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When my wife called me to ask if I minded her getting this video for my three-year-old daughter, I of course told her that it was fine. I knew I would be stuck watching it over and over because my little girl loves to watch things with her daddy. We sat down before bedtime and popped it in the VCR, and I committed myself to being a good daddy and to spending some quality time with my little one. The movie opened with a rip-roaring musical number, and the quality of the computer animation was very impressive. Being a Mark Twain scholar (I did my thesis on Twain), I was expecting a goofy, silly movie adaptation of the story. After all, Barbie is about as interesting to me as fly vomit. However, what I found was a wonder. The story was excellent, but the songs were the best part of the film. The quality of the musical numbers rivals that of any Disney production. The VHS tape came with a CD with all of the major songs on it. My little girl sits and sings them to me and even asks her dad to join in on the "boy parts" of the song. What struck me about the movie most was the excellent character development in this short film. It was, I have to reluctantly admit, wonderful. Princess Annaliese, Erika, King Dominick, Julian, and the two cats are wonderfully portrayed. However, the stand out character is most definitely Preminger. This is a top-notch villain because he dosen't fit the established mold. He is prissy, vain, and feminine. However, he is also sly, conniving, and cruel hearted. His musical number "How can I refuse?" is among the best "villain songs," I have ever heard...bar none. There is also a great subplot involving the cats. Even the minor characters stand out. I've watched the film over and over with my little girl, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it every time. And I don't feel a bit unmanly at all.

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I just saw this one and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I knew my daughter would love it, but I didn't expect to like it as well. The story was sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My daughter was particularly delighted with the singing. She loves to sing, and musicals lend themselves for repeated encores by my daughter who learns songs faster than I ever could. If you have never watched a Barbie movie, I would recommend you give them a try, especially if you have a little girl in your home. They are much better than what most people who have not watched them think they are. The messages in the movies are positive, and the movies themselves are captivating and well made. As a parent I can say that I do not get as tired of the Barbie movies as I do of most other cartoon movies when forced to watch them repeatedly by my child. That is a big plus in my book. Barbie Princess and the Pauper is a nice follow up film to the other Barbie movies. We look forward to the next installment in the series.

Also recommended: Barbie and the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel, and Barbie in Swan Lake

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I am 27 yrs old and i dont have any kids, i am still a kid at heart and I loved Barbie Growing up, in 2001 when the Nutcracker came out i thought wow that looks so cute and the animation looks adorable, and since i grew up w/ Barbie I had to have it. I was hooked after watching it and have been collecting all of the movies. Its so nice to sit in bed and watch a really cute animated barbie movie and it makes u feel like a kid again. I feel so happy at the end of the movies just like i did as a kid. The Princess and the Pauper has a GREAT story to it the characters are adorable, I just loved it. Young or Old everyone can enjoy these movies.

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Having two daughters ages 5-1/2 and 7, we have all the previous Barbie movies and love them all they are quality products, beautifully crafted and artistically gorgeous and the music is always delightful (I mean, how can you go wrong with Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, but the original music from Rapunzel is hauntingly beautiful and extremely moving as well). So there was no question we would purchase Barbie As The Princess and the Pauper.

WOW! Barbie has outdone herself with this new DVD. As her first "Animated Musical," I must admit I was slightly skeptical, especially following the outstanding music that came before in the other Barbie DVDs. Imagine my surprise when I found myself completely blown away by the music and lyrics in every song of this DVD. Simply a first-rate job: Clever, singable (addictively so) and emotionally moving songs, one after another. And kudos to the songwriters for bringing back the beauty of the simple duet: The songs sung by Princess Anneliese and Erika together are just gorgeous and lovely.

Oh, and don't worry after getting over the beauty and richness of the music and songs, you will not be disappointed in any way by the story and animation, which is once again captivating, interesting, and intelligent. I am most impressed with all of the Barbie DVDs in that they always give Barbie's character a mature, strong, assertive, intelligent persona so opposite of what so many people used to believe (and probably still do) the Barbie dolls conveyed to impressionable young girls. The dolls may be all about fashion and perfect figures and shopping and boyfriends, but in the DVDs, Barbie is kick-ass smart, strong, decisive and compassionate (and, of course, still beautiful and perfectly-figured).

As the plot is well-written, fast-moving, and action-packed, even Daddies and older brothers will find themselves drawn to the story and animation in spite of themselves! (And get a load of Martin Short as the voice of the bad guy, the "evil Preminger" this may be one of his best roles to date!)

