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Barney's Great Adventure (1998)
Wonderful! Spectucular! Supertastic! My favorite movie!!
This movie is one of my all time favorites, if my all time favorite, and yes, I'm aware of the fact that this plot wasn't supposed to make it to theatres, but it is still something interesting. The concept of an older kid questioning imagination, Barney's existence, and growing up is very good concept, can definitely relate to many older young viewers, say like pre-teens or teenagers. Marcella, played by Kyla Pratt, is a nice voice-of-reason to the team and tries to keep them down to earth and is full of ideas, Abby is sweet and imaginative for the most part. Cody (Trevor Morgan)'s character development is quite the catalyst in this film, he first starts out as a cynical, mischievous skeptical guy, but he soon comes out of his shell, becoming softer and open-minded, thanks to the great adventure and Barney, of course, and now how can I not review the characters without mentioning the dinosaurs: Barney, BJ, and Baby Bop. Baby Bop and BJ sadly don't have a significant role in the movie, but at least they are in the movie, joining in on the fun.
And now let's talk about our big purple T-Rex buddy himself, Barney the Dinosaur, as the star of his very first feature-length movie (now we can say we got a screen big enough for him, ha ha). Barney's purple presence is absolutely wonderful. I love the realism around him, considering he is an imaginary character. There's no magical sparkles when he comes to life, really building the suspense of his arrival, we don't really know what's going to happen (because if we saw the magic sparkles we would know it's Barney coming to life, like on the show), and when he pops out the shower, it's just so hilarious, seeing everyone's reactions, and Barney just being Barney, as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening, just getting out of the shower and whatnot. The added moving eyes and blinking really shows his emotions in this movie. As usual, Bob West is spot on with the voice, and David Joyner really outdid himself in the infamous purple suit, bringing it to the next level, you could tell he was getting it. We see lots of things with him, from getting up on stage and singing jazz to his horse chariot ride. And when things seem down for the count, he still manages to keep his caring and positive optimistic mindset, never giving up, and cheering his buds up
One thing that always stands out not only in this movie, but the entire Barney franchise are the little gags and humor, in this movie, they go all out. You got Cody's keepaway chase when swipes Barney from Abby, Barney's entrance, the barrel crash, the plane colliding into the hay, lots of it. I love how emotional it can be at times, like at the climax, in the rain under the circus tent, but count on Barney to cheer everyone up, even he felt a little down. At the end, the egg hatches and reveals Twinken the Dream Maker, who's very very adorable. His dream powers are no exception, and are very extraordinary, and it's not a Barney movie if you don't close it off with Barney's signature goodbye tune, I Love You, but in a real soft orchestra style, perfect way to end the movie off on a good note. And speaking of the music, Great Scott, it's totally brilliant! Barney's jazz rendition of If All the Raindrops fit the dinner theatre stage setting at Chez Snobbe, as well as the country swing during Old Macdonald.
Yes, it does have a few problems: like yes, the complexity of the plot, the so-called blandness of the film and how the atmosphere never fit Barney in the first place, but I don't care. I give it the Imagination Posse Seal of Approval for an awesome adventure movie for the whole family.
Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion - Diamondz (2006)
Quite the Dazzling Feature!
This Bratz movie called Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz, part of the infamous Forever Diamondz line was quite a film. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but still very tasteful.
So, the Bratz are competing with Your Thing is a cross-country contest to find the next top designer. I love this kind of concept. We get to see our old buddy Byron Powell again, doing what he does best, hosting this show. We get to see the Bratz in their Class outfits they previously wore in Genie Magic, and as usual, they always look wonderful. I love Cloe's various dramatic moments throughout this movie. Anyway, we soon end up in Rockwater Springs, where we meet the hidden main antagonist, Mandy Pickett, voiced by Cree Summer. I love how they build her up to be a cutthroat girl and be the only one to shine....sounds familiar does it (ahem, Nicole). We also get to meet a new friend, Sharidan Jones, who is such a sweetheart and a talented girl. I love her style of fashion: very sparkling and sets up the tone and theme for the film.
The characters are always a treat. We got the famous Bratz: Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha, and Jade all with their individual personalities. Cloe really shines in this film with her drama moments and her big showdown near the end. Byron in this film is always full of surprises, but this takes the cake. He is under pressure by the network head so he makes things epic and exciting, even if it means doing the unthinkable. This is a great lesson for people to learn. You shouldn't let anyone pressure you into doing what you don't want to do and hurt others. Mandy on the other hand, was quite a mysterious character. She first starts off as kind and never ill-speaking of others, but we soon find out there's more to her that meets the eye, as deep down she wants to be the only one to reign in the fashion world, so she stops at nothing to do that, even if it means going down the low road. She steals Shardian's fashions, but the Bratz soon find out and Shardian truly wins the diamond go-go boots, but Mandy just steals them from Byron. Had it not been for the Bratz and Sharidan, Mandy would have gotten away. As for Burdine and the Tweevils, man, as usual they are just hilarious.
