Doll movies are bright, fun, and uber-innocent children's movies that give you hope about life. No, not the Chucky franchise or the 2022 M3GAN release. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling caused a storm even before it was released, then there’s the 2007 Bratz movie that wasn’t well-received by critics or fans, yet could be one of those nostalgic movies that are so bad it’s good.
For former (or current, no judgment) doll-lovers, you may have fond memories of playing with Barbies, Bratz dolls, My Scene, and American Girl dolls. You can tell a lot about a person by what doll was their brand of choice. Barbie with its prim, classic brand; Bratz with its urban, diverse brand; My Scene with its blend of the two; and American Girl with its, of course, classic American brand. And all of these doll franchises capitalized on their strong fanbases by churning out films based on their widely-popular dolls. Here are the best movies from Barbie, My Scene, American Girl, and Bratz.
12 Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front
The Molly McIntire doll launched in 1986 and the character itself lives during the World War II era, giving producers and writers a plethora of dramatic stakes to work into Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front. Molly, played by Maya Ritter, is a 10-year-old trying her best to adapt to her life due to the war. Specifically, her parents can’t give her the birthday party she desperately wants. Though that issue soon seems small when her father, an Army doctor, is sent to Europe.
In order to keep herself from spiraling, she needs an event to pour her energy into and the Miss Victory title for a talent show is the perfect option. Set against a much heavier backdrop than most of the movies on this list, An American Girl on the Home Front still shows how people found the light in a dark time. With a heavy emphasis on family, friendship, and believing in yourself, it’s a highly-underrated historical kid’s movie.
11 Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper
Many of Barbie’s animated films take inspiration from classics and fairy tales. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper is inspired by the 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. In the film, we have Princess Anneliese who grew up in the lap of luxury and the pauper Erika who is working off the debt accrued by her deceased parents. Besides their hair color, the two are identical.
When they meet they bond over their shared dissatisfaction with their lives. Though it’s a little tone-deaf when Erika is describing not having food and being trapped in an exploitative job and Anneliese is singing about having too much luxury and wanting to spend her time doing fun things. But her mother, the queen, is trying to marry her off to save their crumbling kingdom, so her life definitely has its cons as well. Tacked with a villain with an impressive scowl, a curiously barking cat, a kidnapping scheme, and a slew of talking animals, it has all you’d expect of an early-2000s princess movie.
10 Bratz: Rock Angelz
Bratz’ Rock Angelz is one of the strongest lines in the brand’s history. From a fun adventure video game to an impressive original album that still holds up in adulthood ("So Good"? "Change the World"? "I Don’t Care"? All still bops). The Bratz: Rock Angelz title is a tad misleading, as the focus of the movie isn’t mostly about the four main friends’ (Cloe, Jade, Yasmin, and Sasha) time as rock stars, but instead trying to get a magazine off the ground. After Jade gets fired from her internship at a magazine, the girls decide to start their own. In a totally realistic move, they fly to London on a private plane after starting this new business venture so they can cover the opening of a rock club.
Admittedly, the movie’s focus is all over the place. Once in London, Cloe becomes enamored with a guy named Nigel. Yasmin finds a lost dog and tries to locate its owner. Cloe and Nigel break up. They go to the club. Then there’s a charity concert. Jade’s former boss and colleagues are being menacing in the background. Despite its disjointedness, the movie will bring nostalgia for anyone who enjoyed the punk, goth aesthetic of this specific line and also wants something to watch in between their repeat listening to the album.
9 My Scene Goes Hollywood
My Scene Goes Hollywood is another fun addition to My Scene’s movie catalog, especially because it features none other than Lindsay Lohan who plays herself. In this film, Hollywood comes to New York when a film is being shot around the girls’ neighborhoods. Among the stars is of course Miss Lohan herself. While the other girls are stuck being extras, Madison is singled out as a potential star-in-the-making and is getting a taste of what fame can bring.
As you may predict, she starts to lose herself in the glitz and glamor and distances herself from her friends. Some things didn’t age well in My Scene Goes Hollywood, like the inclusion and praise of a now-disgraced producer. Still, with Lindsay’s commentary on fame and lack of privacy, classic makeover montages, and catchy teen pop songs, it delivers exactly what it promises.
8 An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success
Before Olivia Rodrigo was getting her driver’s license and playing a main role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, she starred as Grace in An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. In her first film, Rodrigo’s character is based on the 2015 American Girl doll Grace Thomas. Grace discovers that she loves baking and fueled by her desire to buy a new bike, she starts selling cupcakes with her best friends. Her plan to continue her new cupcake empire is thwarted when she’s asked to visit her family in the beautiful city of Paris. Perfect for any aspiring baker.
In between her exploration of the city, she’s helping out at her uncle’s pastry shop. She learns a lot of skills and is ready to take them back with her when she returns to the States, only now an added wrench of her grandparents’ bakery may shut down. But a local junior chef competition might be what she needs. The film should’ve spent a lot more time in Paris, so the pacing is a little off. Still, it’s always a pleasure to go back to earlier roles of now-famous celebrities and see the seeds of their talent beginning to bloom. Additionally, this movie will make you want to fetch the flour and measuring cups from your own kitchen and whip up something delicious.
7 Barbie as Rapunzel
As the name suggests, Barbie as Rapunzel is based on the well-known tale of Rapunzel. The movie begins with Barbie telling her baby sister Kelly the story of Rapunzel. The setup of Rapunzel doesn’t deviate much from the original, with the evil mother-like figure Gothel and an animal companion (though, unlike Disney's Tangled, this film has a dragon and rabbit as her sidekick). Rapunzel ends up finding a secret passageway where she stumbles on a hairbrush from her parents. This discovery leads Rapunzel to question the claim that her parents abandoned her.
