The Big Picture

  • Barbie in the Nutcracker remains the best film in Barbie's catalog, capturing the essence of the story and instilling wonder and whimsy in the audience.
  • The film stays true to its source material, honoring the plot and including dance sequences straight from the ballet, serving as a love letter to the Tchaikovsky version.
  • The introduction of a love interest with a personality and a past, coupled with a strong character arc, sets Barbie in the Nutcracker apart and makes it the best Barbie movie in terms of romance.

Barbie has been a dream-chasing iconic figure for years, so it only stands to reason that the character would inspire a live-action movie starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll in human form, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and a star-studded ensemble playing other versions of Barbie and Ken as well as human characters.

Since her launch in 1959, Barbie has put her name on all types of merchandise and media, including a long-running string of animated films with the first released in 2001. Barbie first stepped onto the big screen as Clara in Barbie in the Nutcracker, a film loosely based on the ballet by Tchaikovsky as well as the book by E.T.A. Hoffman. Her film debut is plagued by stiff, lackluster animation and an odd framing device, but the 2001 film remains the best in Barbie’s catalog.

What Is 'Barbie in the Nutcracker' About?

Barbie in the Nutcracker
Image Via Artisan Home Entertainment

In Barbie’s (Kelly Sheridan) version of the story, as she tells it to her sister, Clara (also Sheridan) teams up with the Nutcracker (Kirby Morrow) to defeat the evil Mouse King (Tim Curry) and reverse his magic. If all goes well, Clara’s shrunken form will be reversed and she can go back to celebrating Christmas with her family. But she grows a bit more attached to this world of magic—and to the charming but mysterious Nutcracker—than she expects.

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Both the book and the ballet follow a similar plot; Barbie’s adaptation doesn’t have many major, story-shattering changes and stays mostly true to its source material in the areas that count. In fact, the story of Barbie in The Nutcracker doesn’t just honor its origins in terms of plot: it also has the freedom to include several dance sequences straight from the ballet. These longer, wordless scenes may seem out of place to any movie-goer who goes in expecting a straightforward plot (but it's a Barbie movie, so why would you?), but the whimsy of these sequences matches the tone of the film and serves as a love letter to the Tchaikovsky version.

Barbie’s animation has always been a little stiff and unnatural, especially in 2001 with the very first film. But Barbie in the Nutcracker makes sure to animate its dance scenes with grace. This is especially notable during the elongated sequence following the Mouse King’s defeat, during which many side characters get their moment in the spotlight, ending with Clara and the Nutcracker performing their climactic ballet. The essence of the story, as well as the wonder and whimsy it instills in the audience, endures.

What Changes Does 'Barbie in the Nutcracker' Make to the Story?

Barbie-in-the-Nutcracker

Though the story’s main trajectory and many of the details, dances, and tones remain the same as the book and especially the ballet, Barbie in the Nutcracker does make a few significant changes. Most of these include adding characters like Major Mint (Christopher Gaze), Captain Candy (Ian James Corlett), the Rat King’s bat assistant Pimm (Peter Kelamis), and even the owl (Kathleen Barr) that gifts Clara the magical necklace that returns her home. Aunt Elizabeth (also Kathleen Barr), who gives Clara the Nutcracker in the beginning, seems to be an original character; however, she and many other new additions to the cast convey similar personalities to pre-existing archetypes that exist in the book and the ballet. Even though they’re technically new, many of them serve similar roles in the story.

One notable difference in the plot is the Mouse King’s defeat, which happens fairly early on in the ballet. Comparatively, the Mouse King lives for far longer in Barbie’s version, keeping the tension of the story high. This change works far better for film, considering the villain is still in power until the climactic final battle, ensuring that the story’s structure matches more with film than ballet. Another change revolves around Clara and the Nutcracker themselves. In this version, Clara is far more vocal, and she has stronger motivations, as well as relationships with other characters, especially the Nutcracker. She figures out very quickly that the Nutcracker is actually Prince Eric; considering that the people of this magical world hold Prince Eric in very low regard (another notable but welcome change), it makes sense that he would try to hide his true identity in order to make up for past mistakes. Clara comes off as clever and resourceful, and at the same time, the Nutcracker comes off as noble despite past failures.

The biggest change has to be the Sugar Plum Princess reveal: Clara is actually the legendary Sugar Plum Princess (not the Sugar Plum Fairy from the ballet) who reverses the Mouse King’s spells. Revealing Clara as the fabled princess gives the story one last twist while conveying the first Barbie-branded message to young girls: even though you may not know it, the quality of your character makes you a princess.

'Barbie in the Nutcracker' Has the Best Love Interest

Barbie in the Nutcracker Movie
Image via Artisan Home Entertainment

Yes, Barbie has managed to keep the same whimsy and magic as the source material while making her own tweaks and changes that benefit the story as a whole. But what makes Barbie in the Nutcracker the best Barbie movie? One staple of the Barbie franchise, especially in its early days, is the love interest. Barbie typically falls in love with a kind-hearted man and ends up with him by the end of the film. However, Barbie's love interests aren’t always the most interesting.

While Barbie's love interests can be kind and charming (such as Derek the shoemaker from Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses or Prince Antonio from Barbie as the Island Princess), they can come off as flat and interchangeable. With a few note-worthy exceptions (the forest-dwelling Aidan from Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus and the royal tutor Julian from Barbie in the Princess and the Pauper come to mind), Barbie films aren’t as strong in the romance department. This is especially noticeable considering that, in the early 2000s, romance was a big part of the Barbie brand.

Barbie in the Nutcracker introduces a love interest with a personality and a past. His character flaws played a role in creating the situation he finds himself in; he wasn’t able to defeat the Mouse King and was turned into a Nutcracker in humiliation. Thankfully, no one around him knows the truth of his identity, so he can work to fix his mistake and finally save his loved ones. At first, he doesn’t think much of himself (which isn’t exactly helped by the constant insults of those around him dragging Prince Eric’s name through the mud), but with Clara’s help, he begins to see himself as more than just wood.

This character arc places the Nutcracker almost on equal footing with Clara as a deuteragonist. It is the strongest, clearest character arc that a Barbie love interest has had, and considering that this is the first attempt at one, it’s truly something to admire. In terms of story, Barbie’s film catalog includes plenty of adaptations from fairy tales, as well as twists on magical creatures and lands. As time goes on, however, Barbie tends to stray further from the source material. As is clearly seen in Barbie as Rapunzel, Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and other fairy-tale adaptations, the story only really sticks with the main concept before going its own way completely.

To be sure, plenty of Barbie movies are inspiring and fun to watch, but Barbie in the Nutcracker has a special kind of magic. Hopefully, the newest, live-action version of Barbie will have the same inspiring, ambitious spirit as the early catalog. But for now, Barbie’s first movie is still her very best.