The music as usual is no exception to the franchise. My favorite song in the movie has got to be Hang On. There's this big band-pop feel to it, and it keeps it so modern. The bouncy, gotta-work beat real gets my blood pumping and I just want to sing and dance along to the music. I also love the opening number Just Having Some Fun & You Got it. Just Having Fun has that 'Life is a Highway' vibe to it, definitely fitting the road-trip theme of the movie and You Got It is absolutely mystifying and whimsical and really captures the feeling of reaching your dreams and finally reaching it. I love that cute little ditty when the Tweevils walk the runway in New York. It's really bouncy and hilarious and fits well for those two twins
The animation is definitely on-par with the famous TV series. I love the graphics to it. The hair looks absolutely realistic to the eye and the movements of the characters flow really nicely and the humor with Burdine's truck was crazy.The sparkle effects used for the diamond outfits are absolutely hypnotizing on the stage. The voices really fit the characters. Tia Mowry really catches Sasha's sassy, and black girl magic personality and Olivia Hack really does great on Cloe. You just know she used Rhonda from hey Arnold as her inspiration for Cloe. This would be the last time we would hear the original voices because as of Bratz Fashion Pixiez we would get new voices. But as for those dazzling outfits, we would get to see them later on in the future, thankfully!
Overall, Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz is without a doubt one of my favorites. It shows how the world was back then and really has plenty of humor, drama, suspense, and action. And an important lesson: everyone is special in their own way, it's all about expressing it and yourself. Don't let anyone stop you from reaching your dreams. Always follow them! I highly recommend it
Bratz Fashion Pixiez (2007)
Supertastic!!
This Bratz movie is definitely a major departure than most of the Bratz movies, even the Genie Magic duology. I'd say this was around the planning of Season 2, since Cloe is voiced by Britt Mckillip at the time. Anyway, let's review this baby!
It all starts off with a girl named Cymbeline and her strange behavior in school in the Bratz's classes. Next, a strange girl named Lina catches Dylan's eye and lures him to the dark forest where we really get moving. We also meet Breanna, Cymbeline's freshman sister, who's shy, but very sweet and will do anything for the people she cares about. The Bratz still have their individual personalities, and we definitely get worried tension when Lina gets Cloe and Yasmin. The Dark Pixies while kind of scary at times are really well designed, especially Lina, who's personality really fits a good female villain. She's cunning and flirtatious, but her sass is a force to reckoned with. Reminds me so much of Uma, daughter of Ursula from Descendants 2. I just wish they gave her more backstory and history with Mel and Dee. Cymbeline at the start of the movie, comes off as sassy and rebellious, much like most teens, but at the end her true colors are shown she's also sweet and caring. And let's not forget our favorite Bratz Boy flirt, Dylan. He always gets a laugh as usual, and it makes sense for him to be tricked by Lina as he can be rather naive sometimes, but he's still a likeable friend to the Bratz and everyone.
As for the story, man, it's something. Like I said before, it's quite a dramatic departure from the usual Stilesville adventures or even around the globe. It's beyond that! The suspense is thrilling and the tension felt at the climax at the Mongolia Ball in the park is absolutely gripping. The animation is totally revolutionary as usual, and the pixie outfits are so magical and mystical on the girls. The pants remind me of the diamondz collection for some reason. The civilian looks are always so cool, I love Cloe's braided pigtails with her blue sweater outfit as well as Sasha's pigtails with her gold hoodie, a far departure from her double ponytail. The setting in the woods really set the suspenseful Dark Pixie tone and really gives suspense. The spooky parts can be a good watch on Halloween if you loved getting spooked.
As for the voices, with the right mental tone, they are yet still on par with the original series. Ashleigh Ball as Sasha, man, she pulls off the Sasha feel wonderfully. A major mix between Tia Mowry and Dorla Bell, but also Ball really brings her own flavor to Sasha. Similar to Dean Wendt and Barney, who brings his own flavor into the purple guy, while still remaining true to what came before. At times, I can't help but imitate her voice. It's so cool. She's probably the best Sasha voice in my opinion. Lina's voice really suits her cunning and vengeful young self and Chantal Strand really hits all the right notes with Breanna. Britt Mckillip must have had some inspiration with Olivia Hack from Season 1, I can barely tell the difference sometimes.
The best part for me is definitely the message and the music. The message/moral: the power of family and friendship is strong enough to face anything and can never be broken, no matter what, you'll always love each other and true friends stick together. One message I can totally try and relate to. The Bratz are all about the importance of friendship, but in this movie, they take up a notch with family. That's a great lesson for anyone, who have doubt about their friends and family. Even when Cloe and Yasmin were under the spell, Jade and Sasha stopped at nothing to help them and stay by their sides
As for the music, as always, the Bratz really have major cool music. Even in the Dark Pixie lair, the song "Just let Go Now", their music is just crazy, you just can't help but dance, even if you do get spelled. The opening song One of a Kind is a song for the gods, a perfect way to start the movie. We even hear some instrumentals of familiar songs, like My Attitude and the Groove, in the background.
Overall, this movie is one of the books, and one of THE best movies I've seen, even if it can get a bit scary some times, nevertheless, a truly wonderful and magical movie! I give it a total 9/10, maybe even a 9.5 at the most!