10 Best Barbie Movies for Kids (Our Favorites, Ranked)
If you grew up in the early 2000s, there is a good chance you had a stack of Barbie movies on DVD and a very strong opinion about which one was best. We did. There are six of us, so there were six opinions. Now our kids are the ones asking for them, and we have been pleasantly surprised at how well these hold up. The animation is dated in a cozy way, the stories are sweet, and the music in the ballet ones is actual Tchaikovsky. If you are looking for the best Barbie movies for kids, this is our ranked list.
One thing to know up front: these are plot heavy. They have villains, a bit of peril, and stories that take some following, so most of them land best around 4 and up. Three of these Barbie movies for kids are gentle enough that our toddlers watch them on repeat, and we have called those out below.
The gentlest Barbie movies for kids under 4
If you have a 2 or 3 year old, start with these three. The villains are mild, the pacing is slow, and the music carries the story.
- Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, because twelve sisters dancing is about as calm as it gets
- Barbie as Rapunzel, the softest story of the bunch
- Barbie in the Nutcracker, ballet music and a simple story
The 10 best Barbie movies for kids, ranked
Here is our full list, in order. Each one has an age note and a quick intensity rating so you can pick the right one for your kid, plus where to watch it right now.
1. Barbie as Rapunzel – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 3 and up. Intensity: gentle.
This was one of the first ones we introduced to our kiddos. Rapunzel lives as a servant to the witch Gothel, with a sweet dragon named Penelope and a rabbit named Hobie for company, until she finds a magic paintbrush that can paint her way out. The story is slow and lovely, the colors are soft, and the message is that kindness and creativity are what actually get you free. Gothel is bossy more than scary, and the whole thing feels like a bedtime story.
Our favorite toddler pick. It is calm, the villain is mild, and the lullaby at the end has put more than one of our babies to sleep.
2. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper – Netflix (or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango)
Best for ages 4 and up. Intensity: mild.
The first Barbie musical, and still the best one. Princess Anneliese and a seamstress named Erika look exactly alike, swap places, and foil the greedy Preminger, who is scheming to take the throne. The songs are the reason this one sticks. Our kids sing “I Am a Girl Like You” in the car, and we will admit we know every word too. There is a kidnapping and a mine collapse, but it all plays very light.
Two cats, two girls who look alike, and a soundtrack that your kids will sing until spring. The plot has a few more moving pieces, so it lands better around 4.
3. Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango (included with Prime at the time of writing)
Best for ages 3 and up. Intensity: gentle.
Twelve sisters who love to dance, a strict cousin named Rowena who bans dancing, and a secret magical world under the castle floor. As a family of six sisters, you can imagine why we love this one. The dancing scenes are beautiful, the little triplets are hilarious, and the big sister Genevieve is a great example of looking out for everyone. Rowena is sneaky rather than scary, which is why this one works so well for little ones.
Our top toddler pick. There is a lot of twirling, very little conflict, and a cobbler named Derek who is just plain nice.
4. Barbie in the Nutcracker – Netflix (or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango)
Best for ages 3 and up. Intensity: gentle.
The very first Barbie movie, set to Tchaikovsky, and a holiday tradition in several of our houses. Clara gets shrunk by the Mouse King and sets off with the Nutcracker to find the Sugar Plum Princess. The music does most of the work here, and the pacing is slow and dreamy. The Mouse King is a bit of a grump and there are a few rat soldiers, but nothing that has ever bothered our kids. Save it for December, or do not. We watch it in July too.
Our third toddler pick. The ballet music keeps the whole thing soft, and the story is simple enough to follow at 3.
5. Barbie as the Island Princess – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 4 and up. Intensity: mild.
Ro was shipwrecked as a little girl and raised on an island by a red panda, a peacock, and a baby elephant. When a prince finds the island, she goes back to his kingdom with her animal family in tow. This one is a full musical, the animals are the stars, and the song about the animals in the palace still gets requested at our house. There is a villain who poisons the animals, which is tense for a minute, but it resolves fast.
Bright, musical, and full of animal friends. The poisoning scene is the only reason it is not on our toddler list.
6. Barbie of Swan Lake – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 4 and up. Intensity: mild to medium.
Odette, a baker’s daughter, follows a unicorn into an enchanted forest and gets turned into a swan by the sorcerer Rothbart. Tchaikovsky again, and the ballet sequences are gorgeous. Rothbart and his daughter are a little more menacing than the villains above, and there are a couple of dark forest scenes, so we hold this one until closer to 4 or 5 depending on the kid.
Beautiful music and a brave heroine. Preview it if your child is sensitive to spooky forests.
7. Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango (included with Prime at the time of writing)
Best for ages 5 and up. Intensity: medium.
Princess Annika’s parents are turned to stone by the wizard Wenlock, and she flies off on a winged horse named Brietta to find the Wand of Light. There is ice skating, a polar bear named Shiver who is pure comic relief, and a Cloud Kingdom that our kids love. It is more of an adventure than the earlier movies, with chase scenes and a scarier villain, so this is a 5 and up pick for us.
More action, more adventure, more Wenlock. Great once your kids are ready for a little suspense.
8. Barbie and the Diamond Castle – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 4 and up. Intensity: mild.
Liana and Alexa are best friends who find a mirror with a girl named Melody trapped inside, and set out to find the Diamond Castle before the muse Lydia and her dragon do. The friendship story is the whole point. “Two Voices, One Song” and “Connected” are songs our girls sing to each other, which is as sweet as it sounds. Lydia’s dragon is a little intense for a scene or two, but it is short.
The friendship movie. If you have two kids who are best friends, or need a reminder to be, start here.
9. Barbie Fairytopia – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 4 and up. Intensity: mild.
Elina is a fairy born without wings who has to save Fairytopia from Laverna, who is poisoning the air. Her sidekick Bibble is the funniest character in any Barbie movie, and your kids will be making Bibble noises for weeks. The art style is softer and more watercolor than the princess movies. Laverna’s fungus minions are a little creepy looking, which is the only thing to know going in.
A wingless fairy who saves everyone anyway. Bibble alone is worth the rental.
10. Barbie and the Three Musketeers – Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango
Best for ages 5 and up. Intensity: medium.
Corinne moves to Paris to become a musketeer, which nobody thinks a girl can do, and ends up working as a palace maid with three other girls who feel the same way. They train in secret and save the prince. It is the most action heavy movie on this list, with sword fighting and a plot against the prince, so it is best for the 5 and up crowd. The teamwork message is great and the girls are funny together.
All for one. The sword fights are bloodless and silly, but this is the most intense pick on the list.
Where to watch Barbie movies for kids
As of this writing, most of the classic Barbie movies for kids are a $3.99 rental on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home, a couple of them (12 Dancing Princesses and Magic of Pegasus) are included with Prime, and Princess and the Pauper and Nutcracker are both on Netflix right now. These titles rotate on and off Netflix and Prime fairly often, so it is worth a quick search in your apps before you rent. The DVDs are also cheap and easy to find, and honestly a little stack of them makes a great gift for a 4 year old.
That is our list of the best Barbie movies for kids. Which one was your favorite growing up, and which one do your kids pick? Tell us in the comments, especially if you think we got the order wrong. We have had that argument plenty of times ourselves.
Looking for more gentle screen time picks? Try Halloween Shows for Toddlers (Not-Scary Episode List by Age), Low-Stimulation Fall Shows for Toddlers (Cozy Episode List), Low-Stimulation Christmas Movies and Shows for Toddlers.
