Rating: 
Summary: Mattel continues to surprise me with these lovely DVDs....
Review: ... I liked it better than Rapunzel honestly. The Tchaikovsky music was beautifully played and accompanied by ballet. The story was classic and lovely. I am continually enchanted by the supplemental materials provided on these DVDs, and this was no exception. There was a documentary following 5 or 6 teenage girls who are musicians and attend Julliard. I know that my 6 year old worships teenagers, and these girls provided good role models and goals for her to aspire to. There was also the ballet portion of the Special Features that took each dance and broke it down, naming the dance moves (porte des bras, pirouette, jette, etc.) and describing what is being conveyed by the dance. When the first video in this series was released two years ago (Nutcracker), I honestly expected it to be junk. I have been pleasantly surprised, and I am happy to let my little girl watch these movies that promote positive values, self-esteem, and creativity. I often watch with her, as I find them entertaining as well.
Rating:
Summary: A dream come true... after 30 years of waiting
Review: A wonderful little story, and very tasteful. Not only professional, but you can literally feel how much love, inspiration and devotion the entire team have put into their creation. Highly enjoyable!
This film is just what I missed thirty years ago as a little girl mad about ballet, when I desperately wanted to see the _entire_ story of Odette. The ballet libretto just wasn't enough! So now as I watch it, it's like one of my biggest childhood dreams has finally come true...
Thanks to all who created it!
Rating: 
Summary: Barbis wins again
Review: Another hit for Barbie! Barbie of Swan Lake features beautiful costumes, losts of dancing and gracefully waving arms, and plenty of faithful friends. Ivan the porcupine and Carlitta the skunk are adorable characters and their constant bickering always makes my seven year old daughter giggle!!! Barbie's unicorn friend was a bit sassy and lacked the charm of Penelope the dragon, Barbie's sidekick in the Rapunzel movie. The villian Rothbart was trememndously voiced by Kelsey Grammar. And although a villain, too, Rothbart's daughter, Odelle, was very grating on the nerves. Her screeching voice goes way past annoying! Still, the movie is charming and little girls and their mom's, too, will be happy to own this one.
Rating:
Summary: Barbis wins again
Review: Another hit for Barbie! Barbie of Swan Lake features beautiful costumes, losts of dancing and gracefully waving arms, and plenty of faithful friends. Ivan the porcupine and Carlitta the skunk are adorable characters and their constant bickering always makes my seven year old daughter giggle!!! Barbie's unicorn friend was a bit sassy and lacked the charm of Penelope the dragon, Barbie's sidekick in the Rapunzel movie. The villian Rothbart was trememndously voiced by Kelsey Grammar. And although a villain, too, Rothbart's daughter, Odelle, was very grating on the nerves. Her screeching voice goes way past annoying! Still, the movie is charming and little girls and their mom's, too, will be happy to own this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Magical Animation Inspires Imagination
Review: Artisan Entertainment captures the elegance of Swan Lake through three-dimensional digital animation (think Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo vs. Power Puff Girls). The London Symphony Orchestra performs an enchanting original score to accompany the dance-like movement of the characters. When young Kelly can't sleep during a camping trip, Barbie shows her the swan constellation Cygnus. Then Barbie tells her the story of Odette (played by Barbie herself), a magic crystal, and her quest to save the Enchanted Forest. The forest is populated with elves and fairies that were transformed into animals by the hawk-nosed, spindly Rothbart, voiced by Kelsey Grammar. His spoiled daughter Odile's cackling laugh sounds as irritating as it did when actor Maggie Wheeler played Janice on the hit TV show Friends. Carlita, a skunk with spunk, and Ivan, a befuddled squirrel, provide comic relief. Computer-generated facial expressions appear lifelike. Sound effects, such as the hooves of Lila the unicorn clopping on cobblestone and the raging waterfall, are convincing.
Rating:
Summary: Another beautiful Barbie adaptation
Review: Barbie becomes Odette in Swan Lake...another gorgeously animated movie that follows Rapunzel and The Nutcracker. In my opinion, this is the best by far with it's classic storyline, charming characters, and computer generated ballet perfomed by the New York City ballet accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. Rapunzel lacked the dancing which I thought was phenomenal in The Nutcracker...I'm so glad they decided to adapt another classic ballet for children.In this story, Odette wanders into the enchanted forest and is transformed into a swan by Rothbart, an evil sorcerer who wants to defeat the Fairy Queen. The Queen adapts the spell so that Odette can remain human during the night, but transforms back into a swan in the daytime. Odette finds that it is up to her to save the Enchanted Forest from Rothbart, but feels that she doesn't have the ability to perform the task. Of course, there is also a love story as Rothbart's daughter tries to trick Prince Daniel into believing that she's Odette, whom he has fallen deeply in love with. Will Odette save the Enchanted Forest from Rothbart? Will Prince Daniel finally get his true love? It's a story about bravery, self-confidence, and honesty that will charm your Barbie lover to no end. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: You're Braver Than You Think You Are
Review: Barbie is brave! Cute and funny story with a great message for girls (or anyone) about facing your fears and finding courage when you have none. Lovely music and dancing too. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: From a Barbie skeptic...
Review: Barbie. I tried to keep her away from my rough and tumble twin girls as long as possible. I relented two months ago, for their fourth birthday. I just couldn't squelch their girly-girlishness any longer. First came the dolls, then the outfits, and now the accessories. Great-Grandma bought them this dvd, Swan Lake, while we visited for Thanksgiving. The whole family is pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it is! It successfully kept the two older brothers and daddy out of the kitchen for a good part of the afternoon! If you are not freaked out by fantasy, crystals, unicorns, and magic, than I assure you, your little girl will enjoy this dvd. I think what I really enjoyed about it is that it uses the classical Swan Lake music, rather than Disney-esque songs. So if I have to listen to it in the background every day for the next week or two (as children are wont to do with a new dvd), it is much more pleasant than listening to inanimate objects singing mind-numbing verse. The animation is very realistic, especially the dance sequences. The story is about good vs evil, and courage. There is humor, beauty, some scariness, and of course, true love. The additional featurette about girls and music was very interesting. It features five teenage girls and how music is such a strong part of their lives (two violins, one cello, one harp, and one trumpet). My girls have now taken to "performing" music for us, using a little electronic keyboard and a guitar, which they prop between their legs like a cello. They even "rehearse" prior to performing. I think a love of music is vitally important in creating a well-rounded soul, and I am thrilled that this Barbie featurette gave them an impetus to actively participate in music-making, rather than just listening. Again, it was much better than we expected. I'm beginning to think this Barbie-thing could be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to expanding my Barbie horizon.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL*~*~*
Review: BEAUTFUL, as usual Mattel makes another gorgeous Barbie movie with an enchanting story to it! I own all 3, and I'm 22! Pathetic? No. Honest! So listen to me when I say little girls, and young at heart will enjoy these magical dvd's for years to come. Barbie Rocks! ~*~*~*~*~*~* :0)
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Tale... Shame about the annoying villain!
Review: Beautifully animated, readopted tale of Swan Lake. It is a shame that the character who plays the villain's daughter is portrayed as Asian, with an annoying voice, and is ofcourse, evil: Not a good role model of Asian children! All the other characters are of various nationalities. It is a shame that an attempt to give equal relevance to all nationalities ends up pidgeon-holing one: it was an embarrassment to watch the annoying villainess character. Otherwise, a superb and beautiful movie.
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