Bratz The Movie 15th Anniversary: A Retrospective
A promotional shot of the Bratz The Movie dolls.
Fifteen years ago in Bratztory, the first (and only) live-action Bratz film premiered in theaters. But, the history of Bratz The Movie goes further back than its premiere date. Years of development, drama behind the scenes, and a myriad of missed opportunities may make the brand’s Movie era one of its most historical ones to date—but is it for the right reasons? Keep reading this detailed retrospective on Bratz The Movie if you want all the tea on this piece of cinematic history! This is a written history on Bratz The Movie, from dolls to the film’s production to licensed goods and more.
THE DOLLS, PLAYSETS, AND SPINOFFS
While I have quite a lot to say about the actual Bratz The Movie film, let’s start with the basics—the dolls! At the core of every Bratz flagship line is a doll line… well, that’s not exactly the case with The Movie. Most Bratz films are based around a collection from the brand, and a story is built around it. In the case of Bratz The Movie, it seems that this process was done in reverse as many of the fashion moments from the film were later given to the dolls rather than the dolls’ fashions being part of the film. We’ll get into how the film’s fashion came to light later in the article!
In the main doll line, the core four girls—Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade—don long glittery gowns, real eyelashes, and—for the first time ever in the brand’s history—articulated bodies with poseable arms. Additionally, each doll typically came with a white faux-fur coat, gloves to match their dresses, a matching purse, and oftentimes a camera and roll of film; in some cases, the doll may not have come with a coat, purse, or roll of film—some even came with less-detailed cameras that didn’t include the Bratz The Movie logo sticker! Regardless of the articulated bodies or gimmicks these dolls came with, they are no stranger to controversy.
While many Bratz fans adore the Movie dolls, many were disappointed that they did not live up to their prototypes. In their final sampling stages, the dolls looked a bit different than their final release; Cloe was set to wear a long black dress, Sasha’s dress was going to be silver, and all of the dolls were going to have longer hair with middle-parts—not to mention, the prototype dolls seem to have more “flowy” dresses compared to the stiff dresses (covered in glitter that flakes off, mind you) that were released. Just a few years ago, lots of Bratz prototypes and samples were being sold off on eBay including some Movie doll prototypes. These prototypes, pictured in the gallery, show just how different this collection could have been. What caused such major changes for these dolls? There is no clear-cut answer, but the best logical explanation could be budget cuts and needing to keep the dolls within a certain price range; let’s not forget that the working camera gimmick on top of the new body mold likely took up some of that budget. Regardless of the mishap that is the final Movie doll release, fans have often relied on the articulated bodies for photography purposes over the past fifteen years and it’s safe to say that it’s become the collection’s saving factor.
Like most flagship lines in the Bratz brand, The Movie had a number of side collections, playsets, and spinoff tie-ins. Many fans wonder why there weren’t many looks taken from the film for the dolls, but may not realize that the film’s production and timeline of doll designing may not have aligned as dolls often enter the designing stage a year before they are released while the Bratz movie started filming about six months before premiering in theaters; we’ll get more into how the wardrobe for the film was chosen later in this retrospective. However, a few sets did see the dolls wearing scaled-down semi-replicated outfits from the film. Two “Signature Collection” sets saw Cloe and Yasmin in their My Super Sweet 16 clown couture and “Bratitude” musical number looks, while a Toys”R”Us exclusive “Glamour Kit” playset included Yasmin in a look reminiscent of the outfit she wears when her and the girls go to the mall in the movie.
Arguably the most popular playset is the Movie Making Set/Studio that came with Sharidan in a white dress and a real-working camera that allows consumers to record their own mini stop-motion movies. Other playsets in the Movie collection include the Limousine that came with Vinessa (essentially a re-released Forever Diamondz Fashion Design Set Vinessa with The Movie Jade’s dress), Mansion (a re-released Passion 4 Fashion House), Party Bus (a recolored Flashback Fever FM Party Bus), RC 1962 Corvette/Cruiser (one version comes with a repackaged Movie Jade), and Rollin’ Runway playset that came with Meygan (wearing The Movie Sasha’s dress; the playset was a re-colored Forever Diamondz Rollin’ Runway/Fashion Show On The Go truck).
