Barbie and the Three Musketeers

"I loved this Barbie movie because it's about Musketeers and I want to be a secret agent or a Musketeer, too! A Musketeer is something that fights with a sword."

"This movie is about Three Musketeers saving the prince. They rescue the prince, but nobody believes they can do it. But they do, they rescue the prince with their powers! And their stuff! They have a sword, ribbons and fans!"

"This is my favorite Barbie movie because every fighting movie teaches me new fighting moves. Come in the den if you want to see them."

So says five-year-old Punky Ferrier, who is completely OBSESSED with the newest Barbie movie: Barbie and the Three Musketeers. And with good reason- This Barbie movie is the first to feature Barbie as a sword-wielding, take-action kind of girl.

I think my daughter, who loves both princesses and LEGO video games with fighting (fighting among LEGOs, if you can imagine!), has found her match.

Barbie manages to preserve her femininity in this movie and still fend off bad guys with her sword. Her friends use their own specialties (ribbons and fans, as Punky told you- a bit hard to believe, but um, GIRL POWER!) and together, they all save the prince! Even thought no one thought they could do it!

Punky has watched this movie a gazillion times since it arrived last week and she has indeed learned many a fighting move- she has even taken to carrying a plastic sword around the house to practice. And lest you worry about "violence," Barbie's sword antics are comfortably in the realm of classic fencing, and fending off bad guys seems to involve a few deft swoops in the air on her part, at which point they topple like flies, stunned by her sword-waving prowess.

I've said here before that I actually love the Barbie movies and generally end up watching them with my daughter. They play out like fairytales, rely heavily on classical music (which my daughter is consequently very interested in listening to again later), and they are enjoyable and sweet to watch. Barbie and the Three Musketeers is no exception. It's out today on DVD and I'm fairly certain your daughter will HAVE to have it.