Barbie in the Nutcracker is probably the most incredible film ever made. I grew up on it and my sister and I rewatched it maybe two Christmases ago and it was even better than I remembered. Completely worth watching and absolutely hilarious. My one issue with Barbie movies is that they never get over their boxes on pointe! The animators always have them pulled back! Clearly they need your help.
Dancing on air: the making of Barbie and the twelve dancing princesses shows the ballet dancer they used to base the animation on! I definitely recommend watching and reacting to that!!
It’s because of Barbie swan lake and Barbie nutcracker that I love classical music and love going to see the ballet. As I grew older I realized how much work actually went into it. And the voice that is an octave higher is the lovely Kelly Sheridan.
The dancer behind this is no other than the amazing Maria Kowraski, she did Barbie and the nutcracker, Barbie Swan lake and Barbie and the twelve dancing princesses if I’m not wrong
I always liked that the magic only disguised Odile's appearance and not her voice; I saw that as a kinda nod towards ballets not using words to communicate and only body lamguage/dance (even though Daniel still talks)
I adore the Barbie Ballet movies, especially the 12 princesses... you can’t imagine my excitement when out dance teacher played us the music for our next pointe routine for the annual school show and the iconic first notes of the flower dance sounded through the room! Who’d have thought that at age 51 I’ll be dancing en pointe to Barbie and the 12 princesses! 😂🥰😍
For all those wondering or feeling betrayed by Barbie in comparison to the ballet Swan Lake on stage_ This is closest to the original libretto by Tchaikovsky and Begichev and especially to the sources. Very well done, Barbie! (Musäus' The stolen veil, Daniel Auber's Le lac des fees, and "Sacountala") (without Tchaikovsky's dramatized additions from his dark opera mood (; )
I believe at least for most of the dancing movies, they had a principal dancer from well-known companies dance with motion-tracking suits to make the dancing look the most real they could!
barbie was the whole reason i adored ballet (and tchaikovsky) growing up (i still do lmao) sadly i was already taking lessons for a bunch of other stuffs so my parents didn't let me take ballet too :(
So, a question: I saw Swan Lake several times in different theatres, performed by different companies. The ending was almost always different in all of the versions I watched. There was one in which both Prince and Odette died, one where only the Prince died, one where only Odette died and one with sort of "happy" ending where villain died but the couple went their own seperate ways. So is there like original version, or canon one, if you will? Update: The OG version apparently had both of them die. It's worth noting that thanks to the user in the replies, I have found out that 14(!) alternative endings have been noted in performances by big ballets - who knows how many more versions have been adapted by smaller companies!
From what I understand, the original libretto Tchaikovsky intended has both of them dying tragically. Other endings are adaptations by different people, there's a quite a few listed on Wikipedia.
Hey, just as update from me -what does it mean" both of them die"? In the original version, Odette is running away from Siegfried and he takes her protection crown down and throws it into the lake, and Odette is falling into his arms, and botn start hiding unter the waves....In many ballets and operas, the water would be home for spirits and fairies, and there would be an ending having both reunited (just like in the opera "Lurline", the ballet "Ondine"). Hey, just the question what the original Swan Lake is...In Tchaikovsky's original libretto Odette's mother was a good fairy and the other swan maidens were fairies, too, living at the lake under the rule of Odette's grandfather, who gave Odette the magical crown as protection, and so Mattel just actually mixed up both (later deleted) characters into one!!! (I did the whole research as videos on my channel (; ) Swan Lake is based on the fairy tale "Swan Pond" by Musäus (also known as "The Stolen veil"), which had been adapted into the opera and ballet "Le lac des fees"/"Fairy Lake" with music by Daniel (!) Auber - with a happy ending, of course. So, the Barbie version is trying to be very faithful to the original sources! The tragic ending is something only added by Tchaikovsky, and still somehow mysterious, as both are drowning in the lake, though Odette had told the prince that it would be her and her grandfather's home....Tchaikovsky had been preferring very dark operas around the time he had been composing Swan Lake, and I guess, he would have done it later otherwise. He had earlier composed a children's ballet "Lake of the swans" for his family.
I think I once saw a variation of Swanlake where Odette doesn't die at the end. They somehow changed it into Rotbart dying instead. It was an amazing performance though. Especially Rotbart's costume/make-up and the small solo of the Jester were amazing (and of course the Black Swan. Seems like the villains always get the good parts. I'm not complaining though)
if you want barbie movies about ballet, here's the list : -barbie in the nutcracker -barbie and the 12 dancing princesses (a masterpiece) -barbie in the pink shoes you HAVE to watch them all! finish what you started XD
The NYCB provided the dancer references. Maria Kowroski was the main one. On the Barbie in the Nutcracker DVD they did a whole special segment with Maria and several students of the ballet school. I watched that so many times.
