Barbie in a Mermaid Adventure 2-Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 (2012)

Directed by: William Lau | 70 minutes | adventure, family, animation | Original voice cast: Kelly Sheridan, Ashleigh Ball, Kathleen Barr, Nicole Oliver, Nakia Burrise, Maryke Hendrikse, Garry Chalk, Tabitha St. Germain, Alistair Abell, Jonathan Holmes, Kelly Metzger, Andrew Francis, Barb Tyson, Kira Tozer, Bethany Brown, Britt Irvin, Petr Mel, Jennifer Cameron | Dutch voice cast: Laura Vlasblom, Meghna Kumar, Cynthia de Graaff, Carlijn van Ramhorst, Lasca ten Kate, Hilde de Mildt, Fred Meijer, Lizemijn Libgott, Anneke Beukman, Alma Nieto, Paul Disbergen, Joanna Telesford, Sophie Peelen, Liza Sips, Ewout Eggink

‘Barbie in a Mermaid Adventure 2’ is the first sequel (or rather seaquel) in the Barbie film series, which has been regularly updated with new titles since the early 21st century. However, to follow the story it is not necessarily necessary that you have seen the first part, which came out in 2010.

In Barbie in a Mermaid Adventure 2, Barbie stars as Merliah, the talented surfer who found out in the previous film that she was the daughter of a mermaid queen. Merliah is in possession of a necklace that always gives her an alternative: do I want to be a mermaid or rather a human? The blond surfing champion has the best of both worlds, but thanks to the events in this film, she is faced with a difficult choice.

In the first part, the kingdom of the merfolk Oceana was in grave danger, but Merliah’s resolute action ended years of oppression by Merliah’s evil Aunt Eris and allowed Merliah’s mother Calissa to take the throne. Eris found herself in a vortex that should keep her captive forever. Unfortunately, in ‘Barbie in a Mermaid Adventure 2’, the clever and underhanded mermaid manages to stray out of the whirlpool and Merliah must once again do everything in his power to save Oceana.

The story of this animated film is predictable, but for the target audience it is not necessary at all to reinvent the wheel. There’s plenty of suspense in it, especially with the creepy green monster fish helping Eris. Always a nice element in the Barbie films is that the help often comes from unexpected quarters: a girl who is hostile at first turns out to have a heart of gold. In Barbie in a Mermaid Adventure 2, that role is played by Merliah’s competitor Kylie. The film will certainly appeal to young girls (and their brothers!) with the cheerful (mostly pink and purple tinted) scenes, the beautiful outfits and the immersive adventure, which takes place partly on the beach and partly in a magical underwater world. Fun guaranteed!