Along with the playsets, a “Movie Star Grows Up!” collection was released that featured Cloe and Yasmin in regular Bratz, Kidz, and Babyz form as movie stars. The regular Cloe and Yasmin were repackaged from the main Movie line, while Kidz Cloe wears a scaled-down version of Movie Jade’s dress, Kidz Yasmin wears a scaled-down version of Movie Cloe’s dress, Babyz Cloe wears a scaled-down version of Movie Yasmin’s dress, and Babyz Yasmin wears a scaled-down version of Movie Jade’s dress; Kidz Cloe and Yasmin also include scaled-down versions of Birthday Bash Sasha and Cloe’s outfits, respectively.
In a more recently-discovered spinoff companion to the Movie line, a set of Micro Bratz The Movie dolls featuring Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, Jade, and Sharidan (for the first and only time ever in Lil’/Micro Bratz form) were released in some countries. I had not learned about the existence of this line until mid-2020 when a Bratz fan from South Africa brought it up, which led me to do some digging and eventually finding some for sale on eBay; this line inspired a segment on my Instagram called Lookin’ Bratz Mysteries, if you ever want to check it out!
Along with the dolls, a set of Funky Fashion Makeover (FFM) torsos for the line introduced the first and only full-sized “sitting” FFM torso to the brand. The main Funky Fashion Makeover line features torsos of Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade. A “budget” release featured FFM heads of Yasmin and Cloe. Additionally, some of the main Movie dolls were released in giftsets with various apparel and costume pieces. A branded The Movie doll organizer was also released with Yasmin.
The Movie collection is not the brand’s strongest and came about during a time where a lot of lines were “cookie-cutter”, and that definitely shows in this instance. This collection will likely remain best known amongst fans for its articulated bodies, but will never shake off the disappointment that fans faced when they were released. Even fifteen years later, fans are still upset with how this collection was handled. Personally, I love the Movie dolls for nostalgic reasons, but I do agree that it could have been better coordinated with the actual film. I also would have loved to have seen Sasha and Jade incorporated into the Signature Collection and Grows Up sets, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were designed but not ordered by retailers as this was often the unfortunate case with these characters.
THE FILM: PRE-PRODUCTION
In 2004, MGA Entertainment and 20th Century Fox entered a deal in which Fox would produce a feature-length animated film for the Bratz brand as well as gain distribution rights to direct-to-video Bratz movies. In a Bratzline Podcast episode featuring animated Bratz film director Mucci Fassett, he reveals that he was told that an animated feature-length film would be in the pipeline through Mike Young Productions but that it was shelved in favor of a live-action film for undisclosed reasons. In a 2004 Hollywood Reporter article (see “The Hollywood Reporter June 2004 Issue” on The Stilesville Reporter page), the project was described as a “feature that will combine live-action and animation”; as to what exactly this concept would have entailed is currently unknown, but it certainly sounds like it would have been interesting!
Description of Bratz on the Crystal Sky Pictures website in 2006.
From 2004 through 2006, 20th Century Fox distributed Bratz The Video: Starrin’ and Stylin’, Bratz Rock Angelz, Bratz Genie Magic, Bratz Babyz The Movie, and Bratz Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz. In November 2006, it was announced that Lionsgate would take over distribution rights to past and future Bratz films—including the theatrical film. Pre-production of the film was announced in November 2006 and stickers promoting the film were featured on some Forever Diamondz boxes in Fall 2006. By January 2007, the legendary Paula Abdul was announced to be executive producing, starring in, choreographing dance numbers for, and designing clothing for the film. However, at some point during production, Abdul was fired from the film; as unfortunate as this departure was, it did create an iconic reality television moment (warning: strong language)!
An interesting but overlooked tidbit is the plot described by Crystal Sky Pictures in 2006, which reads:
In this ‘Clueless’ meets ‘The Breakfast Club’ style of the film the story follows Yasmin, Ari, Cloe, and Jade, 4 very different teenage girls from different worlds who bond over the ups and downs of adolescent life at Lewis & Clark High School.