Soon, because this is a fairy tale, she meets a handsome prince and Gothel is none too thrilled about it. Now held captive in the tower, Rapunzel uses the hairbrush that magically transforms into a paintbrush that can create a portal to the kingdom. While this story depiction of Rapunzel doesn’t take too many risks in terms of plot, the adorable dragon and over-the-top villains that remind you of your favorite childhood movies make it worth a watch.
6 Bratz: Fashion Pixiez
This Bratz movie does not center on the four dolls of the main line. Instead, Bratz: Fashion Pixiez tells the story of sisters Breeana and Cymbeline. In typical rebellious teen fashion, Cymbeline sneaks off during the night and is followed by Breanna, who desperately wants answers to explain her sister’s recent strange behavior. Well, she gets an answer, though it’s not one she expects once she sees Cymbeline vanish in a red orb of light in the sky. There’s also a new girl in school who piques everyone’s curiosity and whom Cymbeline tags along too.
This Bratz film is super fun because, as the name may have you guess, there’s an added element of magic and wonder with the shape-shifting pixies (excuse me, pixiez). Culminating with a big rave at the end and the revelation of hidden identities, Bratz: Fashion Pixiez is everything your childhood heart could want.
5 My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica
My Scene: Jammin’ in Jamaica is a 2004 animated film. We follow the main line of friends: Barbie, Madison, Chelsea, Nolee, and a newer addition: Delancey. Other recurring characters are a group of boys who, like many teenagers, are in a rock band. Madison is their manager, and she, along with Delancey, is able to fly to Jamaica with the band who are competing in a music contest. Not only are Barbie and her friends bummed about missing out on a vacation, but she wants to spend time with her boyfriend, River. So she and the rest of the girls decide to work and save up money.
Children’s movies are meant to be unrealistic, but the fact that three teens can work for two weeks dog walking and doing other odd jobs and buy three last-minute plane tickets might be where your suspension of disbelief sputters out. Nevertheless, they join their friends in Jamaica. But it’s not the relaxing, romantic vacation Barbie expected as her jealousy is cresting over River and Madison’s perceived closeness. This whole plot line gives the film a CW-esque teen drama feel, while still appealing to its younger audience with the animation style.
4 Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a 2008 film starring Abigail Breslin in the titular role and has Julia Roberts as an executive producer. The doll Kit Kittredge was released in 2000, though the character represented the Great Depression age. Kit is a ten-year-old with a keen interest in investigative reporting. Typing away mock articles may be just the escape she needs while her parents deal with a lost business and a house foreclosure. To generate more money, Kit’s mother rents out their home to a quirky group of characters.
While trying and failing to get a clip in the local newspaper, Kit is thrust into the middle of an investigation that hits close to home: a box of her mother’s belongings is stolen. The film tackles tough topics, such as the tendency to blame disenfranchised people, in this case, the homeless, for crimes. Breslin, who went on to show her acting chops in movies like Little Miss Sunshine and My Sister’s Keeper, as well as the series Scream Queens, dazzles in this role as a curious girl looking to make the world a little better by asking the right questions and not going for the easy answer.
3 Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses
In another cleverly-named film, Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses is an adaptation of the 1815 fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. We follow 12… dancing… princesses… who live in an opulent castle (yet for some reason all twelve sisters share a room). Genevieve is the main character, the one who advocates for her and her sisters when their evil Duchess Rowena convinces their father, the king, that the girls are too boisterous and need to be more lady-like and proper.
Genevieve unlocks a secret passageway to a magical land where the sisters can’t stop dancing (seriously, they dance a lot). The ballet is quite beautiful and adds to the mystical, whimsical nature of the film. Plus, seeing the bond between the sisters is heartwarming and lovely. Yet it’s not all elegant music and pointe work, there’s a murderous plot too (they don’t frame it as this dire, but we know Duchess Rowena’s true intentions). Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses is a well-rounded, beautiful movie for dance and fairy tale lovers.
2 Bratz: Starrin' & Stylin'
With a (thankful) departure from adding "z" to anything that ends in "s," Bratz: Starrin’ & Stylin might be the most underrated Bratz animated movie. Released in 2004, it brings us back to Cloe, Yasmin, Jade, and Sasha who are getting ready for their upcoming prom, filming a documentary for their art class, and solving a low-stakes mystery. This film at its heart is about identifying who you truly are but not forcing yourself to be just that one thing. When each girl is the center of the documentary, they give a little snapshot into who they are and what they’re passionate about. All the while, there is a column coming out in the school newspaper that divulges secrets that makes it clear the writer is among their circle.
Of course there are the classic scenes in any movie with a prom element: dress shopping montage, decorating for prom, figuring out the date situation, among others. This movie is so much fun and the reveal of the writer is a great twist. Plus the messaging of struggling to know yourself at such a critical time may be a touch heavy-handed, but nevertheless resonates.
1 My Scene: Masquerade Madness
While Passion 4 Fashion is Bratz’ slogan, it could certainly apply to My Scene: Masquerade Madness. This fun 2004 film is all about the character’s love for fashion and how they can apply more “practical” skills like math to amp up their design skills. Redhead Chelsea is a focus in this movie, as she’s struggling to juggle the upcoming charity fashion show she’s designing pieces for with making sure she doesn’t fail math. Embarrassed to tell her friends, Chelsea enlists the help of Hudson.
Rom-com lovers who enjoy the fake dating and friends-to-lovers tropes will love this film, as Chelsea has to pretend she’s dating Hudson to avoid suspicion. Filled with glittery outfits, cute animal companions, genuinely funny moments, and a masquerade ball, My Scene: Masquerade Madness is a perfect sleepover movie.
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