I loved this movie. I was taken as a kid to see Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall. Ten minutes in I asked (loudly) when it would start (it had) and why no one was talking. I was very confused by the lack of woodland creatures and sadly did not appreciate it as an experience until I was older 😆
This movie was why I begged my parents to put me in dance classes. Also, the Russian productions of Swan Lake have the happy ending. I do prefer the tragic ending tho, much more dramatic and emotional
The happy ending is only in some Russian productions, it came out of the could war and the use of ballet for pro-communist propaganda (I am not even kidding) the original libretto has the deaths and nowadays a lot of Russian productions have the tragic ending, which is interesting.
Gods seeing a barbie ballet reaction is just incredible! They used actual dancers for the body movements so even though stuff is unrealistic - though I will say the long limbs are stunning - it still has the elements of ballet that makes it a great way to introduce ballet to everyone Barbie Nutcracker was my first barbie ballet film but there is also 12 dancing princesses and pink shoes - I will never forgive Disney for copyrighting the name Aurora and making the Barbie sleeping beauty movie never happen 😢
@@oxoelfoxo en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_(media_franchise) citation 84 -Mattel Entertainment scraps plans for a Barbie Sleeping Beauty movie after Disney tries to trademark the name ”Princess Aurora. Pretty sure Mattel didn't want to fight the Disney Machine on copyright issues because Disney has destroyed any copyright fairness or reasonableness just to keep the Mouse in their control
One of my very favorite takes on Swan Lake is Mercedes Lackey's The Black Swan. Odile is Rothbart's daughter and a sorceress in her own right, although Rothbart tries to keep her magic confined to more domestic skills. He sets a challenge for Odette to both keep her and the other swans trapped and to ensnare a neighboring queen who uses womanly wiles to maintain power. It's an excellent spin on the tale.
Fun fact, they used motion capture for all their ballet movies, so it actually *is* a real ballet dancer in the film. Which is also why the joints look a little weird in the movie when they're dancing.
This is the movie that inspired me to take up ballet when I was about five years old, as well as Barbie in the Nutcracker. I especially love their Nutcracker version even today because every time I watch it after a while, the ending always takes me by surprise. It's very clever and sweet.
So I grew up with this Barbie Version and saw the Swan Lake Ballet at 15 and was so scared about the ending, but the company I saw perform actually changed it to be a happy ending also so... I have still not been traumatized by this show, and honestly I hope it stays that way
I remember talking to my ballet teacher when the new barbie movies came out to talk about the quality of the ballet parts in it :) I started ballet in 2000 and Nutcracker came out 2001, so it was just in perfect timing for me on my dance path
I went to my first Swan Lake performance around age 6, not knowing the ending. I've been to other performances since, obviously knowing the ending. (Loved the movie, too!) A related anecdote: My mother hand made a custom lace shawl for my wedding many years ago. The pattern was inspired by the movements of Swan Lake. Some of her friends were... unsure if it was appropriate - because of the ending. So, mother made one in a midnight blue-black first (which was gifted to husband's grandmother) and made my wedding shawl in ivory after I saw the finished black version. Both were extremely beautiful and Swan Lake is my favorite ballet. Still happily married 13 years later.
The animation on Barbie ballet movies may not be the best, but that's part of their enchantment, and that's a magic to that too, also for the 12 dancing princesses they did use real dancers
For most of the Barbie films that have ballet they have a professional ballerina from New York doing mo-cap for the dances. I believe there is a behind the scenes for 12 Dancing Princesses that they have the ballerina they’ve used in all three ballet films before that film.
I don't know why this was on my recomendations page, I'm not a dancer, and this my first time seeing this channel. But this brought me a memory from my childhood; this was one of my favourite movies as a kid (don't remember anything about the plot tho) I also liked the Nutcracker. I can also remember that I watched Barbie ballet a lot when I was sick. Maybe these movies sparked my interest on classical music and opera (not that into ballet anymore, sadly)
I'd love to see you react to barbie in the pink shoes, they address alot of original endings of real ballets. Barbie doesn't die, but they do talk about the original morbid endings of the ballets they reference throughout the movie and they show a glimpse of what goes into the production of a ballet
I loved the barbie movies when I was a kid and watched and re-watched the barbie versions of swan lake and nutcracker. They're the principal reason I loved ballet and classical music so young. I even had a barbie leotard (with tutu) , ballet slippers and bar that came as a kit!
I never actually saw this version of Swan Lake. My parents got me and my sister the Swan Princess. My sister loved it. It's basically the same plot as Barbie though.
