Summaries

Synopsis

The story is told by Barbie to her little sister, Kelly, who is insecure in her painting abilities.

Rapunzel is a young woman with long, floor-length hair who lives as a servant to the wicked witch Gothel. Gothel claims she saved Rapunzel from abandonment as a baby, and resents Rapunzel's hobby of painting pictures of places she'd like to go someday. Gothel's manor is magically isolated from the rest of the world, so Rapunzel's only friends are Penelope, a young dragon, and Hobie, an anxious rabbit.

One day, Rapunzel and her friends inadvertently open a secret passage, where Rapunzel finds a silver hairbrush engraved with a message from her parents, affirming their love. This leads Rapunzel to question Gothel's story. They also find a mutilated portrait of a man. Following the secret passage, Rapunzel is led to the kingdom outside. She saves young Princess Katrina from a pit trap with the help of Katrina's elder brother Prince Stefan. He explains the trap was set by King Wilhelm of the neighboring country, who has an ongoing feud with Stefan's father King Frederick.

Rapunzel leaves in a rush without learning Stefan's name to avoid Gothel discovering her disappearance. However, Gothel's pet ferret Otto, who spies on Rapunzel for his mistress, tells Gothel all that happened. When Rapunzel insists she doesn't know Stefan's name, Gothel destroys Rapuzel's art and supplies, and transforms her room into a high tower. Gothel also threatens to punish Penelope's father Hugo if he does not keep Rapunzel prisoner. That night, as Rapunzel sleeps, the hairbrush magically transforms into a paintbrush.

When Rapunzel attempts to use the paintbrush on the tower wall, a portal to the kingdom magically appears. Rapunzel uses it to meet Stefan again, though she insists he never tell her his name for fear of Gothel. Stefan gives her an invitation to the masquerade ball that night. Returning through the portal to the tower, Rapunzel paints herself a beautiful costume, but is again betrayed by Otto. Gothel cuts off Rapunzel's hair, shatters the paintbrush, and destroys the tower side of the portal. When Rapunzel once again cannot give Stefan's name, Gothel puts a spell on the tower to never release its lying prisoner, and chains Hugo, intending to come back later and punish him.

With the help of Hugo, Hobie, and Penelope, Rapunzel escapes the tower; as she never lied about not knowing Stefan's name, the spell does not affect her. At the ball, Stefan is attacked by a disguised Gothel wearing Rapunzel's hair. King Wilhelm and his army also infiltrate the castle. Wilhelm accuses Frederick of kidnapping his daughter many years ago (the source of their feud); Gothel then reveals that Wilhelm was the man in the portrait. She loved him, but when he did not return her love, she destroyed the picture and kidnapped his child to start the feud, as revenge.

Gothel tries to kill Wilhelm, but Rapunzel arrives and Gothel attacks her instead. Wilhelm recognizes Rapunzel as his daughter, and Rapunzel and her friends trick Gothel and Otto into running through the Kingdom side of the portal. Gothel is trapped forever in the tower because of her lying heart, and her other spells are broken, releasing Hugo.

Rapunzel is reunited with her parents and marries Stefan. The feud ends, and the two kingdoms are united. In the end, Kelly feels better and begins painting after Barbie reminds her that creativity is the true magic in art.