Barbie in A Christmas Carol

Barbie in a Christmas Carol is the fourteenth computer-animated film in the Barbie film series. It is a direct-to-DVD film released in 2008. The story is based on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Set during the Christmas period, Barbie plays Eden Starling, a singing diva living in Victorian London who hates Christmas.

Official Summary
"Barbie in A Christmas Carol is a heartwarming adaptation of the classic Dickens story filled with cherished Christmas carols, fabulous fashions and lots of laughs! The tale stars Barbie as Eden Starling, the glamorous singing diva of a theatre in Victorian London. Along with her snooty cat, Chuzzlewit, Eden selfishly plans to make all the theatre performers stay and rehearse on Christmas Day! Not even Eden's childhood friend, Catherine, can talk Eden out of her self-centred tantrum.

It's up to three very unusual Christmas Spirits to take Eden on a fantastical holiday journey that will open her heart to the spirit of the season and the joy of giving. Barbie in A Christmas Carol is a family favorite to enjoy every holiday season!"

Plot
On Christmas Eve, Kelly Roberts is reluctant to go to a Christmas Eve ball, so Barbie Roberts tells her the story of Eden Starling, a glamorous singing diva in Victorian England and the owner of a theatre house on the year 1843. However, Eden is self-centred and loves only herself. She is very arrogant and believes that "In a selfish world, the selfish succeed". She is frequently accompanied by her snooty cat, Chuzzlewit. Eden does not believe in Christmas and orders all her employees to work on Christmas Day, threatening that if anyone talks about Christmas or goes home to celebrate, they will get fired.

Eden's employees, Freddy, Ann, Nan, Maurice, and costume designer Catherine, also Eden's best friend since childhood, are disappointed to hear the news. Catherine tries to persuade her otherwise, but is met with no success. That night, she receives a visit from the spirit of her late Aunt Marie, who is chained with chains bound with mirrors for her cruelty to the way she raised her. She reveals that Eden is heading down the same path as she once was and intends to send three spirits to see her. The three spirits will convince Eden to change her life, each by showing her past, her present, and her future.

In Eden's past Christmases, Aunt Marie was very strict. She insisted that Eden should practice singing and playing piano without giving her a chance to take a rest on Christmas. Secretly, Eden went to her old, dearest friend Catherine's house to celebrate Christmas. There they sang together, but Aunt Marie showed up and forbade Eden to celebrate Christmas after that. It showed how her arrogant and selfish behavior began to manifest from it. Eden demands the Spirit of Christmas Past returns her to her bedroom.

Meanwhile, the Spirit of Christmas Present shows Eden what the present Christmas Day will be like. Eden sees her co-workers teasing her behind her back, which offends her. She tells her to lighten up because they want to like her, but are never given the chance. The Spirit of Christmas Present also shows her that Catherine is a truly generous person as she gives the orphans clothes and helps at the orphanage. Eden is touched by this and has a change of heart. However, overhearing a conversation between the owner and Catherine about the orphanage is closing down before spring due to a lack of funding, she shows concern for the orphans' future. When Eden asks the Spirit of Christmas Present what will happen to the orphans if their only home closes down, she becomes more offended when she hears her repeat the cruel words she had originally said to Catherine about them surviving as street urchins and demands they leave at once.

Finally, the Spirit of Christmas Future brings Eden to what her future Christmas will have in store if the shadows remain unchanged. After firing her co-workers from the Gadshill Theatre for coming in late on Christmas Day, the replacements she hired to fill in failed to live up to her expectations. Arriving into the future, Eden has lost her fame and becomes so poor, even Chuzzlewit's only dinner, a rat, runs away! She is not happy by this, but the spirit uses her magic staff to open a window to show her it's real. The Future Eden is cold and she shuts the window. However, she sees an advertisement of Catherine's new fashion studio to see the new fashion line. Thinking this is a sign things will change, Eden encourages her future self to visit her because she knows that Catherine would never let her live like this. Emboldened, future Eden tells Chuzzlewitt they're going to see an old friend. Immediately, Eden and the Spirit of Christmas Future has followed her future self to the fashion studio.

Unfortunately, Catherine has not only become a rich and popular fashion designer, but she also adopts an arrogant attitude, much like the previous Eden did. She is very cruel to her own co-workers in refusing to take the Holidays off and demands they keep working in order to present the new fashion line on time. When a visibly poor Eden asks for help, Catherine refuses because she was bitter with the way she treated her and stopped celebrating Christmas with her family. She also tells her that she had tried to be selfless in looking after everyone and helped the poorest orphanage in town. After she was fired by Eden for coming in late on Christmas morning, Catherine had to scramble for work and found another job. However, it took her out of town for months. By the time she returned to town for Christmas, she was financially secure and ready to adopt Tammy, an orphan girl with a limp, right away. Unfortunately, Catherine was unaware that the orphanage closed down while she was away and was frantic to find her. She frantically looked for Tammy everywhere and soon learned that she and the other orphans have become street urchins. After that, Catherine stopped caring and focused on herself more in order to cope, showing that she took Eden's advice to heart. Future Eden and Chuzzlewitt are turned away by her, only being left with a scarf which is dropped in the snow.