In all of the “classic” Barbie movies the main character is voiced by the same person so that is why they all sound so high pitched. The rest is just due to the script. 2:30
The Pink Shoe is another Barbie ballet film you should check out! The ballet stories included are more accurate. Though I am partial to swan lake. It’s my favorite of the Barbie movies.
I loved this movie as a kid. I just rewatched the full movie yesterday, and it's still as good as I remember. Now I know where my love for ballet came from.
I think the laugh was the best part of this movie lol. I remember watching this as a kid with my friends and little as we were, the laugh--- 🤣🤣🤣 sent us. 😂
I heard that they had actual dancers and based those scenes on the actual movements of said dancers. This (along with 12 Dancing Princesses) were two of my favorite childhood movies!
i loveeeed this movie so much! the dvd had amazing trivia on both ballet (showing each move, while also filming upcoming ballerinas learning them) and classical music (which pieces, and again, showing kids playing classical instruments learning) i kept rewatching them so often ;w;
I'd love it if you would react to some of the ballet dancer appearances on Sesame Street. In the seventies, Suzanne Farrell made some appearances. Years later, Angel Correa made one or two appearances.Misty Copeland has been on, Dance Theater of Harlem... I'm sure there are more that I can't remember right now, but I would just really like it if you reacted to some of that.
I owe it to these Barbie ballet movies for my 11 years of dancing. I miss it so much. Sadly I had to quit due to a variety of injuries but I hope to someday return and incorporate it back into my life
One of my favourite old barbie movies. Barbie is voiced by Kelly Sheridan while Maria Kowroski is the motion capture dancer for barbie in nutcracker, swan lake and 12 dancing princesses.
When my daughter was little she was obsessed with ballet. We couldn't afford lessons but we rented every ballet movie we could find. This was the early 2000s before streaming video etc. On the Barbie Swan Lake DVD there was also an extra tutorial that explained all the names and how to of the dance steps.
I feel like almost every ballet kid was a barbie kid too. I was OBSESSED with the barbie ballet movies and they’re part of why I started ballet lessons in the first place
Barbie movies were my childhood, we didn't have vhs until I was eight and when I was a kid, every christmas on the four advent sundays leading up to it, they'd play one of the movies on tv, a different one each weekend, and it was always the newest ones, watching them was one of my absolute favorite childhood traditions
OMG, I agree with so much of your commentary- not much barbie for me as a kid! And the imitations of a damsel in distress, evil laugh, high voice, made me laugh hard! And your comment "I'm concerned for your childhoods"! If I need cheering up, your channel is one of my go -to's, because I will either be seeing something pretty or strong, and fun. Thanks Josephine!
The black swan is one my fave variations. It is just so magical and daring for me. This was one of my fave Barbie movie growing up. Until now, it still is.
Odette has always been my dream barbie doll. Recently, I found the DRESS at a thrift store and I was so happy. I put it on one of my made to move barbies just so it can look adorable
i literally grew up on these barbie movies. i would always rent them at my library. i’ve been dancing since i was 3 so the ballet ones were MY LIFE and i was obsessed with them 😂
Second I love ur vids! I’m doing pointe this year for my first time and I think u have helped my be better at accomplishing anything I could imagine so thank u so much and keep doin wut ur doin ❤️
Your comment about working with a real dancer in that first scene - this film and the Barbie Nutcracker one both used mocap to animate choreography from the New York City Ballet! There's another film based on Swan Lake called the Swan Princess that basically used the Disney formula - animal sidekicks, musical numbers etc. Doesn't use the original music at all, and adds whole chunks on to the plot. I'm not sure if you'd be interested in reacting to it since all of the actual ballet parts are missing, but it's a genuinely enjoyable movie that I loved as a kid. Somehow, it has 9 sequels.
I loved these movies as a kid. I think it's really cool how they showcased fantastic classical music to a young audience in a way that was accessible. It doesn't have any ballet scenes or use the original music but there was another version of Swan Lake made for kids that I loved called the Swan Princess that you might enjoy.
I love barbie movies and this is one of my favorites im glad you found out about this and watched this and i have the doll as well barbie back then inspired me to ballet and has a special place in my heart
lol, so my best friend when I was little had this movie on VHS (I was in ballet, she was not) and I would legit turn off the movie at the "death" scene and say "THE END!" when we watched it because that was how the ballet ended XD I don't think I ever watched the whole thing.
I think you should do … Barbie and the Pink Shoes. It’s a ballet extravaganza with Gisele plus some extra Swan Lake & just the best opening ballet sequence.