Given this description, it is unknown if a character named “Ari” was intended to replace Sasha or if the production company made a mistake when writing this blurb. Additionally, the name of the high school as “Lewis & Clark” (also featured in a teaser trailer) would be changed to “Carry Nation”, which would be explained by the director as an analogy to Meredith’s control over the high school.
THE FILM: PRODUCTION
The original teaser for Bratz The Movie.
By February 2007, the live-action Bratz film went into production. Around the time the project entered production, a teaser trailer was released to the official Bratz website; this was a core memory for me as a child because I would constantly replay this video until it was removed from the site, and it made me so excited to see the film. The teaser trailer had been considered lost media for nearly fifteen years until a friend sent it to me earlier this year, and I’m so happy I was able to share it with everyone!
Filming primarily took place at Santee Education Complex in Downtown Los Angeles and lasted thirty days; the high school was designed to look like a prison to emphasize how Meredith’s reign over Carry Nation High was run as such. The high school would eventually gain more color throughout the film to show how Meredith’s control would break down to allow for freedom of her prisoners. The filming location for the mall was The Grove in LA, which also serves as the real-life inspiration for the mall featured in the 3D-animated Bratz films and television series. The scenes featuring the girls’ houses were filmed on Babcock Avenue in Studio City, California, while the bedroom scenes featured throughout the film were all filmed in Yasmin’s house and were outfitted to represent each of the girls. Meredith’s house is perhaps one of the most well-known filming locations, in which filming took place for one week. Meredith’s mansion in the film is located in Thousand Oaks, California, and would later be known as Britney Spears’ mansion up until earlier this year. Yes, thee Britney Spears. And that’s not Brit’s only connection to the Bratz movie, but more on that later in the article!
Some interesting details about Bratz The Movie come from the director’s commentary featured on the film’s DVD release, in which director Sean McNamara shares insight into how production of the film came along. McNamara states that a lot of script changes occurred during filming, which may explain some of the film’s deleted scenes and plot holes. Some scenes, such as the cooking scene at Cloe’s house and the opening scene, were filmed months after production ended. It should be noted that the film’s script was helmed by The Lizzie McGuire Movie writer Susan Estelle Jansen and an uncredited Susie Singer Carter. On the topic of Carter, her previous work on the show Cake (which I loved growing up as a KOL kid) ties into the casting and soundtrack for the film; Cake cast member Emily Everhard portrays Meredith’s little sister Cherish in the film, while the Slumber Party Girls (a girl group who hosted the KOL Slumber Party) provide the songs “Summer’s Gone” and “My Life” for the film. Similarly, McNamara’s ties to That’s So Raven led to the casting of Anneliese van der Pol as Avery and Andrea Edwards as one of Cloe’s soccer teammates.
On the topic of casting, the main cast comprises Nathalia Ramos as Yasmin, Skyler Shaye as Cloe, Logan Browning as Sasha, and Janel Parrish as Jade. Another major star of the film is Chelsea Kane (then credited as Chelsea Staub) as the lead antagonist, Meredith. Other notable cast members include Jon Voight as Principal Dimly (Meredith and Cherish’s father), Lainie Kazan as Bubbie (Yasmin’s grandmother), Malese Jow (Unfabulous) as Quinn, Lee Reherman (who unfortunately passed away in 2016, may he rest in peace) as Vice Principal Sludge, figure skater and Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen as Bethany (the cheer captain), and Chet Hanks (yes, that Chet Hanks) as Dexter. McNamara and Carter also make guest appearances toward the end of the film. Sam Raimi’s daughter, Emma, makes a cameo as one of the girls given a makeover by the Bratz during one of the mall scenes.
Although Abdul did not provide wardrobe consultation for the film as originally planned, that did not stop the costume department from taking creative risks in building the Bratz girls’ wardrobes for the film. While some of the girls’ costumes were outfitted by the costume department, the core girls were asked to journal ideas of their characters’ personalities and were sent shopping to buy clothing that represented their characters to wear in the film. This decision may partially explain why only one casual costume from the film was translated into doll-form.
