Welcome back to Blonde Girl Writing! Today I’ll be talking about Barbie movies. Specifically, where they fall flat.
You read that right.
When I was younger, I loved watching Barbie movies. The adventure, the magic, the romance! For a little girl, Barbie movies are the epitome of amazingness.
Then I grew up. Suddenly, Barbie movies didn’t have the same magic as they used to. Something was off.
Today, I want to talk about where Barbie movies always fall flat and then relate that to our writing. By examining what not to do with our characters, we can craft good ones that aren’t typical or boring.
Perfect or OP Main Characters
Every movie has a main character. Barbie movies are no different.
The main character in every Barbie movie is, of course, Barbie (or a character she’s playing).
The problem with this is that Barbie is either perfect or overpowered. No character flaws.
Sure, in Fairytopia, Elina doesn’t have wings, but that isn’t a character trait. Or in Magic of the Peagusus, she disobeys her parents and gets into trouble—but that isn’t prevalent throughout the entire film.
Another thing about Barbie is she is always “the chosen one.” She’s different from all the rest. Whether it’s because she has magic in a world where magic is being stolen by a bratty princess (Secret Door) or because she aspires to be a woman musketeer when all the musketeers were generally men (Three Musketeers), Barbie stands out from the rest.
I have nothing against standing out or being different. But the fact that Barbie is the main character (while every other character exists only to help her) bugs me. Does she always have to be the only one who is special? And why can’t side characters be their own person?
If we want our main characters to connect with the audience (and not just entertain them) must have character flaws. What if Barbie had anger issues? What if she lied all the time? What if she was so scared of adventure she’d do anything to avoid it?
Give your main character a flaw that connects with people. Give them a goal. And give them a problem that directly opposes their flaw.
Predictable and Cheesy Romance
Most people might disagree with me on this, but this is one thing about Barbie movies that I dislike. Very rarely is this done well. Some of the newer Barbie movies don’t have a male love interest, such as A Mermaid Tale or Princess and the Popstar, but even these fall flat in other ways.
Needless to say, almost every Barbie movie has a predictable love interest—and noticeably nearly always brunette. Either he is a commoner and Barbie is a princess, or Barbie is the commoner and the love interest is a prince.
Love interest alert! (12 Dancing Princesses)
Photo courtesy of earthtocaitlin
If he’s a commoner, the love interest likely plays an instrument (think Derek from Twelve Dancing Princesses or the twin brothers Ian and Jeremy from Diamond Castle). He is also sarcastic and/or distant and hard for Barbie to coax out of his shell. Over time, however, he’ll eventually fall for Barbie because of her kindness and spunk.
If he’s a prince, he’s probably looking for a princess bride but falls in love with the pretty commoner instead, to the dislike of his parents. He’s likely awkward (or at least around Barbie) and Barbie is likely masquerading as a princess. At the end of the day, Barbie will impress the love interests parents so much, they’ll be able to get married and live happily ever after.
Although you don’t have to put romance into your books, there’s a good lesson to be learned here. Yes, cheesy romance is a thing many people enjoy (Hallmark Christmas movies, anyone?), but I want more for my characters.
Instead of having a cookie-cutter love interest, make them different. Take a typical trope and turn it on its head. Come up with something that you enjoy rather than cringe at.
A Power Hungry Villain and Incompetent Minion(s)
And, of course, what would a Barbie movie be without a villain to oppose Barbie and all of her goodness?
Dutchess Rowena and Desmond from Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Lydia and Slyder from Diamond Castle.
Dame Devin and Delancy from Princess Charm School.
Of course, more recent Barbie movies have deviated from this standard. Movies like Video Game Hero and Starlight Adventure have no villain whatsoever (just a misguided person who accidentally caused trouble for everyone).
Every story has (or should have) an antagonist. Every story needs someone who opposes the protagonist and causes trouble. But making the villain easily defeatable won’t do any favors for the plot.
Why can’t the villain actually be scary? Why do they have to rely on a sidekick who—90% of the time—fails miserably in stopping the main character?
Lydia and Slyder from Diamond Castle
Photo courtesy of earthtocaitlin
And why does the villain always have to want power? Yes, some power-hungry villains work really well—but what about misguided souls who lost their way? Villains who think they’re doing the right thing? Villains that can have positive character arcs without being cringy?
Give your villain a good reason for being the way they are. Don’t just stop at “they randomly turned evil and started stealing power”; examine their motives and give them a backstory. Spend as much time on your villain as you do on your main character.
(Need some help creating a villain with “the dread factor”? Check out this cool article from Kingdom Pen!)
And the incompetent minion trope is just too misused. Like the villain, your minion should have a valid reason for being on the bad side. What led them to serve your villain? A revenge mission? The hope of gaining something from the villain once they’ve done what they were supposed to? Were they trapped by the villain and fed lies until they believed they were on the right side?
Make sure your antagonists aren’t two-dimensional, and your conflict will be much better.
Conclusion
Barbie movies are okay for a time. They’re an escape from reality where everyone lives happily ever after and the villain is always defeated (or at least is locked away so they can escape in a sequel film.)
But if we want to create good stories that don’t fall flat, our characters have to be better.
Our main characters should have flaws that get in the way of their goals.
Our love interests (if you include them) should be a character all of their own and not just solely exist for the protagonist.
Our villains and minions should have good reasons for being the way they are.
And once you have crafted good characters, your story can flourish.
Well, there you have it: three places where Barbie movies always fall flat. I hope this article was helpful to you and that your writing goes well!
Best wishes,
Jonah
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