I raised my kids on the Barbie movies. Loved them. My daughter, now 19, used to mimic that laugh! Then the line at the end, "Doesn't anyone care that I'm allergic to dust?"
There's a barbie nutcracker too and all my children grew up with these..both my daughters love most forms of dance and have seen many stage and film ballets
I am floored. I've never seen this movie, but I watched Swan Princess a lot as a kid. There's no dancing or the original music in that one. I literally didn't know that it was based on Swan Lake until today.
Sooo, I am way too old to have grown up on Barbie ballet movies, BUT my favorite actual Barbie as a kid was the ballet one. She had a big, fluffy tutu and pointe shoes. My only complaint was the tiny gold crown on her head that wouldn't come off!
Barbie The Nutcracker was my favourite movie of all time as a kid! I watched it non stop when I was at home sick from school 😍. And 12 dancing princess was another fave!
As far as I know they actually used motion capture with real dancers to create the dance scenes, which is why they look fairly realistic apart from the tiny feet xD
See watching Barbie movies like Nutcracker and Swan Lake and 12 Dancing Princesses are the reason I started ballet as a little girl and keep doing it into adulthood
Not gonna lie Barbie in The Pink Shoes made me pick up ballet again at 16. It's not actually one of the best (the newer Barbie movies don't have the same nostalgic charm as the older ones), but for some reason it got me :D As a Barbie movie including ballet The 12 Dancing Princesses will forever take the cake.
I grew up with Barbie ballet and it actually was the reason I startet with ballet at age 6. I stopped dancing at age 12 because of corona, but i stil love dancing with all my heart and I’m thinking of starting again
Guys how DARE you leave out the part where she dances a duet with the fairy 😂 best choreography ever made, hands down
Fr! XD
My thought EXACTLY!!!
Ikr😫
EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT😹😭
OMG YEAH AND THE LITTLE KIDS, IF I REMEMBER
Barbie in the Nutcracker is probably the most incredible film ever made. I grew up on it and my sister and I rewatched it maybe two Christmases ago and it was even better than I remembered. Completely worth watching and absolutely hilarious. My one issue with Barbie movies is that they never get over their boxes on pointe! The animators always have them pulled back! Clearly they need your help.
I’m so glad you noticed that too,, they’re never completely over and I’m like,, IT’S PERFECT OTHERWISE 😭
In germany barbie in the nutcracker is on tv every year around christmas^^
@@Angelika5378 I love that 😭💖
@@Angelika5378 Wow! I never knew that! That's amazing! 😄Barbie in the Nutcracker was my childhood!
It's my favorite Barbie Movie, I watch it every Christmas
Dancing on air: the making of Barbie and the twelve dancing princesses shows the ballet dancer they used to base the animation on! I definitely recommend watching and reacting to that!!
Yes! That would be super cool!
Please! I'd love to see that!
Yes! One of the best extra behind the scene things!!
Yes please!
It’s because of Barbie swan lake and Barbie nutcracker that I love classical music and love going to see the ballet. As I grew older I realized how much work actually went into it. And the voice that is an octave higher is the lovely Kelly Sheridan.
Me too! They were my introduction to ballet and the reason I chose to go to classes☺️crazy how much of an impact they had
Sameee. That is what me into ballet.
Uhh I think she was referring to the casting director. Not the voice actor.
Casting directors have a problem.
Same. It’s what inspired my love as a young child. Truly was magical to me the story and the dancing and the music. Live ballet was even better 🥺
The dancer behind this is no other than the amazing Maria Kowraski, she did Barbie and the nutcracker, Barbie Swan lake and Barbie and the twelve dancing princesses if I’m not wrong
Yep pretty much any ballet movie was her.
Yay!!!!!!!!!
These movies were more cinematic and presentational for a cartoon than they had any right being 😭
Also read/heard that Peter Martins did some of the choreography, either for this or another Barbie ballet movie.
I always liked that the magic only disguised Odile's appearance and not her voice; I saw that as a kinda nod towards ballets not using words to communicate and only body lamguage/dance (even though Daniel still talks)
I adore the Barbie Ballet movies, especially the 12 princesses... you can’t imagine my excitement when out dance teacher played us the music for our next pointe routine for the annual school show and the iconic first notes of the flower dance sounded through the room! Who’d have thought that at age 51 I’ll be dancing en pointe to Barbie and the 12 princesses! 😂🥰😍
That's awesome!
12 dancing princesses is my all time favorite Barbie movie!
That is so cool!
I agree! The twelve dancing princesses are my fave! She needs to react to it!
For all those wondering or feeling betrayed by Barbie in comparison to the ballet Swan Lake on stage_
This is closest to the original libretto by Tchaikovsky and Begichev and especially to the sources. Very well done, Barbie!
