The best way to make a friend is to be a friend.
Barbie: Mariposa and the Fairy Princess is a side-story to the Barbie Fairytopia trilogy, and the sequel to Barbie: Mariposa. In the Barbie filmography, it is preceded by Barbie in the Pink Shoes and followed by Barbie & Her Sisters in a Pony Tale.
Following Henna's defeat in the previous movie, Mariposa becomes the royal Ambassador of Flutterfield and is sent to bring peace between her land and their rivals, the Crystal Fairies of Shimmervale. While Mariposa doesn't make a great first impression on their King, she becomes fast friends with his shy daughter, Princess Catania. Soon Mariposa is banished from the Crystal Kingdom, but when a dark fairy named Gwyllion threatens to destroy Shimmervale, Mariposa and Catania's friendship may be the only thing that can set things right.
This movie contains examples of:
- Acrophobic Bird: Catania is afraid to fly, due to trauma from being kidnapped and dropped from the sky as a child, causing her wings to break.
- Big Bad: Gwyllion, who wants to destroy Shimmervale.
- Cassandra Truth: Mariposa tells Regelius the truth of her adventures in the first movie, but he doesn't believe her at first.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Zinzie is missing in the sequel, as are Rayna and Rayla. However, they are mentioned.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Gwyllion went off the deep end after being refused one Crystallite.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Probably unintentional, but the scene where Mariposa and Willa try to shut a full suitcase has a montage of them grunting and pushing it and each other to close it.
- Evil Brit: Gwyllion, who has an English accent. Very common in Barbie movies.
- Fantastic Racism: Between the Butterfly and Crystal Fairies. Both sides hate each other, though it's more out of ignorance than malice.
- Fish out of Water: Mariposa, when in Shimmervale. She doesn't fit in at all with the Crystal Fairies, makes a terrible impression on their king, and her only friend is Catarina.
- Heel–Face Turn: Gwyllion turns good after the king agrees to give her a Crystallite, as the reason for her grudge is gone.
- Helicopter Parents: King Regelius is terrified that Catania might be hurt, and confines her to the palace most of the time.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Catania's Prim and Proper Bun falls to loose, flowing curls after being transformed by the Heartstone.
- MacGuffin: Crystallites, which heat and power Shimmervale. The most important one is the Heartstone; without it, Shimmervale would freeze.
- Man-Eating Plant: Talayla believes butterfly fairies live in areas with these.
- Memento MacGuffin: The Flutter Flower is a gift to remind Mariposa of Flutterfield.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, Talayla had lost another fairy she was giving a tour to, and she may never live it down.
- The Other Darrin: In the first Mariposa movie, Mariposa is voiced by Chiara Zanni, but in this movie she is voiced by Kelly Sheridan. Which would qualify this movie for a bizarre In-Universe example, as Kelly voiced Barbie as Elina in the previous movie.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: King Regelius assumes butterfly fairies are these.
- Remember the New Guy?: Mariposa now has a puffball friend, Zee, who wasn't in the first Mariposa movie. Despite this, the DVD box says that Zee "returns" along with Mariposa.
- Scenery Gorn: Mariposa's room in Shimmervale, which is decorated with thorns and spiky plants.
- Scenery Porn: Just like the first movie. Flutterfield and Shimmervale are beautiful places, as are the Glow Water Falls.
- Ship Teasing: Between Mariposa and Carlos, but also Willa and Carlos. Mariposa and Carlos get scenes where they bond with each other, and Willa and Carlos have hilarious scenes together back in Flutterfield.
- Similar Squad: Catiana is similar to Mariposa, and Talayla is similar to Willa.
- Spell My Name with a "The": Gwyllion insists her name be preceded with a The. This even extends to the other characters.
- Taken for Granite: Gwyllion spent years honing her magic to be able to change crystals into stone.
- Time Stands Still: Gwyllion casts spells to freeze other fairies.
- Travel Montage: Seen as Mariposa and Zee journey to Shimmervale, passing locations from the previous movie.
The best way to make a friend is to be a friend.
— Barbie
