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"Love and imagination can change the world."
– Barbie

Barbie as Rapunzel is the 2nd Barbie movie. It was released on October 1st, 2002, and it made its TV premiere on Nickelodeon on November 24, 2002.[1] The film follows the story of a lost princess named Rapunzel who lives far away in the forest in a big tower with a wicked witch named Gothel who treats her as a servant, but Rapunzel wants to be independent and wants to paint, which Gothel hates.

Official Description[]

"Long, long ago, in a time of magic and dragons, there lived a girl named Rapunzel, who had the most beautiful, radiant hair the world had ever seen. But Rapunzel's life was far from wonderful. She lived as a servant of Gothel, a jealous, scheming witch who kept her hidden deep in a forbidding forest, guarded by the enormous dragon Hugo and surrounded by an enchanted glass wall.

"However, in a twist of fate, Rapunzel's discovery of a magic paintbrush leads her on a journey that will unravel a web of deception, bring peace to two feuding kingdoms, and ultimately lead her to love with the handsome Prince Stefan. She succeeds with the help of Penelope, the least intimidating of dragons!

"Barbie as Rapunzel shows that love and imagination can change the world..."

Story[]

Barbie and her little sister Kelly are painting, but Kelly does not have confidence in her painting abilities and can't start. To help Kelly, Barbie tells her the story of a girl who needed confidence herself. The girl's name is Rapunzel and she lives as a servant to the witch Gothel, who resides in a manor isolated in the woods. She grows up believing that Gothel saved her from abandonment as an infant. Rapunzel finds companionship in Penelope, an outgoing dragon, and Hobie, a worrisome rabbit. Rapunzel spends what free time she has painting and dreaming of seeing the ocean and other lands.

The story begins with Rapunzel painting a beautiful picture of a seashore (just like the one Barbie was painting) where she dreams she can go to be free one day. Hobie soon alerts her of Gothel's approach, and Rapunzel just manages to get things ready in time. However, Gothel notices a smear of paint on her cheek and accuses her of not appreciating everything she has done for her even though Rapunzel did all of the chores she was told to do.

While preparing tea for Gothel, Penelope accidentally finds a secret staircase which, leads to an old room below the manor. In it, they discover a gift from her parents who allegedly deserted her: a silver hairbrush engraved with the following: “Constant as the stars above, always know that you are loved. To our daughter, Rapunzel, on her first birthday. With Love Forever, Mother and Father.” These words leave the young artist questioning her past for the first time--Gothel had always told Rapunzel that she was abandoned by her parents in the woods when she was only a few days old and questions why Gothel would’ve lied to her about it. Her diversion is quickly interrupted by Gothel’s call for tea.

After serving Gothel her tea and leave her to rest, Rapunzel and her friends revisit the cellar where Penelope exposes yet another secret: a tunnel leading to the nearby village. Rapunzel takes this path to the small kingdom and is amazed at seeing a town for the first time and sees many different shops and people. Meanwhile Penelope's father is here to see how her fire and flying is coming along, but it's not going well, Penelope wants to impress her father especially since he has never smiled at her. While out walking, Rapunzel is able to rescue a princess named Katrina from a pitfall. Soon after, Rapunzel is introduced to Katrina’s elder brother, the handsome Prince Stefan. He explains to her that the trap Katrina managed to escape was put there by King Wilhelm, the ruler of an opposing kingdom. Wilhelm has accused Stefan's father for taking something of his, even though the king never did. Sadly there is no use talking to each other at this point as the feud can only end by force. Enchanted by the mysterious maiden, Stefan asks to meet her again, to which she agrees, though their meeting is ended abruptly before Stefan could tell her his name when she quickly rushes back to the woods to avoid being discovered by Gothel. Unknown to Rapunzel, Gothel's pet ferret, Otto, has witnessed the entire exchange.

Angered, Gothel storms into the room and asks her about her visit to the kingdom and demands Rapunzel tell her the boy's name. Rapunzel insists that she does not know it, but Gothel does not believe her, thinking she has been lying to her, despite that she knew his existence. Even when Penelope tries to defend her, Gothel tries to punish them for being in on the secret. She tells Gothel they don't know either, Gothel lets the two animals go. Rapunzel tells her that she cannot keep her locked away forever, to which Gothel responds: Watch me. Gothel destroys Rapunzel's paint and paintings before transforming her bedroom into a tall tower with no way in or out except for the windows and stations Hugo, outside. Gothel refuses to let Rapunzel go until she tells her the name of the boy she met. Rapunzel cries over her broken paintings and art supplies after Gothel leaves.

Meanwhile King Fredrick tells Stefan he would like to thank Rapunzel (or rather the hero) for saving Katrina's life in person, Stefan says he'll find her. In the meantime they need to start working on the plans for Stefan's birthday. That night, Rapunzel has a dream that Prince Stefan found her tower. He came up by climbing her long hair. When up there, they are about to kiss, but Gothel shows up and separates them. Rapunzel then wakes up and reads the engraving on the hairbrush. She realizes that there is still hope. Going back to sleep, a shower of light turns the hairbrush into a paintbrush. The next day, two soldiers are searching the forest for Rapunzel but are scared off by a Dragon.

