An Examination of Barbie: Fairytopia as a Hero’s Journey Narrative
Barbie: Fairytopia (2005) is the fifth movie in the series of 39+ movies produced by Mattel to promote their Barbie doll line, most of which are set in worlds independent of each other (to learn more about the Barbie Cinematic Universe (BCU), I highly recommend taking the Barbie Bonanza Agora class this spring). Fairytopia is the first movie in a trilogy following Elina the fairy (played by Barbie) as she has adventures and saves her beloved Fairytopia from various threats. In this post, I will examine Barbie: Fairytopia as a hero’s journey. Warning: spoilers!
Fairytopia starts with Elina at equilibrium. She is the only fairy
without wings in the Magic Meadow, and keenly wants them. Her call to adventure happens when she hears that an evil fairy named Laverna has kidnapped a fairy guardian and has released a spell that weakens fairies’ ability to fly. Because all her friends are getting sick, Elina sets out to get help, along with her sidekick Bibble, and after a long road of trials ends up saving all of Fairytopia from Laverna’s sinister plot to overthrow the Enchantress, Fairytopia’s benevolent ruler.
A main theme in Fairytopia is doing things “for the friends you haven’t met,” i.e. being selfless and taking risks to help others. In the big confrontation scene, Laverna gives Elina a pair of wings and says that if she helps her, she’ll be able to go back to her own little world and everything will be the same. Elina is entranced and whispers, “my own little world” (this own little world, of course, excludes the friends she hasn’t met). Metaphorically, this moment is Elina rejecting that life (and therefore death) is ever changing and that she is mortal. Elina starts to help Laverna, but is reminded by Azula (a mentor/goddess figure) of the friends she hasn’t met and snaps out of the trance, choosing an uncertain future without wings over a certain but selfish future, and in accepting the uncertainty she is also metaphorically accepting her own mortality. I would consider this moment to be her Atonement with the Father immediately followed by Apotheosis. Besides the initial risk of setting out on the adventure, Elina hasn’t had to sacrifice anything yet, and so in sacrificing her chance at having wings, something she’s always deeply wanted, she gains a new understanding of selflessness and is firmly re-resolved on taking down Laverna.
Like in Star Wars: A New Hope and Siddhartha, Barbie: Fairytopia skips a lot of the steps of the hero’s journey after the Ultimate Boon. After Elina defeats Laverna, which was the goal of her quest, Elina gets back home to the Magic Meadow offscreen and seemingly returns to life as normal until the Enchantress appears to thank Elina. The Enchantress rewards Elina with a magic necklace that gives her a pair of beautiful wings. So, Elina goes from the Ultimate Boon straight into crossing the return threshold and master of two worlds, where she is happily back home, but also has her new friends, lessons learned, and a pair of wings to remind her of her adventure.
I've never watched Fairytopia, but I can see how it can be classified as a Hero's Journey from your post! It seems like a lot of stories, including Fairytopia, don't completely follow all the steps of the Hero's Journey. In your opinion, do you think Fairytopia would have been more interesting if the initial "Return" steps were included in the movie?
ReplyDeleteI have also never watched Fairytopia but I agree with your assessment that it follows the Hero's journey. The idea of being the only one missing a core trait to your culture sounds awful when you think about it more. The return steps also seem interesting, as Elina getting her wings in her own special way makes sense in the context in the hero's journey.
ReplyDeleteI honestly forgot these movies existed, but I used to watch them with my sister a fair amount (and maybe sometimes on my own) – thanks for reminding me of those memories! I’m glad that you point out that Fairytopia skips a lot of the later steps of the Hero’s Journey rather than trying to stretch the story to fit in some way. I think acknowledging where a story diverges from the template is more insightful than distorting the story in some way, and you still provide a good reflection on the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteWow Edie, I really enjoyed your analysis! While I have never seen Barbie: Fairytopia, I can see that it's a rich journey of world-saving and self-growth. Your description of Elina's Atonement reminds me a little of the part in The Matrix when Neo is given a choice between the red and blue pill. He can choose to take the blue pill, return to his world, and continue living in ignorance, or he can take the red pill, which means he would learn the unsettling and life-changing truth and live an uncertain future (like Elina).
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