(Musäus' The stolen veil, Daniel Auber's Le lac des fees, and "Sacountala")
(without Tchaikovsky's dramatized additions from his dark opera mood (; )
I believe at least for most of the dancing movies, they had a principal dancer from well-known companies dance with motion-tracking suits to make the dancing look the most real they could!
There's even a short clip about that on UA-cam!
That's exactly what they did in Black Swan. You can find it on UA-cam the making of Black swan I think it's called, amazing how this technology works!
barbie was the whole reason i adored ballet (and tchaikovsky) growing up (i still do lmao) sadly i was already taking lessons for a bunch of other stuffs so my parents didn't let me take ballet too :(
So, a question: I saw Swan Lake several times in different theatres, performed by different companies. The ending was almost always different in all of the versions I watched. There was one in which both Prince and Odette died, one where only the Prince died, one where only Odette died and one with sort of "happy" ending where villain died but the couple went their own seperate ways. So is there like original version, or canon one, if you will?
Update: The OG version apparently had both of them die. It's worth noting that thanks to the user in the replies, I have found out that 14(!) alternative endings have been noted in performances by big ballets - who knows how many more versions have been adapted by smaller companies!
From what I understand, the original libretto Tchaikovsky intended has both of them dying tragically. Other endings are adaptations by different people, there's a quite a few listed on Wikipedia.
@@flowerdolphin5648 Wow! People are really taking their liberties with this story :D
Thanks for the info!
I saw one where the prince fell in love with his manservant instead, who rejected him. Then the prince went into the lake and drowned in the end
Hey, just as update from me -what does it mean" both of them die"? In the original version, Odette is running away from Siegfried and he takes her protection crown down and throws it into the lake, and Odette is falling into his arms, and botn start hiding unter the waves....In many ballets and operas, the water would be home for spirits and fairies, and there would be an ending having both reunited (just like in the opera "Lurline", the ballet "Ondine"). Hey, just the question what the original Swan Lake is...In Tchaikovsky's original libretto Odette's mother was a good fairy and the other swan maidens were fairies, too, living at the lake under the rule of Odette's grandfather, who gave Odette the magical crown as protection, and so Mattel just actually mixed up both (later deleted) characters into one!!!
(I did the whole research as videos on my channel (; )
Swan Lake is based on the fairy tale "Swan Pond" by Musäus (also known as "The Stolen veil"), which had been adapted into the opera and ballet "Le lac des fees"/"Fairy Lake" with music by Daniel (!) Auber - with a happy ending, of course. So, the Barbie version is trying to be very faithful to the original sources!
The tragic ending is something only added by Tchaikovsky, and still somehow mysterious, as both are drowning in the lake, though Odette had told the prince that it would be her and her grandfather's home....Tchaikovsky had been preferring very dark operas around the time he had been composing Swan Lake, and I guess, he would have done it later otherwise. He had earlier composed a children's ballet "Lake of the swans" for his family.
@@Rajakjel he's bi? we love an over dramatic sad gay boy.
Barbie also did "Barbie and the Pink Shoes" which is the only ballet centered contemporary movie. I'd love a reaction if that one!
I think I once saw a variation of Swanlake where Odette doesn't die at the end. They somehow changed it into Rotbart dying instead.
It was an amazing performance though. Especially Rotbart's costume/make-up and the small solo of the Jester were amazing (and of course the Black Swan. Seems like the villains always get the good parts. I'm not complaining though)
There's a bunch of different endings nowadays, several of them happy :) quite a few versions are listed on Wikipedia
The first one I saw used the ending where everyone just died xd
I saw that version of the ending as well when I was in a production of Swan lake when I was 9 I think.
@@autisticdancer where did you see that?
And the dancing is just absolutely beautiful in these films, they tried SO hard to make it as accurate as they could.
if you want barbie movies about ballet, here's the list :
-barbie in the nutcracker
-barbie and the 12 dancing princesses (a masterpiece)
-barbie in the pink shoes
you HAVE to watch them all! finish what you started XD
OMG BARBIE IN THE PINK SHOESSS THAT WAS MY CHILDHOOD
Literally same!!!!
@@princessglitter14 YESSS I dance also so its kinda special :D
@ 𝒜𝓁𝓎𝓈𝓈𝒶 𝒯ℴ𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝒾 I dance too! Barbie in the Pink Shoes came out my 3rd year of dance (I’m on my 11th year now) and it was my absolute fave movie!
@@princessglitter14 Omgggg- I have been dancing for 6 years now, and I was watching the movie before I even started lol
The NYCB provided the dancer references. Maria Kowroski was the main one.