It is revealed that Gothel is the fiendish puppetmaster of the whole feud and is enjoying watching the two kings attempt to destroy one another.

Rapunzel is left alone with Hobie and Penelope, who cheered her up with new paints to replace the ones taken away by Gothel. Hobie discovers the paintbrush, and Rapunzel begins to paint. It soon becomes clear that she doesn't need paint, and whatever she paints becomes real. Rapunzel paints the village and then steps through, arriving at the palace gardens and meets Stefan.

She shows him the brush and asks for help to find its maker as it could help her find out about her parents but insists that he never tell her his name. In the village she meets a silversmith who says his brother made it, who lives in Wilhelm's kingdom. The silversmith has not seen his brother in years, making him very upset. Stefan realizes that the feud is hurting the villagers more than he realized.

Afterward, Stefan asks Rapunzel to a masquerade ball, she replies that she will meet him there. He says that her hair is a 'beautiful giveaway.' Penelope soon arrives, explaining that Gothel is coming and they must leave so that Hugo will not be hurt. Rapunzel leaves and paints a way out and makes it back in time, especially since Hobie was able to stall Gothel long enough. After Gothel leaves, Rapunzel decides to escape to the kingdom forever as it is not safe anymore. She tells Penelope that both she and Hobie should come with her, they will also try and bring Hugo with them. Stefan tries to tell his Father they have to end the feud between Wilhelm peacefully as families have been separated since the feud began, but King Frederick refuses.

When back at the tower, Rapunzel uses the paintbrush to paint herself a beautiful gown, after a series of gowns, she makes the perfect one. Hobie and Penelope provided a mask. Unfortunately, the paintbrush's light can be seen, and Otto sneaks in. He quickly steals the invitation without their notice and presents it to Gothel and she decides to go to the ball herself.

Angered, she arrives at the tower and slices off Rapunzel's hair, and breaks the paintbrush into pieces. She also manages to destroy the painting of the village. Because she thinks Rapunzel refused, to tell the truth, Gothel puts a spell around her tower, which holds people who lie forever and can never be broken. Gothel then storms to King Frederick and Stefan's castle, intent on destroying them, but not before chaining Hugo outside the tower and says she'll deal with him when she gets back. Hugo is furious at Penelope and blames her for getting himself chained up. Penelope wishes her Dad would listen to her and Hobie tells her to talk to him as if she would talk to Rapunzel, Penelope tells her father with confidence that she brought back Rapunzel so Gothel wouldn't harm him. Hugo now understanding, apologizes to his daughter and Rapunzel manages to escape with the help of Penelope and Hugo, as the spell only works if the prisoner is a liar and Hugo tells Penelope that she is a mighty dragon as she is brave to speak to him and she is loyal to her friends. Thanks to her father Penelope has the courage to fly over the magic wall and the three friends rush to save Stefan.

Stefan is lured away by Gothel, who is disguised as Rapunzel, but Gothel reveals herself and begins her attack. Stefan's younger sisters and brother try to help but Gothel's magic is too powerful. Wilhelm and his men soon arrive at the castle and appear before Frederick, hoping to end the feud by force. It is revealed the source of the feud was because he believes Frederick kidnapped his daughter, who has been missing since she was an infant. Frederick replies that he planned nothing of the sort, and he has no idea where Wilhelm's daughter is, to which Gothel reveals that she's the one who took Rapunzel because she thought Wilhelm "loved" her but married another woman, as he saw her only as a friend. Rapunzel arrives just in time to stop them from fighting, and Wilhelm recognizes her as his daughter. A battle ensues, Penelope toasts Otto (preventing him from eating Hobie) and Gothel begins to attack Rapunzel with magic. As Rapunzel runs into the royal maze, she remembers the magic painting of the tower and while she tries to reason with Gothel, she refuses so Rapunzel tricks Gothel into running into the magic painting. After this, Hugo's chain is broken and he reminds her she can't escape as she has a lying heart and since the spell is permanent not even Gothel can break it, trapping her forever.

Rapunzel's reunited with her biological parents, who have missed her and thought about her very much, Wilhelm manages to reconcile with Frederick, and the two kingdoms are united under a marriage between Rapunzel and Stefan. The couple moves into a castle of their own, with Hobie, Penelope, and Hugo moving in with them and living a better life. It's later revealed that Otto is now Gothel's new servant, but it's implied that Gothel eventually dies of starvation. The story ultimately ends with Rapunzel walking along a beach with Stefan, which is the same one as Rapunzel painted with a castle in the distance, implying her dreams came true. The scene becomes the painting Barbie had been working on only now it is finished. Kelly now feels better and with confidence begins painting with blue, which turns into the credits.

Starring the Voices Of[]

Characters also include Silversmith friend, Rapunzel's Mother and Botticelli.

