Me: Your first experience with Barbie movies - How old were you, and which movie was it?
Abbey: My first experience took place when I was ten years old. I was probably getting a bit too old to be playing with dolls by this point - I'd eventually give them up for a few years, before I got into doll collecting - but the idea of a Barbie movie still appealed to me, so I was quite excited when Nutcracker came out. He ordered it online, and it arrived in the post alongside a copy of Shrek. I vividly remember seeing it on the kitchen counter. Good times.
Me: Is this movie your favourite Barbie movie ever? If not, which is?
Abbey: As a matter of fact, it is. Probably just a coincidence, though.
Me: Who are your favourite protagonists played by Barbie, and why?
Abbey: Corinne, definitely. I admire her bravery and her determination, especially when you consider what she's up against. I also love the fact that she's quite flawed and often has to face the consequences of her actions. I'm not saying she's the only Barbie heroine to do that, but she's probably the most obvious.
Me: Who are your favourite sidekicks, human or animal, and why?
Abbey:This probably won't surprise anyone, but it'll have to be Major Mint and Captain Candy. I've already explained many, many times why I love Major Mint so much, so I won't repeat myself, but I love the way they work together as characters. Candy's a considerably nicer, more "normal" person than Mint (and by "normal", I mean less military-obsessed), so they balance each other out perfectly.
Me: Who are your favourite antagonists, and why?
Abbey: My favourite antagonist has to be Wenlock. I loved how he managed to be a real threat while still being entertaining to watch. That's not always easy to achieve. I also like Rothbart (excellent voice acting, and there's something quite cool about him), the Mouse King (just an excellent villain; I wouldn't want to mess with him), and Delphine, if she counts as one.
Me: Who are your favourite voice artists in the Barbie movies?
Abbey: Christopher Gaze, Morwenna Banks and Kathleen Barr, mostly because their voice acting is really quite versatile (it doesn't hurt that they've voiced some of my favourite characters, too).
Me: What type of Barbie movie do you like the most - Ballet, modern, fairy, mermaid, princess, holiday, or a combination?
Abbey: That's a tough question, because it really depends how it's done. I'd say, if I had to choose, it'd probably be a combination of princess, ballet and holiday.
Me: What aspects of the Barbie movies do you dislike?
Abbey: Well, I'm generally indifferent to the animal sidekicks. That doesn't mean I hate them (in fact, I like some of them; the animals in Island Princess, for instance, and the dragons in Rapunzel), but overall, I'm not that interested. I also don't like the sparkly dresses as much as the plain, pre-transformation outfits. And we all know my opinion on those little fairy/mermaid things. But the one thing that really bothers me is the way Mattel treats any character who happens to be older than the protagonist. Even the ones who aren't really that old rarely get any credit. Since these ones tend to be my favourites, this annoys the heck out of me.
Me: What good experiences have you had since you joined the Barbie movies fandom?
Abbey: I've had quite a few. I'd say the best experience overall is being able to talk to people about these movies. That's not something I used to be able to do very often. Most of my friends haven't seen them.
Me: Are you interested in what will be happening for Barbie movies next year (The Pink Shoes, Mariposa sequel, early Barbie movies re-released on Blu-ray, etc.)?
Abbey: Yes, I'm interested. The Pink Shoes just has so much potential, which is a first in my experience; usually I don't find anything to get excited about from the first trailer. I was a bit disappointed at first because Nutcracker didn't seem to be getting a mention, but now I'm really looking forward to finding out a bit more about this movie.
I'm definitely interested in the Mariposa sequel, since that was my favourite fairy movie and a sequel has been long overdue, but it's way too early to get excited over it.
The older movies... well, that depends. If it means they'll be getting new features, it'll be yet another excuse to try and get hold of a Blu-ray player that works. If it means Mattel will actually pay attention to those movies again, then I'll be very happy indeed. So, yes, I can safely say I'm interested.
Abbey: My first experience took place when I was ten years old. I was probably getting a bit too old to be playing with dolls by this point - I'd eventually give them up for a few years, before I got into doll collecting - but the idea of a Barbie movie still appealed to me, so I was quite excited when Nutcracker came out. He ordered it online, and it arrived in the post alongside a copy of Shrek. I vividly remember seeing it on the kitchen counter. Good times.
Me: Is this movie your favourite Barbie movie ever? If not, which is?
Abbey: As a matter of fact, it is. Probably just a coincidence, though.
Me: Who are your favourite protagonists played by Barbie, and why?
Abbey: Corinne, definitely. I admire her bravery and her determination, especially when you consider what she's up against. I also love the fact that she's quite flawed and often has to face the consequences of her actions. I'm not saying she's the only Barbie heroine to do that, but she's probably the most obvious.
Me: Who are your favourite sidekicks, human or animal, and why?
Abbey:This probably won't surprise anyone, but it'll have to be Major Mint and Captain Candy. I've already explained many, many times why I love Major Mint so much, so I won't repeat myself, but I love the way they work together as characters. Candy's a considerably nicer, more "normal" person than Mint (and by "normal", I mean less military-obsessed), so they balance each other out perfectly.
Me: Who are your favourite antagonists, and why?
Abbey: My favourite antagonist has to be Wenlock. I loved how he managed to be a real threat while still being entertaining to watch. That's not always easy to achieve. I also like Rothbart (excellent voice acting, and there's something quite cool about him), the Mouse King (just an excellent villain; I wouldn't want to mess with him), and Delphine, if she counts as one.
Me: Who are your favourite voice artists in the Barbie movies?
Abbey: Christopher Gaze, Morwenna Banks and Kathleen Barr, mostly because their voice acting is really quite versatile (it doesn't hurt that they've voiced some of my favourite characters, too).
Me: What type of Barbie movie do you like the most - Ballet, modern, fairy, mermaid, princess, holiday, or a combination?
Abbey: That's a tough question, because it really depends how it's done. I'd say, if I had to choose, it'd probably be a combination of princess, ballet and holiday.
Me: What aspects of the Barbie movies do you dislike?
Abbey: Well, I'm generally indifferent to the animal sidekicks. That doesn't mean I hate them (in fact, I like some of them; the animals in Island Princess, for instance, and the dragons in Rapunzel), but overall, I'm not that interested. I also don't like the sparkly dresses as much as the plain, pre-transformation outfits. And we all know my opinion on those little fairy/mermaid things. But the one thing that really bothers me is the way Mattel treats any character who happens to be older than the protagonist. Even the ones who aren't really that old rarely get any credit. Since these ones tend to be my favourites, this annoys the heck out of me.
Me: What good experiences have you had since you joined the Barbie movies fandom?
Abbey: I've had quite a few. I'd say the best experience overall is being able to talk to people about these movies. That's not something I used to be able to do very often. Most of my friends haven't seen them.
Me: Are you interested in what will be happening for Barbie movies next year (The Pink Shoes, Mariposa sequel, early Barbie movies re-released on Blu-ray, etc.)?
Abbey: Yes, I'm interested. The Pink Shoes just has so much potential, which is a first in my experience; usually I don't find anything to get excited about from the first trailer. I was a bit disappointed at first because Nutcracker didn't seem to be getting a mention, but now I'm really looking forward to finding out a bit more about this movie.
I'm definitely interested in the Mariposa sequel, since that was my favourite fairy movie and a sequel has been long overdue, but it's way too early to get excited over it.
The older movies... well, that depends. If it means they'll be getting new features, it'll be yet another excuse to try and get hold of a Blu-ray player that works. If it means Mattel will actually pay attention to those movies again, then I'll be very happy indeed. So, yes, I can safely say I'm interested.