On the Barbie in the Nutcracker DVD they did a whole special segment with Maria and several students of the ballet school. I watched that so many times.
LIVING for Josephine’s dramatic faces 😆
I loved this movie. I was taken as a kid to see Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall. Ten minutes in I asked (loudly) when it would start (it had) and why no one was talking. I was very confused by the lack of woodland creatures and sadly did not appreciate it as an experience until I was older 😆
This movie was why I begged my parents to put me in dance classes. Also, the Russian productions of Swan Lake have the happy ending. I do prefer the tragic ending tho, much more dramatic and emotional
The happy ending is only in some Russian productions, it came out of the could war and the use of ballet for pro-communist propaganda (I am not even kidding) the original libretto has the deaths and nowadays a lot of Russian productions have the tragic ending, which is interesting.
Swan lake is my favourite barbie movie ❤.
Barbie movies are the reason i fell in love with ballet 🩰❤️
Barbie movies, especially the ballet ones, were my whole childhood and I still love them to this day even after dancing for nearly 20 years ❤️
There is actually a dancer behind there! They did motion capture with professional dancers for the dancing scenes!💖
Gods seeing a barbie ballet reaction is just incredible! They used actual dancers for the body movements so even though stuff is unrealistic - though I will say the long limbs are stunning - it still has the elements of ballet that makes it a great way to introduce ballet to everyone
Barbie Nutcracker was my first barbie ballet film but there is also 12 dancing princesses and pink shoes - I will never forgive Disney for copyrighting the name Aurora and making the Barbie sleeping beauty movie never happen 😢
Disney copyrighted the Sleeping Beauty ballet?!?
@@oxoelfoxo en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_(media_franchise)
citation 84 -Mattel Entertainment scraps plans for a Barbie Sleeping Beauty movie after Disney tries to trademark the name ”Princess Aurora.
Pretty sure Mattel didn't want to fight the Disney Machine on copyright issues because Disney has destroyed any copyright fairness or reasonableness just to keep the Mouse in their control
One of my very favorite takes on Swan Lake is Mercedes Lackey's The Black Swan. Odile is Rothbart's daughter and a sorceress in her own right, although Rothbart tries to keep her magic confined to more domestic skills. He sets a challenge for Odette to both keep her and the other swans trapped and to ensnare a neighboring queen who uses womanly wiles to maintain power. It's an excellent spin on the tale.
YES to normalizing deeper pitched voices!
Fun fact, they used motion capture for all their ballet movies, so it actually *is* a real ballet dancer in the film. Which is also why the joints look a little weird in the movie when they're dancing.
@6:50
Siegfried: “Will you marry me?”
Odile: *casually bourrées away
This is the movie that inspired me to take up ballet when I was about five years old, as well as Barbie in the Nutcracker. I especially love their Nutcracker version even today because every time I watch it after a while, the ending always takes me by surprise. It's very clever and sweet.
So I grew up with this Barbie Version and saw the Swan Lake Ballet at 15 and was so scared about the ending, but the company I saw perform actually changed it to be a happy ending also so... I have still not been traumatized by this show, and honestly I hope it stays that way
I remember talking to my ballet teacher when the new barbie movies came out to talk about the quality of the ballet parts in it :) I started ballet in 2000 and Nutcracker came out 2001, so it was just in perfect timing for me on my dance path
Can I just say that this movie and "Barbie and the Nutcracker" inspired my interest in ballet and are literally the reasons I love ballet to this day!
Can we just appreciated how her mimicking and reactions are on point!! She’s so good
I went to my first Swan Lake performance around age 6, not knowing the ending. I've been to other performances since, obviously knowing the ending. (Loved the movie, too!) A related anecdote:
My mother hand made a custom lace shawl for my wedding many years ago. The pattern was inspired by the movements of Swan Lake. Some of her friends were... unsure if it was appropriate - because of the ending. So, mother made one in a midnight blue-black first (which was gifted to husband's grandmother) and made my wedding shawl in ivory after I saw the finished black version. Both were extremely beautiful and Swan Lake is my favorite ballet. Still happily married 13 years later.
The animation on Barbie ballet movies may not be the best, but that's part of their enchantment, and that's a magic to that too, also for the 12 dancing princesses they did use real dancers
Now you've got to do 12 dancing princesses and the Nutcracker :)
For most of the Barbie films that have ballet they have a professional ballerina from New York doing mo-cap for the dances. I believe there is a behind the scenes for 12 Dancing Princesses that they have the ballerina they’ve used in all three ballet films before that film.