DVD Special Features[]

Music[]

The music in the film was produced by Arnie Roth, including themes from Symphony by No. 9 (New World) by Antonín Dvořák. All additional music was composed, arranged, and orchestrated by Roth, and he conducted The London Symphony Orchestra, who performed the music. Roth won "Best Original Score" at the DVD Exclusive Awards in 2003.

"Rapunzel Theme" was performed by Becky Taylor, with music by Roth. Roth and Rob Hudnut collaborated on the lyrics and music for "Constant As The Stars Above", which was performed by Jessica Brown. "Wish Upon A Star" was sung by Samantha Mumba, and the lyrics and music are by Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson, and Pelle Ankarberg. It was produced and arranged by Korpi & BlackCell for Murlyn Music, with guitar by BlackCell. All three songs were nominated for "Best Original Song" at the DVD Exclusive Awards in 2003.

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Gothel was nominated for "Best Animated Character Performance" at the DVD Exclusive Awards in 2003. The film as a whole was nominated for "Best Animated DVD Premiere Movie", "Best Director", and "Best Visual Effects".
  • Botticelli the horse is named after Sandro Botticelli, an Italian painter who lived from 1445 to May 17, 1510, whose most famous work was The Birth of Venus. Being named after a painter who goes with the art theme of the film.
  • According to Hobie, this film was set in the 17th century (the 1600's).
  • As an easter egg, there is a portrait of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaïkovsky on a wall in Barbie and Kelly's house. There was also a portrait of him in Clara's house in Barbie in the Nutcracker. Tchaïkovsky composed the music for The Nutcracker, which Barbie in the Nutcracker was based on.
  • This is the first Barbie movie to have an ending quote.
  • This was the first Barbie movie to air on Nickelodeon, since the first movie (Barbie in the Nutcracker) aired on CBS, the film wouldn't air on Nick until March 2004.
  • When Rapunzel's hair is down, it looks very much like Clara's from Barbie in the Nutcracker.
  • This is the only film where Kelly doesn't have bangs.
  • This was the first Barbie film to have an original song for the film; Wish Upon a Star.

Goofs[]

  • When Rapunzel walked through the draft, she accidentally threw the candle right out of her hand when a mouse ran by. In real life, the fire would be supposedly gone, but in the movie, it's not.
  • When she was about to paint the wall with the Magic Paintbrush, you can see the image was 'pixelized,' this was due to its direct-to-video budget, it's not detailed well enough.
  • Rapunzel's hair is short after Gothel cuts it with her spell, but when Rapunzel was married at the end of the movie, her hair is still long as before.
  • After Penelope puts her foot through the floor, Rapunzel looks down the hole and decides to jump. She lands on the floor, and the fallen wood from the hole is nowhere in sight.
  • Just before Gothel cuts Rapunzel's hair, Rapunzel is turning to face her, but when Gothel cuts it in the next shot, Rapunzel has her back to Gothel.
  • While Gothel is laughing evily and walking down the stairs, the background behind her doesn't move.
  • When Otto is at the tower as Gothel's servant, he's seen preparing her tea and cookies in the manor's kitchen instead of the tower.

Also Known As[]

  • French - Barbie, Princesse Raiponce
  • Italian - Barbie Raperonzolo
  • German - Barbie als Rapunzel
  • Greek - Barbie ως Rapunzel
  • Albanian - Barbie Raperonzola
  • Hungarian - Barbie, mint Rapunzel
  • Portuguese - Barbie Princesa Rapunzel
  • Brazilian Portuguese - Barbie como Rapunzel
  • Croatian - Barbie kao Matovilka or Barbie: Matovilka
  • Serbian - Барби као Златокоса or Барби: Златокоса
  • Russian - Барби в роли Рапунцель
  • Polish - Barbie jako Roszpunka
  • Finnish - Barbie kuin Rapunzel
  • Swedish - Barbie som Rapunzel
  • Persian - راپونزل و قلم جادویی
  • Turkish - Barbie Rapunzel Masalında
  • Spanish - Barbie Princesa Rapunzel
  • Dutch - Barbie als Rapunzel
  • Mirandese - Barbie cumo Rapunzel
  • Georgian - ბარბი და დრაკონი
  • Thai - บาร์บี้ เจ้าหญิงราพันเซล
  • Romanian - Barbie în Rapunzel
  • Hebrew - ברבי הנסיכה רפונזל
  • Japanese - バービーのラプンツェル 魔法の絵ふでの物語
  • Mandarin - 芭比之长发公主

References[]

Barbie as Rapunzel
Barbie as Rapunzel Digital Copy

Media: Barbie as Rapunzel

Quote: "Love and imagination can change the world."

Characters: Barbie | Gothel | Hobie | Hugo | Kelly | King Frederick | King Wilhelm | Otto | Penelope | Stefan | Tommy | Katrina | Lorena | Melody | Rapunzel | Rapunzel's Mother | Silversmith

Objects: Rapunzel's Paintbrush

Locations: Gothel's Manor | King Frederick's Castle | King Frederick's Kingdom

Transportation: Botticelli | Hugo | Penelope | Rapunzel's Paintbrush

Songs: "Constant As The Stars Above" | "Rapunzel Theme" | "Wish Upon A Star"

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