Barbie: Merveilleux Noël

I'm going out on a limb here to say that I really did find this story to be sweet and entertaining. I'm a novice to these types of movies: I'm a 40-year-old working professional who has a 2-year-old, and I'm discovering the world of childhood video delights and travesties late in life. This was my first Barbie video experience, and I was unexpectedly delighted with it. Yes, the story is not as magical or infused with supernatural creatures as many cartoons, but it's a simple, home-spun story. A family, dreaming of a perfect Christmas in the Big Apple, get stranded in a tiny mid-western town due to bad weather. When it becomes clear they're stranded there, they're sure their Christmas will be ruined. However, it's only when they have time to reflect on what they already have that they learn the true meaning of Christmas. I thought it was very enjoyable, though very young children may not be as engaged as grade school children. It's worth checking out!

It's not totally horrible. It has some cute parts and their ending outfits are quite good. But it seems like a massive downgrade from Princess Charm School which is a total banger with amazing storyline and outfits.

The only saving grace was that FINALLY a Barbie movie where one of the main characters (Skipper) identifies as a singer. But then the music is mid so eh. The very first song actually made me not want to watch it but I am faithfully watching every movie in order so I pushed through. Mid to end is better than the beginning storywise but I wouldn't watch again. I would reach instead for Barbie in A Christmas Carol for a Barbie Xmas movie.

It was... alright. Pros - cheap movie you can give to your little girl who'll watch it that year and never watch again. Cons - they didn't even TRY to disguise the fact that each character has a different singing voice from the speaking voice. It makes it hard to like the music in the movie. Story line is dreary - maybe Christmas movies are just spent. Music isn't memorable - again the obvious voice differences were annoying. I was surprised - the movie was actually not that great at all. Not worth it in my opinion. I really don't have any more to say about it. I would buy any other Barbie movie, hands down, but this one was not worth the anticipation. 2/10

The storyline and message is passable but the voice acting leaves much to be desired and the singing is TERRIBLE. I understand that they wanted Barbie to be more "modern" so they had a casting change from the original woman who voiced Barbie. But if she is going to sing she should still have a gorgeous, stunning voice. The singing voice of Barbie (and every other character) is disappointing. The songs had so much potential but I can barely stand listening to these average voices. Especially considering the singing voice Barbie used to have (Kelly Sheridan). What a let down, I hope the producers take note. Barbie is supposed to be what everyone else deems as the perfect person...good at everything...except apparently singing. Sure, her voice is more raspy and "modern" now but being modern doesn't mean you need to sing like an amateur. And what's with the child's voice? She is what, 6 or 7? Why isn't a child of that age portraying her? The animation has also gone downhill since A Mermaid Tale and Fashion Fairy Tale. I hope this is a one time flub and Mermaid Tale 2 will bring back the awesomeness of the other films. And please, if she's going to do another film where she is singing, BRING BACK KELLY SHERIDAN. What you have done to Barbie is not awesome, cool, trendy or modern. You are making her boring, average, shallow and untalented.

When I first put this on for my girls I thought I'd bought a rip off of a Barbie film or something! This is so unlike any of the other Barbie films. I have sat through all of them with my daughter with a little bit of guilty pleasure as the songs are usually fun and the story lines are well thought out. As another reviewer mentioned, the voice acting is awful and almost painful to listen to. The story line is basic and it just seems like they must have really rushed this film to get it out in time for Christmas as there was so little thought that went into it.

They definitely need to take a step back towards their older films. I disliked the changes they made recently by giving them all giant heads (!) and they always did the classic stories very well. Having said that most of the films have been fairly fun and entertaining. This was not. They definitely need to bring back Kelly Sheridan for the voice acting.

However, for a 5 year old this was good viewing. My children enjoyed it though I don't think (and hope) that it won't be one that gets chosen all the time.