Now horrified from what she saw, Eden begs the spirit to give her another chance because she has changed and awakens from her dreams in her own bedroom. She decides to let her employees have a holiday and is good to them too. She also goes with Catherine to the orphanage and "adopts" the place, announcing that if any of the orphans needed any help, they were to go straight to her. Through her good deeds, Eden ultimately learns to keep the spirit of Christmas every day of the year. Through these journeys, Eden is able to change her life and learns to help and love others.

Kelly changes her mind about Christmas after listening to Barbie's stories. She decides to go to the donation party just as Nikki comes into Barbie's bedroom.

Cast

 * Kelly Sheridan - Barbie Roberts
 * Morwenna Banks - Speaking voice of Eden Starling
 * Melissa Lyons - Singing voice of Eden Starling
 * Prudence Edwards - Speaking voice of young Eden Starling
 * Leanne Araya - Singing voice of young Eden / Singing voice of Spirit of Christmas Past / Singing voices of Ann and Nan / Singing voices
 * Kandyse McClure - Catherine Beadnell / Speaking voice of young Catherine
 * Shauntia Fleming - Singing voice of young Catherine
 * Kathleen Barr - Chuzzlewit / Speaking voice of the Spirit of Christmas Present / Mrs. Dorrit
 * Pam Hyatt - Aunt Marie
 * Tabitha St. Germain - Speaking voice of the Spirit of Christmas Past / Seamstress / Charlie
 * Lisa Roth - Singing voice of the Spirit of Christmas Present
 * Gwyneth Walsh - Speaking voice of the Spirit of Christmas Future
 * Kelly Bixby - Singing voice of the Spirit of Christmas Future
 * Amelia Henderson - Kelly Roberts / Speaking voice of Tammy
 * Michael Ann Angone - Singing voice of Tammy
 * Fabrice Grover - Speaking voice of Maurice / Orphanage Head
 * Timothy Fett - Singing voice of Maurice
 * Shannon Chan-Kent - Speaking voices of Ann and Nan
 * Luke Smith - Speaking voice of Freddy
 * Anthony Fett - Singing voice of Freddy
 * Melissa Lloyd - Mrs. Beadnell / Nell
 * Morgan Roff - Jacob
 * Terry Klassen - Hypnotist / Boz
 * Chicago Children's Choir - Singing voices

Music
The score for the movie was done by Eric Colvin. Arnie Roth produced, arranged, orchestrated and conducted the songs. He conducted the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Chicago Children's Choir, under direction of Helen Eaton, Judy Hanson and Josephine Lee, also provided their singing voices. The songs in the movie are:
 * 1) "O Christmas Tree"
 * 2) "Deck the Halls"
 * 3) "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas"
 * 4) "Joy to the World"
 * 5) "Branle de l'Official"
 * 6) "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

An official soundtrack was released that included songs that were not featured in the movie.

Extra features

 * "Christmas Carol-oke Party"
 * "Jingle Bells" Music Video starring Chuzzlewit the Cat
 * "Collecting Dreams"
 * Barbie Sing Along
 * Barbie & The Diamond Castle Secret Scene
 * Trailers
 * Chuzzlewit's Favorite Charities

Amazon.com Interview
To promote the movie, Barbie participated in an exclusive interview for Amazon.com called "Barbie Talks About Her Holiday Movie".

