Barbie The Princess & the Popstar

Barbie: The Princess & The Popstar is the 23rd computer-animated Barbie movie. It is the second Barbie movie to be based on Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. A princess and a popstar, both played by Barbie, magically switch places before realising it is best to be themselves.

Official summary
"In this sparkling musical adventure with fantastic songs, Barbie stars as Tori, the kind-hearted princess of the magical kingdom of Meribella, who would rather sing and dance than perform her royal duties. When she meets her favorite pop star Keira, the girls discover they have much in common including a magical secret that lets them look like one another and swap places. When the kingdom's magical secret is stolen, their true friendship is tested and they discover that the best thing you can be is yourself."

Story
In the summer, Meribella, a magical kingdom, was soon going to have its five hundredth anniversary. Princess Tori and her younger sisters Meredith and Trevi were very busy. They had to attend ceremonies and balls, and always be poised and proper. The princesses thought it was hard work. Whenever they had the chance, they would sneak away and play together. Before Meribella's five hundredth anniversary, the princesses had to greet royal visitors, who came to Meribella for the occasion. Tori wished she could have an exciting, music-filled life like her favorite popstar, Keira. She wished she could watch Keira performing in an ampitheatre near her palace.

Keira, a world famous singer-songwriter, was on the guest list and was going to perform at the festival for the Meribella's five hundredth anniversary. Keira enjoyed touring, greeting fans and having extravagant, spectacular concerts. However, it left her with no time to do what she was passionate about: writing songs. Keira thought being a princess would be carefree.

The next day, members of the royal court were invited to the palace in Meribella to meet the royal family. Duchess Amelia, Tori's aunt, told off Tori for watching Keira's nearby concert when she was supposed to be greeting guests. Tori had to go back to the guests, so she used a magic hairbrush to style her hair before leaving.

When Keira went to the palace for the festival, she met Tori. They became great friends instantly, and so did their pet dogs Vanessa and Riff. Tori gave Keira a tour of the palace and so they began joking about trading places. Keira showed her magic microphone, that her aunt had given her, to Tori. It transformed her outfit into a royal gown. Tori used her magic hairbrush, so she used it to transform her hair into a different hairstyle. They realised that they looked just like each other.

Tori and Keira stayed disguised as each other while Tori carried on giving Keira a tour of her palace. They entered the secret garden, where fairies tended to the plants. There were gardenia flowers made out of diamonds, which were called Diamond Gardenias. Tori told Keira that the Diamond Gardenia roots spread through the entire kingdom. Without it, Meribella would wither and die. The Diamond Gardenia made the kingdom magical.

Later, Crider and Rupert, two evil men, uprooted the Diamond Gardenia. The fairies tried to stop them, but their efforts were in vain. Tori and Keira stop them, and they learn that it's important for them to be their own selves.

Release
The movie was released in the US on September 11th. In the UK, it had a cinematic release in Vue cinemas on August 10thand was released on DVD on September 3rd. The movie is also available for Digital Download.

DVD Bonus Features ("More Fun")
The song "Look How High We Can Fly" plays on the bonus features menu.
 * Outtakes
 * Music Video
 * Polly Pocket Webisode
 * Life in the Dreamhouse Music Video
 * Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse Episode

Trailer Gallery
The song "Here I Am/Princesses Just Want To Have Fun" plays on the Trailer Gallery menu.
 * Barbie in The Pink Shoes
 * Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2
 * Barbie in A Mermaid Tale
 * Barbie: Princess Charm School
 * Barbie: A Fairy Secret
 * Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale
 * The Barbie Movie Collection

Music

 * "Here I Am/Princesses Just Want To Have Fun"
 * "I Wish I Had Her Life"
 * "To Be A Princess/To Be A Popstar"
 * "Perfect Day"
 * "Look How High We Can Fly"
 * "Here I Am (Tori Version)"
 * "Princess and Popstar Finale Medley"
 * "Princesses Just Want To Have Fun"
 * "Here I Am (Keira Version)"

Videos
The first version of the teaser trailer was seen on the DVD for Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2. The second version was seen on Barbie.com in May 2012. The second teaser trailer has better graphics and different shots from the first one. The official trailer was released August 1st, 2012.