THE FILM: POST-PRODUCTION AND MARKETING
Sneakin’ On The Set: Bratz The Movie Special from The N.
Leading up to the film’s premiere date, MGA and Lionsgate created several marketing initiatives to promote the film. I personally remember seeing Bratz marketing all over Los Angeles back in 2007. There was a bus stop outside of a Norms restaurant down the street from my grandmother's apartment complex with a poster advertising the film, and I was so obsessed with going to that bus stop just to see the poster; I recall my father taking a picture of me with the poster with his Razr flip phone at the time, I truly wish I still had that picture! A ton of LA Metro buses had banners promoting the film, and of course I would freak out each time I saw one pass by. Additionally, I recall the movie’s commercial playing often on Nickelodeon and billing it as a “musical” despite there being minimal musical numbers.
Two notable marketing efforts were two television specials: My Super Sweet 16 Presents: Bratz Movie Special that aired on MTV and Sneakin' On The Set: Bratz The Movie Special that aired on The N. A separate MTV crew was on location filming Meredith’s birthday scenes at the same time as the Bratz crew for the My Super Sweet 16 special, while the Sneakin’ On The Set special was filmed primarily during the filming of Prima J’s “Rock Star” music video.
A week before the film’s release, on July 31, 2007, the film’s soundtrack was released alongside the Bratz Kidz Sleep-Over Adventure DVD. In the Target exclusive version of the Bratz Kidz DVD, a “sneak peek” DVD for the live-action film was included. The film also had a dedicated website which is now defunct, as well as dedicated MySpace and Nickelodeon webpages. A competition for people to submit videos via MySpace for a chance to be featured in the film was held, and the winner can be seen in the scene in which Meredith holds talent show auditions. The film’s accompanying dolls, soundtracks, and video games can also be considered marketing initiatives; however, those all have dedicated sections in this article!
THE FILM: PREMIERE AND RECEPTION
If you haven’t already gathered through this article or seen the movie, the Bratz film’s plot is as follows:
The Bratz girls—Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade—have been best friends forever and have even made a pinky promise to always stick together. But when they become students at Carry Nation High School, they find that social cliques—and the controlling president Meredith—are determined to tear them apart! Even though they love following their own dreams, the girls really miss each other. Before long, they realize they can pursue their passions and be friends, so they set out to end peer pressure forever. Through song, dance, and, of course, fashion, they teach the whole school the true meaning of empowerment, honesty, and most importantly, friendship.
Bratz premiered in theaters on August 3, 2007. The film debuted alongside The Bourne Ultimatum and grossed $26 million internationally on a budget of $20 million. Long story short: the film is considered a box office flop. Not only that, but the film received less-than-favorable reviews from critics. Most marketing for the film was seized by the time it premiered, and the film finished in tenth place at the box office. The film would go on to be nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards (a satirical award show for the worst movies released): Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Screen Couple, and Worst Remake or Rip-off. The film did not receive any accolades. Bratz was a billion-dollar lifestyle brand by the time the live-action film was released and had a huge fanbase, so why would a live-action adaptation of a popular doll franchise tank at the box office?
THE FILM: WHAT WENT WRONG?
I would like to preface this section by stating that by no means do I believe Bratz is as terrible as people make it out to be. However, I am biased and would call this film a masterpiece if I could. It holds such a special place in my heart because it was released at the height of my Bratz fixation as a kid, and the marketing for it truly worked on me. Picture it: Summer of 2007, a seven-year-old Lookin’ Bratz (a.k.a. me) walks into a 99 Cents Only Store while visiting his grandmother in Van Nuys, he finds a ton of Bratz Pez dispensers. Naturally, he convinces his grandmother to buy a bunch of Bratz Pez dispensers and poster supplies so he can make a Bratz poster to bring to the movie theater to wave in the air as if he were at a concert. Did I actually get to bring the poster to the theater? No. I was talked out of it, thankfully. Did I get to see the movie the day it came out? Uh… duh! This film will remain one of my favorites and I enjoy rewatching it at least once a year. I always catch something new or find new appreciation for it with each watch! But, I can admit that this film has many flaws.