All in all, we are just pleased as punch with this DVD, and have watched it again and again. We also have the CD of the songs in the car, and I have actually listened to it a few times when my daughters were not even in the car! The songs just make you feel good inside. As long as Barbie continues starring in DVDs of this quality and caliber, we will certainly be purchasing them as soon as they hit the store shelves. And make sure not to miss the "outtakes" at the end of the film funniest animated outtakes I've seen since Toy Story and Monsters Inc.!

Unequivocally 5 stars.

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I was really dreading this but thanks to the ads, my 3 year-old was smitten.

I was expecting something dire but the music was pretty good. I love the bad guy Preminger. He dances great and he's so over the top. The women are good role models. They both escape vs. being "rescued" by the men, who are, by the way, real people. Dominik likes music and Julian is well-read. The princess likes science and ends up running the royal mines and Erika insists on having her singing career before marrying the king. I know, it's streching things but they're trying!

I wouldn't want fairy tales to get too politically correct though they've firmed up the hansome prince and "damsel in distress" image a bit.

The only reason I gave it only 4 stars is that I found the computer models a bit creepy. Since I didn't grow up with them, I'm a little weirded out but that wont bother a little girl at all.

My 3 year old is glued to the TV (great punishment, "Want to watch princess Barbie today? Then stop doing X") and after my brain has been fried over so many of these kids' shows, this is welcome relief, again and again and again...

Buy Barbie as The Island Princess (2007)

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I once heard a definition of integrity as something you are when nobody's watching. I also once heard someone comment that there must be no honor among filmmakers because apparently nobody in a high-budget production cared that the movie made was terrible. Well, I have to say, this movie is yet another shining example of the Barbie movies' integrity.

They could get away with SO much--they don't NEED to put a plot or characters or even any kind of acting into this, honestly. BUT THEY DO. The reason I pick this movie out of the crop is that (a) it was just released, and (b) it's a great example of the integrity that is so lost among high-end studio productions these days. Why? Think--what movie is similar to this? Can you think of any parallels? Especially in the Disney array? It's a movie with striking similarities to the Little Mermaid.

BUT, instead of making the heroine a selfish brat and saving it with appealing sidekicks and great music, the characters themselves are likable (or hate-able) and they DON'T have to make the person trying to marry the prince a creepy person either. It's so great! The music, as in the Princess and the Pauper, is shockingly good; the animation and visuals just keep getting better and better; and the storytelling and character development are far above the par of the so-called "best" of Hollywood today.

If you have already started collecting the Barbie movies, get this one too. If not, start right now! Little girls and you(!) will ACTUALLY enjoy them together. This is a worthwhile movie to see, as are the other Barbie movies. Even the weakest of them (story-wise) is morally strong and is better quality than most Hollywood fare these days.

Enjoy this film integrity!

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I told people that if I ever had a daughter, I would NEVER buy her anything Barbie. But here I am, with 3 girls later, and I have bought them almost every Barbie movie on the market! This is by far the best Barbie movie, IMHO. My girls (ages 2 & 4) love the songs and the animals. The movie is also very brightly colored. Ever since I bought the movie for them, they've been watching it constantly. I try not to analyze the Barbie movies too much though. Otherwise I would be focusing in on Azul, the "happy" peacock, if you know what I mean... Barbie movie-makers always seem to throw in some unique characters. Embarrasingly enough, I cried at the end of the movie! I'm looking forward to the Mariposa movie next!

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I love all the Barbie movies, but this has to be my favorite! It has a lot of similar aspects to some of my favorite Disney (and non-Disney) animated movies, which I loved. The story flows well and the characters are endearing. The animation is, in my opinion, the best in the series; the colors are more vibrant, which makes it less jarringly CG, and I love the character designs (such as Ro's braid and Prince Antonio's face, which was different than all the other "Kens").

What really makes this movie a winner, though, is the soundtrack. Just TRY and tell me that those songs don't get stuck in your head. I've been listening to them OVER and OVER. The best song in the movie by far is "I Need to Know." The duet between Alessandro Juliani (Antonio) and Melissa Lyons (Ro) is absolutely GORGEOUS. Their harmony is amazing, I got goosebumps! The other songs are good too, I can't get "The Rat Song" out of my head.