Transcript
Leah Weathersby: This is Leah Weathersby from Amazon.com, and I'm speaking with performer and fashion icon, Barbie. Barbie, thank you so much for talking with us. Barbie: Thank you! Leah Weathersby: Well, congratulations. You have a new Christmas movie out. What is Barbie in A Christmas Carol about? Barbie: Well, Barbie in A Christmas Carol is a remake of the classic Charles Dickens story, filled with cherished Christmas carols, fabulous fashions and lots of laughs. In the movie, I play Eden Starling, a glamorous singer in a Victorian London theater, who doesn't understand the meaning of Christmas. She then meets three Christmas spirits who teach her that the joy of giving is the true meaning. Leah Weathersby: So, is this the first Christmas movie you've ever starred in? Barbie: This movie is very special to me because it's my first holiday movie ever. What most people may not know is that, since I began my acting career, I've starred in fourteen movies. I know that everyone will love Barbie in A Christmas Carol. It has a wonderful holiday message—helping others—and is a movie the whole family can enjoy every holiday season. Leah Weathersby: So, what was your favorite part of the movie? Barbie: It's hard to choose just one part. I really enjoyed the part where Eden got to sing Christmas carols with all the children at the orphanage. Leah Weathersby: Well, one thing I know the fans are really gonna be interested in is the fashions. Did you wear any special costumes in the movie? Barbie: Of course! I wear the most beautiful, shimmering white satin and silvery gown, with gorgeous layers of chiffon fabric. Oh, and I love the accessories in the movie too. I wear sparkling silver jewellery, festive red lipstick, and my hair is styled in a beautiful side ponytail. Girls can enjoy the beauty of the gown with the magical 2008 Barbie Collector Holiday doll, whose beautiful dress is the same as the one I wear in the movie. Leah Weathersby: So, who else is gonna be co-starring with you in Barbie in A Christmas Carol? Barbie: The other star in the movie is my friend Nikki, who plays Catherine, my childhood friend and the costume designer at the theater. Oh, and of course, my cat Chuzzlewit, who's cute and cuddly but can be a bit of a handful at times. Leah Weathersby: Obviously it's great when a film contains some life lessons that the audience can take away. What important lessons did you learn from this movie? Barbie: In the movie, I take a fantastical journey with three unusual Christmas spirits who teach me about the importance of giving and helping others, not only during the holiday season, but everyday. Leah Weathersby: Why is it important to give to others during the holiday season? Barbie: The holidays mean different things to different people, but we all need to take the time to give, and giving comes in all shapes and sizes. From a simple smile or sharing a laugh, to donating food or toys, or even spending time with others who may not be as fortunate. While the holidays are a great time of year to give, there are so many things that need to be done throughout the year as well. Leah Weathersby: So, you have starred in so many movies. Is it possible to pick a favorite film you've starred in? Barbie: It is hard to choose one but right now, my favorite, of course, is Barbie in A Christmas Carol. I loved getting in the Christmas spirit and playing Eden Starling and getting to wear beautiful costumes. One of my other favorite movies is Barbie and The Diamond Castle, because I got to star in it with my best friend Teresa. Leah Weathersby: Do you have any other new movies coming out soon? Barbie: Yes. I'm very excited about my new movie coming out next year: Barbie Presents Thumbelina. It's about a tiny girl named Thumbelina who lives in a magical hidden world of Twillerbees. Thumbelina and her friends set out on an adventure to save their home, and prove that the smallest people can make the biggest difference. Make sure to keep an eye out for it this spring! Leah Weathersby: Barbie, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us, and if we don't talk again before Christmas, enjoy the holidays. Barbie: Thanks so much, you too! It was great being on. </poem

Trivia

 * The DVD bonus "Barbie & The Diamond Castle Secret Scene" was cut from DVD in some countries of Europe.
 * The image of Princess Liana's face from the Barbie & The Diamond Castle DVD cover was used again for Barbie's face on DVD cover of this movie.
 * The characters model of Prince Antonio and Frazer from Barbie as The Island Princess, appear through the movie in the Eden's show and the orphanage's show. Frazer was credited as the orphanage head.
 * The 12 princesses gown from Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses appears in Eden's employees workshop, just with the various color and no flowers in the top.
 * One of Catherine's families use the same character model as Lord Gastrous from Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends.
 * The black dog in Catherine's house is similar with Lily from Barbie & The Diamond Castle. Two same dog is also appears in the Eden's show, as Spirit of Christmas Future tells, just brown.
 * When Eden and Spirit of Christmas Past are in Eden's past, Nutcracker, a character from Barbie in the Nutcracker has a cameo on a shelf.
 * When Eden's employees sings "Deck the Halls" there's a dress looks like Queen Ariana's own in Catherine's table.
 * Eden's cat, Chuzzlewit, is named after Martin Chuzzlewit from the novel The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens.
 * This is the final film where Melissa Lyons does Barbie's character's singing voice before being replaced by Jennifer Waris.

Goofs

 * When the future Catherine tells future Eden why she done to helping peoples, her earrings was missing, instead she wears white and purple earrings when she met future Eden. But after she tells it, she seems with her earrings again.
 * Young Eden doesn't have birthmark, unlike the present and the future Eden.
 * When the Spirit of Christmas Present startles Chuzzlewit, he appears to be floating in midair when he should be hanging on the bed curtains.

Also Known As

 * Albanian - Barbi dhe Këngët e Krishtlindjeve
 * Italian - Barbie e Il Canto di Natale
 * Dutch - Barbie in een Kerstverhaal
 * Spanish - Barbie en un Cuento de Navidad
 * Polish - Barbie w Wigilijnej Opowieści 
 * Russian - Барби: Рождественская история
 * Finnish - Barbie: Joulutarina
 * Brazilian Portuguese- Barbie em a Cancao de Natal
 * Mirandese - Barbie La Cançon de Natal
 * Greek - Η Μπάρμπι και το πνεύμα των Χριστουγέννων
 * Persian - باربى در سرود كريسمس
 * Georgian - ბარბი: საშობაო ამბავი
 * Chinese - 芭比之圣诞欢歌