Starting with some cultural aspects of the film, many viewers have criticized the film’s portrayal of Yasmin’s household. Towards the start of the film, Yasmin’s house is packed with family members including a mariachi band. Some have found this scene to be culturally insensitive, which makes sense because why would it be assumed that every Mexican household is housing a mariachi band? This seems to be part of many misguided creative decisions on the part of McNamara, who claims in the film’s commentary that the mariachi band was meant to reflect on his own home life and how his home was always filled with family members as a child. Additionally, he states that the mariachi band would have been explained by a reference to one of Yasmin’s family members having a quinceañera that same night; this point does not get across to viewers as no mention of it is included in the final cut, thus making it appear to be a casual occurrence in Yasmin’s home life.
On the note of unfinished/unexplained storylines, many other crucial plot points (or what appear to be so by the end of the film) are not prevalent throughout the movie. For example, it is not revealed until the end of the movie that Cloe’s mother worked as a maid for Meredith’s family and that Cloe was accused of stealing Meredith’s “beloved dolly” leading to her mother’s firing; this seems like an important plot point and can further explain some of the tension between Cloe and Meredith but can’t explain how these characters act like they do not know each other at the start of the film. But, if we’re being very honest, Cloe barely acts as a main character in this movie. Out of the core girls, Yasmin has the largest storyline with Sasha and Jade following; Cloe, on the other hand, almost seems like a side character in the movie. The most the audience knows about Cloe is that she is a klutzy soccer player who comes from a single-parent household. A plotline involving Cloe’s interest in filmmaking is seen very briefly in the film after the two-year time jump, but is otherwise not explicitly mentioned and would fly under the radar had it not been mentioned in McNamara’s commentary.
If we’re being even more honest, it feels as though all of the core girls’ storylines go underdeveloped in favor of building on Meredith’s villainous antics throughout the film. In a featurette for the film, writer Susan Estelle Jansen describes creating Meredith to be the “most delicious villain that these girls [the Bratz]” could have—and it worked! Meredith is by far the most interesting character in the film, and Chelsea’s performance (might I add, her first major acting role) is stellar. I can’t blame the creative team for wanting to hone in on Meredith’s storyline, but it seems almost reductive to put so much focus on the antagonist rather than the four main characters. Meredith is one of the most fun and juiciest teen movie villains, dare I say in the ranks of Regina George, but it is sad that the Bratz movie doesn’t feel like it truly focuses on the Bratz. On a side note, a lot of the transitions in this film are rough and there are scenes that could have been excluded in favor of developing the core girls’ storylines.
Bratz has also been criticized by casting the role of Dylan with a White actor, Ian Nelson. Dylan has historically been known to the Bratz Pack as a Black character. While I cannot speak on if the decision to cast Dylan was to whitewash his original character or not, one comment from McNamara leads me to believe that this portrayal of Dylan was not based on race nor was it truly based on the Dylan doll. In the commentary, McNamara states that it was producer Avi Arad’s idea to include a deaf character and that Nelson earned the role of Dylan for being able to accurately portray a deaf person. This same criticism has also been given about Sasha and Yasmin’s casting, with many viewers claiming that Logan Browning and Nathalia Ramos’ skin tones were not “dark enough” to portray Sasha and Yasmin. This may be a fair assessment, but I personally feel as though these actresses fit the roles of Sasha and Yasmin. Could there have been better fits for these characters? Maybe! Over 5,000 young women auditioned to portray the core four members of the Bratz Pack, so anything is possible. But, I fear it is fifteen years too late to turn back time and change this casting. Regardless, aside from Dylan’s casting, I do believe Logan and Nathalia executed their roles perfectly and fit their respective characters. And, if it wasn’t obvious, this film doesn’t truly fit in the Bratz “canon”; Bratz is simply a teen movie using the names and likenesses of the Bratz dolls with a plot that does not connect to any previous Bratz media.
