Barbie presents Thumbelina – Barbie: Thumbelina (2009)

Directed by: Conrad Helten | 75 minutes | animation, family, fantasy | Original voice cast: Kelly Sheridan, Anna Cummer, Kelly Metzger, Tabitha St Germain, Cathy Weseluck, Kathleen Barr, Peter New, Brian Drummond, Louis Chirillo, Gary Chalk, Mackenzie Grey, France Perras, Ashleigh Ball, Natasha Calis, Sean Thomson, Allison Cohen | Dutch voice cast: Laura Vlasblom, Lottie Hellingman, Nicoline van Doorn, Eva Burmeister, Donna Vrijhof, Anneke Beukman, Thijs van Aken, Sander de Heer, Ingeborg Wieten, Ewout Eggink, Frans Limburg, Tara Hetharia, Isabel Loef, Holanda Lazic

There is no end in sight for the ever-growing line of Barbie animated films. Since 2001 – when the first Barbie movie came out (‘Barbie-The Nutcracker’) a new production has been released every few months, aimed at the public who like to play with the dolls: girls from about five to ten years old . In every film, an existing story or fairy tale is given a new look. This time it is the turn of HC Andersen’s Danish fairytale Thumbelina, but in the form in which Mattel has cast it, little of the original is left. The only similarity is that Thumbelina is also born in a flower, but that’s where the comparisons end. As always, there are some serious, but not annoying, moral lessons that the makers hope to pass on to the young viewers. In ‘Barbie presents Thumbelina’ there are even more: care for the environment, especially plants and flowers, but also the importance of real friendship and a good relationship between parents and child is emphasized. In addition, the theme is that even the smallest creature can make a big difference.

In this film, the little one refers of course to the brave Thumbelina, who, together with her friends Chrysella and Janessa, finds out that the field where they live, and where a new generation of Twillerbees will soon be born, will be excavated because a factory is being built. is becoming. This factory is being built for two people, Evan and Vanessa, whose spoiled daughter Makena gets everything her heart desires. Makena has her mind set on a flower bed and in no time she can make her equally spoiled friend Violet jealous with the new item in her room. What Makena does not know is that Thumbelina and her two friends have moved with the flowerbed. Thumbelina decides to involve Makena in her plans to stop the construction of the factory and Janessa and Chrysella return to stop the excavators and the workers. It should come as no surprise that the materialistic Makena is reluctant at first, but Thumbelina soon convinces her of the value of real friends and the little girl does everything she can to persuade her parents not to build a factory and thus replace the home of her. save the Twillerbees.

In all respects ‘Barbie presents Thumbelina’ brings nothing new under the sun. Lovers of the earlier Barbie films, especially those in the Fairytopia series, can therefore purchase this new film without risk. The animations are colorful and cheerful again and although they don’t meet the current standard in animation films, no girl will care. The situations are quite recognizable here and there: the quarrels between the girlfriends, the cry for attention from Makena to her parents, who always stick to her ear with a mobile phone (who are not portrayed as cliché as you would expect – they have next to the sickly urge to give their daughter everything she wants – really attention for her, if just a little too little) and also in the frame story the little girl who is laughed at in the group of school children… ‘Barbie presents Thumbelina’ is a nice film where you can spoil your little Barbie fans!