The Globe and Mail called the film "enchanting" and considered its songs to be "on par with Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper".
Common Sense Media's Nancy Davis Kho wrote of the film "parents can rest assured that the subject matter is entertaining and kid-appropriate, and put their energies toward worrying about all the commercialism surrounding it." Kho praised the animation and "lush original score", and wrote that Ro and Luciana are positive role models.