These movies are good for people who like visually pleasing stories that don't make you think too hard. Call it predictable, but it's nice when you can count on everyone living happily ever after. While deep, dark, thought-provoking movies serve their purpose, when you're stressed out or just want to relax, sometimes you just need a good cartoon. That's what Disney movies USED to be about, and the Barbie movies have taken over in their stead. This movie has excellent values in it, such as respect for animals, the value of caring for others, and the importance of sharing (the lyrics to the song "Always More" are really good for this), and following your heart. I would definitely show this movie to little girls, as it's movies like this that provide wholesome entertainment with good values to children, while being entertaining to adults as well.

I encourage you to try this movie out before you make up your mind that it's "silly" or "kids stuff."

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Okay, I will admit up front that my five-year-old daughter and I have only watched this DVD once, and sometimes movies grow on you the more you watch them. But our initial reaction is one of disappointment. I thought the songs were very forgettable and the main characters weren't very interesting (Prince Antonio, in particular, is pretty bland and the villaness is not as colorful as in past Barbie movies.) My daughter had been so excited about finally getting to see Island Princess, especially since it is a musical, but she wandered away several times while it was on (something she doesn't do while watching Princess and the Pauper or Swan Lake, her two favorite Barbie movies.) I have a feeling Island Princess is not going to join the list of her most-requested DVDs.

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It is a very cute movie and my 4 year old daughter watches it over and over again. I has very cute songs that she already learned. I recommend it!

Review of Swan Princess III (Clam) (1998)

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I adored one. Hated two. Enjoyed three. The songs in this movie were much less tacky than the SP2 The animation was definitely better than two, but worse than one. Like most sequels, it fell short of some characteristics that the first movie could boast about. But, it covered many plot holes that the second movie created, and had a fairly good plot. It was definitely enjoyable! The new character was funny, and the movie was more, or less enchanting. I do reccomend buying this one. It was not excellent, but definitely good.

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Bought this for my youngest granddaughter, and she just loves it. She has watched it several times. Would recommend it to any young child.

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A friend of mine liked the very first Princess Swan and so I decided to get her the third one since we found the second one online. Thank you amazon!

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She loves it. Can't stop watching it and I have to hide it from her so she can go to bed.

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I wanted this to complete the rest of our swan princess movie collection,no subliminal messages or hidden x-rated art work

The Princess Bride (25th Anniversary Edition) (1987) Reviews

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This is a terrific movie that has so many different editions of the DVD and now Blu-Ray discs that it gets very confusing as to what is in each version.

A search of the internet shows several reviews that describe the differences between the DVD versions. Basically the "Dread Pirate Roberts" edition and the "20th Anniversery" edition have different special features not in the other edition.

As of this writing, there are three versions of the Blu-ray the Blu-ray only edition, and the Blu-ray + DVD edition in either a Blu-Ray or the old style DVD case.

What makes it confusing is that Amazon and other sellers of this Blu-Ray only edition list this movie as a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, implying that it might be a different movie cut, while the other two Blu-ray editions are listed as 1.85:1 aspect ratio. No doubt this, together with the fact that the Blu-Ray + DVD edition has almost the same price, has hampered sales of this Blu-Ray only edition.

Well, I went ahead and got the Blu-Ray only edition, mainly because I thought that there might be a chance that the 1.33:1 ratio was because some older movies were filmed on 35mm film which has a natural 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and then were cropped top and bottom to a 1.85:1 ratio to give them a widescreen look. On the other hand, the very first DVD edition released for Princess Bride notoriously had a horrible pan-and-scan cropped to fullscreen 1.33:1 aspect ratio that showed less of the movie than the widescreen version, which is not what you want to see in a Blu-ray. I was hoping for the other possibility that the listed 1.33:1 for this Blu-ray edition meant that cropping had been removed from the widescreen version to show MORE of the movie as it was originally filmed.

However, on playing this Blu-ray, it was immediately obvious that this Blu-Ray only edition is the same 1.85:1 aspect ratio as the other Blu-Ray editions. So all those listed descriptions of this Blu-Ray as a 1.33:1 aspect ratio are just flat out wrong.

What are the other goodies on this Blu-Ray? The Special Features include:

Audio Commentary by Rob Reiner

Audio Commentary by William Goldman

The Art of Fencing

As You Wish, The Story of The Princess Bride

Cary Elwes, Video Diary

The Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Pirate of the Seven Seas

Fairy Tales and Folklore

Love is Like a Storybook

Miraculous Makeup

Original Theatrical Trailer

Princess Bride: The Untold Tales

So, this Blu-Ray contains essentially all the special features of the "Dread Pirate Roberts" edition and the "20th Anniversary Edition" except for the DVD games and the booklet. The special features are in their original DVD or lower quality video resolution, although it seems that some of the excerpts from the movie itself have been re-edited to use the higher Blu-Ray resolution.

