Barbie Dolphin Magic
Barbie Dolphin Magic[1][2][3] (also called Barbie: Dolphin Magic) is a 2017 American-Canadian computer-animated friendship family television film directed by Conrad Helten and written by Jennifer Skelly. It is the 36th movie in the Barbie film series and the pilot to the Dreamhouse Adventures series (a new series by Mattel featuring Barbie and her sisters: Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea).[4] It features the voice of Erica Lindbeck as Barbie and is the first Barbie film to be produced under the new name of Rainmaker Studios (a current division of WOW! Unlimited Media). This marks the first time a Barbie film is not distributed by Universal Pictures.
Barbie Dolphin Magic | |
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Release Poster | |
Written by | Jennifer Skelly |
Directed by | Conrad Helten |
Starring | Erica Lindbeck Shannon Chan-Kent Kazumi Evans Claire Corlett Ciana Swales Adrian Petriw Maryke Hendrikse Paul Dobson Garry Chalk |
Music by | Rebecca Kneubuhl |
Country of origin | United States Canada |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Sarah Serata |
Editor | Cassandra Simonds |
Running time | 63 minutes |
Production companies | Rainmaker Studios Mattel Creations |
Release | |
Original network | YTV |
Original release |
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The film was dedicated to the memory of American publisher David Hall.
Plot
A mermaid and her four dolphin companions hide from a ship. The youngest dolphin, named Emerald, curiously goes near the boats and is instantly captured as a rare "gemstone dolphin", as there is a mysterious woman offering a reward. The mermaid tells them to stay put and sets off in pursuit of the boat.
Ken has taken an internship at a marine biology institute and has arranged that Barbie and her sisters stay in a beachside cabin while he is down there. While scuba diving, Skipper sees a strange animal heading towards the institute, and they follow it in the boat. Upon arrival, find the perfectly healthy dolphin imprisoned in a cove modified into a recovery tank. Ken concludes Emerald must have accidentally gotten in when the gate was open. Marlo, the institute's director, stops them from letting Emerald out, saying she has to wait until a vet can see him per protocol.
Once the group leaves, the 'animal' appears and reveals itself as the mermaid, who magically turns her tail to legs and tries to free the dolphin herself-however, Marlo has locked the gate. Barbie spots her and tells her what Marlo said. The mermaid introduces herself as Isla, and reluctantly agrees to trust Barbie and return next afternoon when the Vet is supposed to be there. They offer her a bed in the cabin, and she proceeds to amuse and puzzle them with her lack of experience with such simple concepts as mattresses, toothbrushes, sisters, dogs, and even sandwiches.
The next day, Emerald's family Ruby, Topaz, and Amethyst show up, and Isla reveals her secret to Barbie while swearing her to silence about it, which Barbie agrees to keep on condition that Isla teach her how to swim like a mermaid. THey hear Emerald's cries through a cave and realize there is an underwater tunnel from the bay into the cove. Isla and the Dolphins try to find the way there to free Emerald, but it's too much of a maze and they have to give up. Meanwhile, Stacie, Chelsea, and Skipper see a sideshow company's helicopter land at the institute, and when they follow it they realize that Marlo intends to sell Emerald to the owner.
The dolphins disobey Isla and head for the cove. Marlo has Ken open the gate and then close it behind them, on the pretext that they will help reduce Emerald's stress level. Ken doesn't like this at all, and when the rest arrive after Marlo leaves, he realizes the truth and goes to open the gate - however, Marlo has already changed the code.
Skipper and Chelsea hatch a plan to hack into Marlo's key fob device for locking the gate, which succeeds, but Marlo simply changes the code again and destroys the device. Isla dives into the cove and reveals herself as a mermaid to the rest of the group, and hides the Dolphins in the caves. Marlo, thinking they got out through the gate, sets off in the helicopter. Isla gives Barbie a magic shell, and Barbie goes to the other end of the tunnel in the bay and uses it to create a signal that Isla can follow to help the dolphins escape. They make their way to Ken's motorboat, but Marlo spots them in the bay and gives chase. Barbie disguises herself as Isla and swims mermaid-style the other way, and is captured by Marlo, giving the rest time to escape. Once Marlo realizes her mistake, she lets Barbie go, but Barbie tells her she knows all about the plot and plans to go to Marlo's superiors and the authorities.
Many days later, Barbie uses the magic shell to communicate with Isla, and she and the Dolphins come back to the beach, now that it's safe, to visit them. Barbie dubs Isla her "sister of the sea" and they vow to always be friends.
Cast
- Erica Lindbeck as Barbie
- Shannon Chan-Kent as Isla
- Kazumi Evans as Skipper
- Claire Corlett as Stacie Roberts
- Ciana Swales as Chelsea Roberts
- Adrian Petriw as Ken
- Maryke Hendrikse as Marlo
- Paul Dobson as Hugo
- Garry Chalk as Pete
References
- "Barbie Dolphin Magic Dolls, Play Sets, Toys & DVD". Barbie.mattel.com.
- "Barbie Dolphin Magic | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- Shulgas, Barbara. "Barbie Dolphin Magic Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- "Mattel Greenlights Two Barbie Series, Enchantimals, and Child Inventor Competition Show "The Toy Box"". www.bsckids.com. Retrieved 2017-11-20.