On that note, that is where things truly go awry with Bratz The Movie. Many fans likely expected the film to connect to previous Bratz media, but it instead acts as a standalone film. Bratz Rock Angelz and the Bratz television series began a storyline that saw the girls starting and running their own teen fashion magazine, whereas Bratz The Movie sees the girls fighting stereotypes and high school cliques. The only similarities between Bratz and prior media are physical appearances, personality traits, and a blonde Barbie-esque antagonist. One small nod to the brand that relates to its prior media incarnations is the use of the girls’ nicknames—Pretty Princess, Angel, Bunny Boo, and Kool Kat—on their license plates after the movie’s time jump. Despite the Bratz brand’s status as a household name at this point in time, there was no way MGA and Lionsgate could create a new universe for the girls and slap the “Bratz” name on it expecting fans to receive it well. That’s not to say that there aren’t Bratz fans who love the live-action film—there are plenty, including myself—but it is safe to assume this is just one of many reasons why the film did not perform well. Let’s also not forget that Bratz is a film based on a doll brand that was hated by the public just as much as it was loved; people were rooting for this film’s failure from the moment it was announced!
THE FILM: CANCELLED SEQUELS AND MUSIC ADAPTATION
An article from The Hollywood Reporter detailing plans for a Bratz sequel and musical adaptation. Photo courtesy of BratzWorldTV.
I cannot end the film portion of this article without mentioning what many people are curious about… sequels! Not only sequels, but a musical?! The Bratz did sort of get a musical through the Passion 4 Fashion World Tour earlier that year, but not a musical that could have ended up on Broadway. Clearly neither a sequel or musical came to fruition, but they almost did. In a special issue of The Hollywood Reporter detailing the release of the film, it was revealed that a sequel was in the works and would likely extend into a film franchise. It was also revealed that a Broadway musical using the film’s concept was in the works. The cast of the film confirmed that a sequel was in the works in a press release interview for Hollywood.com. It is safe to assume that neither project happened because the film was considered a box office failure, and we can’t forget that a legal battle between MGA Entertainment and Mattel would forever change the fate of the Bratz brand over a year after the film’s release.
THE FILM: DVD RELEASE
The Bratz The Movie DVD was released in the United States on November 27, 2007. It included bonus featurettes from the film and a director’s commentary (as mentioned many times throughout this article). Some releases of the DVD came with a bonus disc featuring the Sneakin’ On The Set special, hair clips, “BFF” necklaces, and/or a mini magazine. Some versions of the DVD release promote a scholarship contest, in which $60,000 in scholarships were to be awarded to four students.
THE SOUNDTRACKS
What would a Bratz flagship line be without an accompanying soundtrack? Rather than the usual Universal Music album to tie-in with the line, the Bratz movie received its own soundtrack through Geffen Records. The soundtrack was helmed by Ron Fair and Stefanie Ridel, the latter being a former member of girl group Wild Orchid alongside Fergie. It is believed that Ridel provides Yasmin’s vocals for the film, though some seem to believe that Nathalia Ramos provides her own vocals in the film; this is not completely confirmed or denied at the moment. The Bratz Motion Picture Soundtrack features twenty-one songs (plus one bonus track in the Australian release) featured in and inspired by the Bratz live-action film. The soundtrack includes: “Rock Star” by Prima J, “Fearless” by Daechelle, “Love Is Wicked” by Brick and Lace, “Rainy Day” by Janel Parrish, “Open Eyes” by the Bratz, “Heartburn” by NLT, “It’s All About Me” by Chelsea Staub featuring Anneliese van der Pol and Malese Jow, “Now Or Never” by Orianthi, “Out From Under” by Joanna Pacitti, “In Crowd” by Sean Stewart, “Express Yourself” by The Black Eyed Peas, “My Life” by The Slumber Party Girls, “Go Go” by Jibbs, “It Doesn’t Get Better Than This” by Alex Band, “Saying Goodbye” by Matt White, “Invisible” by Ashlee Simpson, “Alter Ego” by the Clique Girlz, “Tell Me” by Dropping Daylight, “If This Is Goodbye” by Lifehouse, “Fabulous” by Chelsea Staub, and “Bratitude” by the Bratz. The track “Mistake” by Stephanie McIntosh is included as a bonus track in the Australian version of the soundtrack. In Brazil, four of the songs performed in the film were covered by girl group Rouge for the soundtrack, including: “Open Eyes” (“Abras os Olhos”), “It’s All About Me” (“Só Falam de Mim”), “Fabulous” (“Fabulousa”), and “Bratitude”.
