This movie is the one that goes hand in hand with the #3 ranking, Barbie Fairy Secret, however this one comes first. In this universe, Barbie is a movie star but gets fired for creative differences with the director and receives hate online. Shortly after, Raquel tricks Ken into breaking up with Barbie on the phone, saying that they are rehearsing lines of a breakup scene, but secretly recording it. With her life falling apart at the seams, Barbie takes a trip to her favorite place as a kid- her Aunt Millicent’s fashion house in Paris. However, upon arrival, Barbie discovers that her aunt’s fashion house is in danger of closing and she as well as her aunt’s assistant, Elise, must put together a fashion show to raise enough money to help save the fashion house. They receive the help of flairies, little fairies with no wings, that have the power to glamorize clothes that inspire them, so they assist in saving too.

First off, the opening montage of this movie is so iconic. It’s a bunch of fashion drawings and it’s black and white, with the color getting painted over on the beat drop. Though this movie isn’t a musical in that the characters never engage in singing, the music that plays over the montages is so good and really catchy. Plus, the dresses throughout this movie are so gorgeous. The fashion show at the end has some of the most beautiful designs and I even had little fashion books when I was younger because I wanted to be a stylist like Barbie. The flairies essentially turn everything glittery, and my sister and I would have debates about what dresses would have looked better without any glitter.

Just like in Fairy Secret, this movie is very funny and has so many one liners that my entire family will just say randomly. Ken specifically serves as comedic relief as he has a storyline of his own. Upon discovering Raquel’s secret breakup with Barbie and him being blocked on all platforms, Ken goes on a journey to Paris to surprise Barbie with a “grand romantic gesture”, but not without obstacles along the way. From a slobbery, bratty kid on a plane to his pants ripping in the airport to missing the train to getting his sweatshirt eaten by a pig, Ken really sets the bar for men. If he wanted to, he would. 

This is one of the only times we see Barbie going through a relatable, tumultuous time. In a lot of other movies that revolve around magic, her issues are not really relatable, like her whole family being turned to ice in Magic of Pegasus or trying to break a girl out of a magic mirror in Diamond Castle (though that movie does deal with poverty but thats besides the point). Seeing Barbie just having raw emotions and watching her deal with a breakup and job loss was honestly really refreshing and just relatable.

Additionally, this movie was honestly inspiring to me as a kid. I thought Paris was so cool in this movie, and now I am biliterate in French. I genuinely think one of the first times I was exposed to French and international culture was through this movie, so it’s kind of a full circle moment. Barbie was also such a business woman in this movie. I mean, to put together an entire fashion line and fashion show in the span of, what, a week? A month? To advertise and raise enough money to save an entire business that is on the verge of bankruptcy, to revamp a brand that has already been given a reputation of being outdated in the media is no easy task. Barbie was such a girlboss in this movie and maybe that’s not the only reason I’m a marketing major, but I can definitely take notes.

Plus, spoiler warning, but I do like to see the happy ending, even if its a little cliche. Ken surprises Barbie at the fashion show and all is well, Barbie saves the fashion house, and she not only gets her reputation as a movie star back, but is offered the role as a director of a new movie due to her creative ideas and execution of the fashion show that was broadcasted on TV. I love to see a girlboss winning.

Again, since this is one of the later movies, released in 2010, many OG barbie fans haven’t seen it. However, this movie remains one of my favorites and is a constant rewatch for me and my siblings. Solid number two pick.