I don't know why this was on my recomendations page, I'm not a dancer, and this my first time seeing this channel. But this brought me a memory from my childhood; this was one of my favourite movies as a kid (don't remember anything about the plot tho) I also liked the Nutcracker. I can also remember that I watched Barbie ballet a lot when I was sick. Maybe these movies sparked my interest on classical music and opera (not that into ballet anymore, sadly)
I'd love to see you react to barbie in the pink shoes, they address alot of original endings of real ballets. Barbie doesn't die, but they do talk about the original morbid endings of the ballets they reference throughout the movie and they show a glimpse of what goes into the production of a ballet
I loved the barbie movies when I was a kid and watched and re-watched the barbie versions of swan lake and nutcracker. They're the principal reason I loved ballet and classical music so young. I even had a barbie leotard (with tutu) , ballet slippers and bar that came as a kit!
I never actually saw this version of Swan Lake. My parents got me and my sister the Swan Princess. My sister loved it. It's basically the same plot as Barbie though.
This was my absolute favourite film growing up and certainly increased my enthusiasm for my ballet lessons!
In all of the “classic” Barbie movies the main character is voiced by the same person so that is why they all sound so high pitched. The rest is just due to the script. 2:30
The Pink Shoe is another Barbie ballet film you should check out! The ballet stories included are more accurate. Though I am partial to swan lake. It’s my favorite of the Barbie movies.
You have to do barbie and the 12 dancing princesses now! There’s a point shoe fitting scene in that film 😂
You need to watch Barbie and the pink shoe!!
I didn't grow up with Barbie movies but I totally watched them as a teenager, unironically. They're so charming!
Re-watching older Barbie movies and all I could think was the hair doesn't move 🤣
I love getting to live out my ballet fantasies by watching this channel and getting to learn.
This and Barbie and the nutcracker was my JAM when I was a kid! Brings back memories!
I loved this movie as a kid. I just rewatched the full movie yesterday, and it's still as good as I remember. Now I know where my love for ballet came from.
I think the laugh was the best part of this movie lol. I remember watching this as a kid with my friends and little as we were, the laugh--- 🤣🤣🤣 sent us. 😂
I heard that they had actual dancers and based those scenes on the actual movements of said dancers. This (along with 12 Dancing Princesses) were two of my favorite childhood movies!
i loveeeed this movie so much! the dvd had amazing trivia on both ballet (showing each move, while also filming upcoming ballerinas learning them) and classical music (which pieces, and again, showing kids playing classical instruments learning) i kept rewatching them so often ;w;
Barbie ballet is part of the reason I love ballet today and do it as a hobby x
I'd love it if you would react to some of the ballet dancer appearances on Sesame Street. In the seventies, Suzanne Farrell made some appearances. Years later, Angel Correa made one or two appearances.Misty Copeland has been on, Dance Theater of Harlem... I'm sure there are more that I can't remember right now, but I would just really like it if you reacted to some of that.
I owe it to these Barbie ballet movies for my 11 years of dancing. I miss it so much. Sadly I had to quit due to a variety of injuries but I hope to someday return and incorporate it back into my life
One of my favourite old barbie movies. Barbie is voiced by Kelly Sheridan while Maria Kowroski is the motion capture dancer for barbie in nutcracker, swan lake and 12 dancing princesses.
The Nutcracker is even better!!! Soo beautiful!
When my daughter was little she was obsessed with ballet. We couldn't afford lessons but we rented every ballet movie we could find. This was the early 2000s before streaming video etc. On the Barbie Swan Lake DVD there was also an extra tutorial that explained all the names and how to of the dance steps.
I feel like almost every ballet kid was a barbie kid too. I was OBSESSED with the barbie ballet movies and they’re part of why I started ballet lessons in the first place
The nutcraker and the 12 bellerinas should be in your list! Love it
I had like every Barbie movie on cd when I was little, I loved them and even tho now I’m in middle school I still love them lol
She should totally react to the 12 dancing princesses!
have you watched the 12 dancing princesses? its wonderful!
Barbie movies were my childhood, we didn't have vhs until I was eight and when I was a kid, every christmas on the four advent sundays leading up to it, they'd play one of the movies on tv, a different one each weekend, and it was always the newest ones, watching them was one of my absolute favorite childhood traditions
I grew up with Barbie ballet and I absolutely fell in love
This was the only Barbie movie my family owned so it was the only one I grew up with, haha. It is a beautiful movie in many ways!
Yass I've been waiting for Josephine to react to barbies
OMG, I agree with so much of your commentary- not much barbie for me as a kid! And the imitations of a damsel in distress, evil laugh, high voice, made me laugh hard! And your comment "I'm concerned for your childhoods"!
If I need cheering up, your channel is one of my go -to's, because I will either be seeing something pretty or strong, and fun. Thanks Josephine!