Trivia

 * Unlike in Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper, the two characters played by Barbie (Princess Tori and Keira) are not voiced by the same actress.
 * The tagline for the movie is, "True friends rock in perfect harmony!"
 * There were rumors that Diana Kaarina would voice Keira. However, Kaarina officially stated that she would not be in the movie.
 * There is an animated movie named VeggieTales: Princess and the Popstar which has the same basic plot as Barbie: The Princess &amp; The Popstar.
 * The dance choreographer for the film, Teresa Espinosa, has worked with Miley Cyrus during her Hannah Montana years, Janet Jackson and Prince. Espinosa is a popular dancer from the all-girl dance crew "Beat Freaks" on "America's Best Dance Crew."
 * To mark the 50th anniversary of Random House publishing books for Barbie, many books at several reading levels were made for this movie's tie-in books.
 * During the bloopers, Tori and Keira do a part of the dance for "Queen of the Waves" from Barbie in A Mermaid Tale.
 * Tori has one of the same dresses Blair Willows has.
 * The dancers on Keira's stage all have the same hairstyle as Portia. One of them even has the same hair color.
 * The first song, "Here I Am/Princesses Just Want To Have Fun" has a faster tempo in the movie than in the soundtrack, and so is the other songs as well.
 * On a magazine in the movie, the headline: "What the coming year has to hold for Dame Devin" is printed on the magazine several times.
 * In the first trailer for the movie, when Tori and Keira swap looks, the necklaces do the same.
 * In a scene during the song "To Be A Princess/To Be A Popstar" we can see a picture in Keira's tablet of the choreographer of the movie, Teresa Espinosa, rehearsing with the teenage popstar.
 * In the scene, when Keira sings Look How High We Can Fly, Tori's bed is changed into the balloon from Barbie and The Three Musketeers.
 * The film debuted at #1 in Amazon's Family & Children DVD's.
 * In the storybooks, since the Garden Fairies give the entire necklaces to Tori and Keira, in the end the two girls plant the necklaces in the ground of the Secret Garden. That's why in the Finale Medley scene of the storybooks they aren't wearing any necklaces.
 * In the Junior Novelization for the movie, the brunette and violet-dressed woman that at the tea party is talking with Duke Trentino and Prince Liam is called Lady Hamilton. It's also written that she had known Tori since she was little. Her first name is Monika. Also, her gown is the same dress Dame Devin wore in Barbie: Princess Charm School, but Dame Devin's was in green when Delancy was about to be crowned Princess Of Gardenia when she realizes that Blair is Princess Sofia and arrested.
 * Meribella, the name of the kingdom is also the name of the queen in Mariposa and her butterfly friends

Similarities to Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper

 * Both of the kingdoms have a money problem in which a lot of people are left in poverty.
 * Both of the films' antagonists aim to marry a royal and steal the kingdom's money supply.
 * Both of the princesses' pets are very classy.
 * The song "To Be a Princess" is repeated in this film. Like in Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper, the song To Be A Princess/To Be A Popstar is sung the same way, but the lyrics are different.
 * When Erika and Keira first appear to the public in disguise as a princess, they both trip.
 * Both movies share the same beginning but without the narrator.

Goofs

 * When Keira as Tori is locked in Tori's bedroom and she trying to get out, it turns out she is wearing Tori's golden heart-necklace, but when Vanessa barked and she told her to be quiet, it she wears her purple stars necklace again.
 * Josette's character model can be seen twice at the same time.
 * Keira's tablet had no buttons on it - not even a button to turn it on and off.

Also Known As

 * Poland - Barbie: Księżniczka i Piosenkarka
 * Netherlands - Barbie: De Prinses en De Popstar.
 * France - Barbie: La Princesse et La Pop Star.
 * Germany - Barbie: Die Prinzessin und Der Popstar.
 * Italy - Barbie: La Principessa e La Pop Star.
 * Brazil - Barbie: A Princesa e A Pop Star.
 * Spain - Barbie: La Princesa y La Cantante.
 * Philippines - Barbie: Ang Prinsesa at Ang Pop Star
 * Latin America - Barbie: La Princesa y la Estrella de Pop.
 * Sweden - Barbie: Prinsessan och Popstjärnan
 * Greece - Μπάρμπι: Η Πριγκίπισσα & Η Ποπ Σταρ.
 * Russian - Барби: Принцесса и Поп Звезда.
 * Finnish - Barbie: Prinsessa ja Poptähti.
 * Lithuanian - Barbė: Princesė ir Pop Žvaigždė
 * Iran - باربی: پرنسس و پاپ استار
 * Czech - Barbie: Princezna a Zpěvačk