Fridge / Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper

aka: Barbie In The Princess And The Pauper

Fridge Brilliance

• One YouTube comment pointed out that the lyrics in "Free" highlight a subtle difference in Erika and Anneliese's characters.
  Anneliese: Now I fear I'll never be...
  Erika: Soon I will forever be...
  Both: Free!
  (...)
  Anneliese: But I'll never stop believing!
  Erika: She can never stop my schemes.
  • Lines like this, and other moments in the movie, show that, as similar as the girls are, there's one big difference: Anneliese is a dreamer, Erika is a doer. Anneliese, who is (understandably) sheltered and naive, mainly just goes along with the job that is handed to her, despite her dislike of it — not that she has much choice, of course. Getting kidnapped, however, forces her to be more proactive, and from then on, she's a decided Damsel out of Distress. Erika, meanwhile, has nobody but herself to depend on, so from the beginning, she's actively working against circumstances and people that conspire against her to get out of her situation.
  • In a similar vein, the girls' character arcs meet in the middle: Anneliese goes from a passive political pawn to an active player in her own destiny, while Erika ultimately gets out of her debt because Anneliese pays it off (implied in the movie, outright stated in the novelization). Anneliese had to be more proactive, while Erika had to get help from someone that cared for her.