an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I don't consider any of the Barbie movies among the best movies I've seen, but from my perspective they are entertaining for their main target audience, and if a movie succeeds in doing that in my opinion it's done its job well. Some of them are corny such as in the dialogue, but they are charming movies mostly with some nice characters. Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia is a nice movie in my view. The dialogue does have its ropey moments and the film could've been a little longer. On the other hand, it is well animated, with the backgrounds stunning and colourful. The music is memorable with loving moments of whimsy and the story is effective in its simplicity with some good messaging and an overall charming feel to it. Elina and Laverna are good contrasting characters, and the other characters are very cute. I did like that the characters do look more human in their designs than the plastic-looking ones I can see. The voice acting is done by talented people and done with just about the right dynamic. All in all, a nice movie that is neither among the best or worst movies I've seen(this applies to all of the Barbie movies actually). 8/10 Bethany Cox

I started watching this movie when it was on TV at 6am. The more I watched it,the more absorbed I became,not to mention,fascinated.In fact, I think I enjoyed it more than my 4 year old daughter did and she was the reason I was watching in the first place! The vibrant colours were amazing and the characters were humorous and believable.I never once got up to make coffee even,as this movie "grabbed me". There were some admirable female characters in the forms of Elina and Laverna,the heroines,and some really cute little dolphin,turtle and underwater fairy characters too. The scene where Bibble eats a voice berry and starts singing like Barry White really cracked me up too! Yes people, do watch this movie,especially with your children,though I believe it's a great movie for everybody,it is sooo well done!

This was my first Barbie video. Going in I had very low expectations, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by what I saw as a pretty feminist plot. Barbie is the hero and rescues the prince. She is not the helpless woman of most stories. She makes a sacrifice for a friend. It also encourages girls not to be jealous of each other and that boys and girls can be just friends. Further more, the girls are rewarded for their bravery. The Barbie fairy also uses her intelligence to trick the bad woman. Perhaps this is silly, but I also appreciated that the bad character was a woman wanting power. So often the stereo type of a "bad" character is a power hungery man. The characters did look and sound super girly, but over all I think it had good a good message...then again I expected very little. I think Disney should be taking notes.

First off, my daughter really enjoyed the Fairytopia movie and I have found that the other Barbie films to have some redeeming value for a young lady. However, I could tell what kind of movie this was going to be when the first thing to fall out of the DVD case was the catalog with toys from the film listed. The animation is at par with the other Barbie films (another Mainframe production). The script was clearly written during a meeting of executives at Mattel to maximize product revenue generated from the film. As overly cute as Fairytopia was, it at least had some though put into it to make it mildly entertaining. Mermaidia just goes through the paces. That all being said my daughter really likes the mermaids and Barbie. And at the end of the day it's all about her entertainment, not mine. But it doesn't stop me from grumbling when I have to sit through it with her.