The Blu-Ray quality is excellent, except for being a bit grainy in some parts tweaking the sharpness or edge enhancement helps, if you have this feature on your Blu-Ray player.

Finally, a few words about the movie it is an absolutely wonderful classic a warm, romantic, and humorous mythology, one of those perfect family movies that could be shown every year just like "A Christmas Story". It was known to be the late Andre the Giant's happiest experience in life, playing the role of Fezzik; he regularly watched the movie afterwards.

It belongs on the list of my favorite films of all time.

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Here's what is new on the 20th Edition DVD:

"The Princess Bride: The Untold Tales"

"The Art of Fencing" Featurette

"Fairy Tales and Folklore" Featurette

"True Love and High Adventure: The Official The Princess Bride DVD Game

The Dread Pirate Roberts/Buttercup Editions include all of the Special Edition features plus:

French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) Audio Track

"Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Legend of the Seven Seas" mockumentary

"Love is Like a Storybook Story" featurette

"Miraculous Make-up" featurette

Quotable "Battle of Wits" trivia game

Collective booklet: "Fezzik's Guide to Florin"

I prefer the Dread Pirate Robert's/Buttercup Edition, but there are three reasons why you might want to buy the new 20th edition:

1. You don't already own the movie (shame on you).

2. You collect all things Princess Bride.

3. The DVD cover art is fantastic!

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I remember when I first saw this movie, around age 13, I had no idea who the Man in Black was through the entirety of the first act. Sure, it's apparent now, given the benefit of hindsight, but because of the actor's anonymity at the time I never made the obvious connection. On top of that, most of the rest of the cast was unknown to me as well (except for the one non-actor, Monsieur Roussimoff, a.k.a. Andre the Giant). The sweeping anonymity of the company allowed the film to do two things: first, the audience isn't distracted by the presence of the Big Star; and second, unknown actors allow for no preconceived notions of their characters. Which in turn allows the filmmakers to subvert character types, and insert some true surprises into the story.

Which, to make a long point even longer, is the whole ethos of the film

William Goldman's book "The Princess Bride", on which this film is based, intended to tell only the 'good parts' version of the story of Westley and Buttercup. That is, it would leave in the high drama and action and romance, while curbing the back-stories and superfluous exposition. William Goldman, in his role as adaptor of the book into a screenplay, remains fiercely loyal to this proposition. He's constructed a framing device, wherein a grandfather is reading to his sick grandson, which allows him to make meta-fictional comments on the seemingly typical fairy tale being told. In doing so, however, he subverts the fairy tale's typicalness, making it much more surprising and revelatory. At one point the grandson worriedly asks about the fate of the villain: "Who kills Humperdinck?" The grandfather calmly answers, "No one. He lives." Which is not only a true statement, for that is exactly what happens, but it doesn't even come close to ruining the end of the story. On the contrary, it increases the suspense, and makes what does happen quite astonishing.

Rob Reiner, in only his third time out in the director's chair, does a wonderful job of translating Goldman's script to the screen. He utilizes elements, whether by choice or by budgetary restraints, that would at first appear incongruous, but work as a whole to keep the audience off-balance, and thus more receptive to the surprises the movie has in store for them.

The acting is, stylistically, all over the place. It ranges from the unabashed over-the-top passion of Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya), to the bumbling buffoonery of Wallace Shawn (Vizzini), to the gentle anti-acting of Andre the Giant (Fezzik), to the unsubtle Snidely Whiplash villainy of Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdinck), to the Borscht Belt mugging of Billy Crystal (Miracle Max), to the icy malice of Christopher Guest (Count Rugen), and the stark realism of Robin Wright (Buttercup, the title character). No two actors take the same road, but they all somehow arrive at the same location. Cary Elwes, playing the hero, is the only one who falls easily into all these styles, as the situation demands it. He is menacing, suave, cool, funny, athletic, simple, sweet, fierce, etc., etc., etc. Elwes and Patinkin are the standouts for me -their swordfight atop the Cliffs of Insanity is technically brilliant, literate, and extremely entertaining -but the entire cast effective. Even the smaller roles (British comedians Mel Smith and Peter Cook each have brief but memorable one-joke cameos) make their mark.