The black swan is one my fave variations. It is just so magical and daring for me. This was one of my fave Barbie movie growing up. Until now, it still is.
Honestly that girls laugh made me laugh rolling on the floor as a kid I remember 😂😂😂
Odette has always been my dream barbie doll. Recently, I found the DRESS at a thrift store and I was so happy. I put it on one of my made to move barbies just so it can look adorable
i literally grew up on these barbie movies. i would always rent them at my library. i’ve been dancing since i was 3 so the ballet ones were MY LIFE and i was obsessed with them 😂
Josephine doing evil 😈 laughs and gestures is EVERYTHING 😂💜💜😂😂
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I love ur vids! I’m doing pointe this year for my first time and I think u have helped my be better at accomplishing anything I could imagine so thank u so much and keep doin wut ur doin ❤️
Your comment about working with a real dancer in that first scene - this film and the Barbie Nutcracker one both used mocap to animate choreography from the New York City Ballet!
There's another film based on Swan Lake called the Swan Princess that basically used the Disney formula - animal sidekicks, musical numbers etc. Doesn't use the original music at all, and adds whole chunks on to the plot. I'm not sure if you'd be interested in reacting to it since all of the actual ballet parts are missing, but it's a genuinely enjoyable movie that I loved as a kid. Somehow, it has 9 sequels.
barbie of swan lake was my favorite as a kid, made me fall in love with classical music and led me to learn piano to play the main piece
I loved these movies as a kid. I think it's really cool how they showcased fantastic classical music to a young audience in a way that was accessible. It doesn't have any ballet scenes or use the original music but there was another version of Swan Lake made for kids that I loved called the Swan Princess that you might enjoy.
I love barbie movies and this is one of my favorites im glad you found out about this and watched this and i have the doll as well barbie back then inspired me to ballet and has a special place in my heart
lol, so my best friend when I was little had this movie on VHS (I was in ballet, she was not) and I would legit turn off the movie at the "death" scene and say "THE END!" when we watched it because that was how the ballet ended XD I don't think I ever watched the whole thing.
Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses is the BESSTTTTT!
I LOVED this movie as a kid. I had the play set and everything. Maybe this is where my love of ballet came from?
I've never watched anything Barbie, but this is making me want to watch it. It looks so cute!
I would DIE to watch you react to more Barbie. These reactions are so cute
I think you should do … Barbie and the Pink Shoes. It’s a ballet extravaganza with Gisele plus some extra Swan Lake & just the best opening ballet sequence.
Barbie and the nutcracker was one of my favs. I had the doll and all the accessories
I raised my kids on the Barbie movies. Loved them. My daughter, now 19, used to mimic that laugh! Then the line at the end, "Doesn't anyone care that I'm allergic to dust?"
There's a barbie nutcracker too and all my children grew up with these..both my daughters love most forms of dance and have seen many stage and film ballets
My kids grew up on these and we had them all. Nutcracker, Swan Lake, 13 Dancing Princesses, you name it.
I am floored. I've never seen this movie, but I watched Swan Princess a lot as a kid. There's no dancing or the original music in that one. I literally didn't know that it was based on Swan Lake until today.
Barbie in The Nutcracker was one of my absolute favorites. I still have it on VHS tape. 😂
Sooo, I am way too old to have grown up on Barbie ballet movies, BUT my favorite actual Barbie as a kid was the ballet one. She had a big, fluffy tutu and pointe shoes. My only complaint was the tiny gold crown on her head that wouldn't come off!
Barbie The Nutcracker was my favourite movie of all time as a kid! I watched it non stop when I was at home sick from school 😍. And 12 dancing princess was another fave!
As far as I know they actually used motion capture with real dancers to create the dance scenes, which is why they look fairly realistic apart from the tiny feet xD
1:06 Josephine living her best life acting in a Barbie movie
See watching Barbie movies like Nutcracker and Swan Lake and 12 Dancing Princesses are the reason I started ballet as a little girl and keep doing it into adulthood
Not gonna lie Barbie in The Pink Shoes made me pick up ballet again at 16. It's not actually one of the best (the newer Barbie movies don't have the same nostalgic charm as the older ones), but for some reason it got me :D
As a Barbie movie including ballet The 12 Dancing Princesses will forever take the cake.
Maria Korowsky of New York City Ballet did all the mocap for the Barbie films!!
Our studio did this variation as our recital dance this past season and it was so fun!
I grew up with Barbie ballet and it actually was the reason I startet with ballet at age 6. I stopped dancing at age 12 because of corona, but i stil love dancing with all my heart and I’m thinking of starting again