Look, this is the first Barbie movie ever made, and it shows. The animation is stiff, the pacing is slow, and that 20% Rotten Tomatoes critic score tells you everything you need to know about the execution.

That said, it's completely harmless—a gentle introduction to the Nutcracker story with Tchaikovsky's music playing throughout. If you have a 4-6 year old who's obsessed with Barbie and princesses, they might genuinely enjoy this. But let's be real: there are so many better options now, including later Barbie movies that actually have decent animation and storytelling.

The WISE score reflects the reality that while this checks the wholesome and safe boxes, it's just not that watchable in 2025. It's the kind of thing that ends up playing in the background while your kid builds with Legos, and honestly? That's probably the best use case for it.