The film's musical score, composed by 'Dire Straits' frontman Mark Knoplfer, swings and sways from moment to moment. In one, he uses stark, bouncy lines to underscore a simple scene of Fezzik and Inigo trading rhymes. In the next, he layers synthesized strings to call up the gravity of the Man in Black's chase. My only problem with the music is the song written for the closing credits: it's weepy and melodramatic, without the sense of subversive fun that had prevailed up until that point.

The sets and scenery switch back and forth between real and obviously fake. Filmed in and around the English countryside, most of the outdoor locations (the severe valley, the woods) breathe reality and beauty into the story. Others, such as the Fire Swamp, the Pit of Despair, and the plateau above the Cliffs of Insanity, have the phony feel of a Hollywood soundstage. Again, the film keeps the audience on their toes.

So now that I am 27 instead of 13, and know back-to-front the filmmographies of all the actors involved, and have seen the film more than a dozen times, and can quote lines from it at the drop of a hat, do I find it any less appealing than on that first viewing? Of course not. Goldman and Reiner's film rewards multiple viewings, with its wit, its playfulness, and most importantly, its subversiveness. Will there ever be a time when I tire of watching it? A time like that is right now, as Vizzini might say, "inconceivable".

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I am a great lover of the Princess Bride, so when the 20th Anniversary Edition came out, I pre-ordered it and eagerly awaited it's arrival. Well, I got it on Saturday, popped it into the DVD player and fully expected to be dazzled by all of the new extras. There's one new featurette on the movie, which does not feature Cary Elwes. There's an intro to the new PB game that's out. And a featurette about how this compares to other fairy tales. The rest of the features that were so awesome in the special edition, like Cary Elwes' video diary? Nothing else is included. I was very disappointed, and wish I had not wasted my money. The movie is awesome, and if you do not own it, by all means, buy whichever version you please. But my own personal preference is for the Special Edition. It sounds like the Buttercup/Dread Pirate versions are cool too. Just wanted to warn you all so you don't make the same mistake. Thanks!

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The MOVIE: at first glance, this is your basic fairy-tale-fantasy-love-story between Princess Buttercup and her dashing lover Wesley. Mix in some pirates, giants, swashbuckling Spaniards, evil geniuses, dungeons w/ torture devices and six-fingered men, and you have possibly the best non-animated family classic of the 1980s. It's also the favorite (and usually most-quoted) movie of many of my friends. In sum, words cannot do justice to this movie, so please rent it.

The DVD: I absolutely refused to buy the first DVD release of this movie, as it was non-anamorphic (i.e., will not fit on widescreen TVs) and was sorely lacking in extras. This SPECIAL edition is well worth the wait. First of all, you have two high-quality featurettes from 1987, each roughly 10 minutes long. The first one is a look behind the making of the movie and includes on-location interviews of the actors between shots. The second featurettes is more of the same, although it focuses more on providing unique insight into the decisions behind the casting of every major character in the movie. Also included is a 5-minute video diary by Cary Elwes, which is basically Cary with a camcorder filming himself and other members of the production at various points (e.g., practicing with his fencing teacher, the crew eating meals, etc.). Cary and Robin Wright provide voice-over commentary.

However, the true gem of this disc is the 30-minute "As You Wish" Documentary, in which all the principals (Cary, Robin, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, Fred Savage, William Goldman, Mandy Patinkin, etc.) look back from 2001 at the entire history of The Princess Bride, from the reasons as to why Goldman wrote the original book in 1973, to his decade-long attempt to get it put on film, to the choice of Rob Reiner and its subsequent filming, and to the legacy the movie has left in the 15 years since its release. In covering almost every aspect of The Princess Bride, this documentary is often funny, sometimes sentimental (especially when the actors reminisce on their memories of Andre the Giant), and always fascinating.

Lastly, the DVD contains two audio commentaries, one by Rob Reiner and a separate one by William Goldman, with each providing their respective insight into the various parts of the story and its filming. (I will say, however, that Rob Reiner's commentary is much better than the sparse one he gave in the DVD for "When Harry Met Sally").

In sum, this is the consummate DVD for any true fan of the movie. I can't imagine too much more that could have been added to this DVD which would have made it too much better. A truly, can't-miss DVD. If you own the first release, you won't regret trading it in for this one.