What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this fairytale-based fantasy combines elements that will appeal to little girls -- it's all right there in the title -- and themes that might scare them, too: The princesses' father is being slowly poisoned by a cruel relative who also bullies the girls. Parents should also be aware of the large number of product tie-ins they'll find mentioned in the insert, featured online, and in the toy stores.

Families can talk about how the sisters work together to save their family. Although escaping into the magical dancing land is fun, why is it important for them to return home? If you had a magical land to go to every night, what would it be like, and would you bring your siblings with you? Would your magic place require a tiara and a dress or comfy PJs and play clothes?

Common Sense Media Review
Although it tries to be a magical fairytale for little girls, BARBIE IN THE 12 DANCING PRINCESSES steps on its own toes a bit. On the one hand, it's an innocent story about sisterly love and ballet dancing appropriate for girls 5 to 7. On the other, it incorporates an ominous subplot that might be frightening to that same age group.

The computer animated movie stars Barbie (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) as Princess Genevieve, one of 12 high-spirited sisters who are doted on by their father, King Randolph. But the widowed royal worries that he doesn't know how to raise proper young ladies, so he enlists the help of his cousin, Duchess Rowena.

The duchess has ulterior motives, which viewers immediately sense when she arrives at the palace with her dilapidated carriage, evil-looking eyebrows, and creepy pet monkey. She bullies the princesses, even banning dancing, singing, and bright colors from their home. Meanwhile, the king is getting sicker and sicker with each sip of Rowena-brewed tea.

Just when their home life gets really bad, the sisters discover the secret entrance to a magical world of dancing -- a special gift from their late mother. But it's not long before they realize that they must return home to face their problems, especially when they learn their father is in danger.

A fun scene shows the 12 princesses using their strength in numbers against Rowena and her minions. A scary moment comes when Rowena's poison appears to have worked on the king.

The CGI animation makes the movie look more like a computer game. As a result, the dancing scenes -- which should be the highlights of the DVD because they're choreographed by the NYC Ballet -- end up feeling artificial, almost as though animators rushed through designing the sisters' legs (younger kids might not notice these subtleties). Other animation is more lifelike and detailed.

The older princesses are, of course, Barbie-slim with identical figures. In fact, they look almost exactly alike, except for hair and eye color, as do the younger sisters. Most of their personalities aren't well developed, with the exception of Genevieve, her youngest sister, and three others who are established as a bookworm and equestrians. The lighter side of this movie is probably too simplistic for older kids, but the poisoning scenes and other scary moments may be too much for younger ones.

Fans might also enjoy watching Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty , or playing a Barbie video game.