Barbie as The Island Princess

asin: B000Q7ZLQU binding: DVD list price: $19.98 USD amazon price: $14.99 USD

Sometimes it's difficult finding one's place in the world and, while a young shipwrecked girl named Ro couldn't ask for better friends than the animals that raised her on a South Seas island, she wonders about her parents and where she came from. When avid explorer Prince Antonio discovers the island, he offers Ro a chance to return to civilization and Ro convinces her friends Tika the elephant, Sagi the red panda, and Azul the peacock to accompany her. Once in the Prince's kingdom, Ro and her friends feel hopelessly out of place and fall prey to the tricks of a scheming traitor. Just when it seems that Ro may never find her parents, feel comfortable in the civilized world, nor realize her love for the Prince, Ro gets a hint of her mother's identity and finds an opportunity to prove her goodness to the royal family. This CGI animated musical stars Barbie and features nine very nice original songs. The animation is adequate, if not particularly realistic, and the story, though it's certainly been told before, holds the interest of children ages 3 to 7 years. --Tami Horiuchi