This is what my 5 year old Barbie, ballet fan said over and over again. Smart cookie. I don't blame her. There was really nothing spectacular about this movie, save for the cool scene between Barbie and her sister Kelly in the beginning at the dance studio.

I expected too much with this movie. Being a Barbie movie, I expected sprinkles, sparkles, fairies and also being a ballet movie, I expected a lot of dancing. We got very little of any of that. Believe it or not, the local toy store of ours made a much prettier display with the toys than the movie did. I can't believe they want $40 for the toy horse now! I expected the horse to be some magical creature like Santa's reindeer, pulling the candy sleigh along sparkly stardust. The horse barely neighed in this movie and I think he pulled the characters around some uninteresting boring snowy terrain like three times.

Not much ballet. The ballet fairies were pretty boring - lifting a leg here, doing a move there around Barbie and they were pretty tiny creatures. The detail of them, left much to be desired. Mattell did this on purpose though, I'm certain of it. They made this movie strictly for the xmas toy rush and nothing more. Example - the fairies - the flower fairies looked like cartoons - they wore all one colour and all kind of blended in with each other. In the center would fly the kelly fairy doll. Very three dimensional, very colourful with a prominent personality. She doesn't say much though - she only squeaks some gibberish. There are two other characters, Major Mint and Captain Candy - both are portrayed as adults in the movie. Captain Candy is actually a mean old fart who reminds me of Colonel Mustard from the Clue Board game. Funny, in the toy stores, Captain Candy is really the little tommy doll! See? A movie for the toy industry period.

I was annoyed that a couple of the great dances were pushed to the very end of the movie. Left a huge gap in the middle which the movie producers filled with scene after scene of the Rat King zapping characters into stone, scaring my daughter throughout the whole movie. She wanted to see Barbie and Kelly - not the Rat King.

I bought this video because I wanted to introduce my daughter with the classic Christmas tale with a toy she was familiar with - Barbie. But Mattel completely revamped it. The characters were boring. The little dolls (the Kelly and Tommy dolls) didn't do anything really except complain here and there. They made no real contribution to the story and were better left out of it.

Eye candy - there wasn't much. The landscapes were uninteresting and flat. As for the land of sweets ... there was none. Save for the brief look (and I mean look) at the gingerbread village which was destroyed by the cruel Rat King like he apparently destroyed everything else. Throughout the movie, my daughter and I hoped we'd see something Barbieish, something bright, pink and sparkly. Okay we did - but that wasn't until the very, very end. By then the movie was basically over anyway.

All in all I was very, very disspointed. It wasn't much of an adventure. I guess I expected way too much. The Barbie website does have a little bit on the Nutcracker which is a lot better than the movie.

I must thank Mattell though, because of this movie, I'll be saving lots of $$ this Christmas. My daughter no longer wants the dolls nor the horse because there isn't a scene she wants to create from the movie. It scared her the whole time and what was left wasn't enough to sastisfy.

If you are looking to introduce your child to the classic Nutcracker, do not do it with this movie. Read the book or better tune into PBS this holiday season and watch the real ballet in its entirety, it is soo much prettier and so much more complete.

So do I recommend it? That is a very tough question. I think if your child does not scare easily, and loves Barbie, yes I'd say take a look at this movie. My daughter happens to scare easily, so I can't recommend it for her. It is worthwhile to see this movie - every child is different and you'll be able to find out what the hype is all about... the toys. It is all about the toys.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8