“Stay with me and you can dream forever.. Right here in my arms..”

Did you know that Barbie as the Island Princess is only Barbie’s SECOND MUSICAL FILM?? I really thought there were more in between, but no full musicals since Princess and the Pauper! :0

As a child, Ro (Barbie) washes up on the shore of a tropical island. Sagi the red panda and Azul the Indian peacock take her in and raise her as their own child. Ro grows up as a carefree jungle girl, spending her days with Sagi, Azul, and a baby elephant named Tika.

However, her life changes once she meets Prince Antonio (Ken) when he discovers her island. After saving him from crocodiles, he invites her to his kingdom to experience civilization. Curious about her past, Ro decides to accept his offer and the two sing the prettiest duet ever featured in a Barbie movie. This is not up for debate!! “I Need To Know” is one of the best songs ever!! (Especially the solo version, but that’s a different discussion entirely..)

Of course, Ro struggles to fit in with “normal” people and Prince Antonio finds himself in a difficult spot because his parents want him to get married to Princess Luciana (who has a wicked mother Queen Ariana) but he loves Ro.

Ro is already disliked for being a “wild island girl” but Queen Ariana takes things a step further and tries to frame Ro for “poisoning” all of the animals in the kingdom. As she’s sent away, Ro finds out that it was Queen Ariana who “poisoned” the animals with sunset herb and is planning to do the same to the king and Antonio. Ro makes an antidote, saves the kingdom, finds her birth mother, and lives happily ever after with Prince Antonio.

Was this the best Barbie movie? No. Was it my childhood favorite? YES. For 2007, the animation is quite nice. The story is decent, although the island setting is what makes this movie work. I do wonder how Ro is so pale after living on a tropical island for YEARS and how her English is so good?? 😂 Despite my questions, the music alone makes this film worth watching. Plus Ro is a fun protagonist with a kind heart. One quality I love of princess characters is their respect for animals. <3