Music video for “Rock Star” by Prima J, featuring cameos from Nathalia Ramos, Logan Browning, and Janel Parrish.
I have to admit, this soundtrack is so good! The music fits so well with the film, and really captures the essence of that era. With tracks from big names like The Black Eyed Peas and Ashlee Simpson, who could be surprised? My personal faves, aside from the songs performed by the Bratz, are “Rock Star” and “It Doesn’t Get Better Than This”; I’ve always dreamed of going on a mall shopping spree with Alex Band soundtracking the experience. Honorable mentions to “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne and “Everything I’m Not” by The Veronicas, both of which were included in the film’s trailer but not included in the film or its soundtrack. “Summer’s Gone” by The Slumber Party Girls is also a bop that is included in the film, but not on the soundtrack. NLT and Prima J make cameos in the film during the talent show audition scene, in which Prima J performs the song “Kick It” which is not included on any soundtracks. Similarly to the film, the soundtrack had its own website which is now defunct.
In another marketing effort for the film, a contest was held in which unknown musicians were encouraged to submit songs to Geffen Records for a chance to have their song featured in the Bratz movie. The winner, Daechelle, had her song “Fearless” included in the soundtrack and filmed a music video as promotion for the film. Other music videos filmed specifically for the film’s marketing are Prima J’s “Rock Star” and Janel Parrish’s “Rainy Day”. “Rock Star” was given a single CD and vinyl release featuring Bratz promotional labels. Janel Parrish signed a record deal with Geffen at the time of the film’s release and was expected to release her debut album by 2008, but this ultimately did not come to fruition. Other songs like “Love Is Wicked”, “In Crowd”, “My Life”, “Invisible”, and “Tell Me” were released as singles prior to being featured on the soundtrack. The song “Out From Under” gained popularity in 2008 when it was covered by Britney Spears for her sixth studio album Circus.
An extended play titled Bratz Music From The Motion Picture was released alongside the DVD. The EP contained four tracks from the main soundtrack: “Fearless”, “Rainy Day”, “Now or Never”, and “Bratitude”. The songs “Blue Sky”, “Let’s Get To It”, and “Pretty In Punk” were featured in the animated Bratz film and television series, as well as the live-action Bratz film, but were previously not featured on any Bratz soundtrack albums. The song “We All Can Be Starz” was not featured in any films or television series, but was featured in a promotional teaser released in early 2007 for the live-action Bratz film; the song would later appear in the commercial for the Star Singerz collection in Fall 2007 and be re-worked as “All About Me” for the Bratz Girlz Really Rock film and soundtrack album in 2008.
THE VIDEO GAMES
As with most Bratz flagship lines that come out during the Fall season starting with Rock Angelz, Bratz The Movie was no exception to receiving the video game treatment. In fact, Bratz The Movie had several video game tie-ins with very different plots and graphics across different consoles.
Trailer for the Bratz The Movie video game.
The most popular video game from this season is likely Bratz The Movie released for the PS2, Wii, and GameBoy Advance. The PS2 and Wii versions do not follow the plot of the film, but rather the canon set in Stilesville. The PS2 and Wii formats are similar to that of the Rock Angelz and Forever Diamondz games, in which players can play as one of the four core girls and complete story-based tasks. The PS2 and Wii plot for The Movie follows the girls as they put out their magazine but realize sales of their competitor, Your Thing, are skyrocketing as Burdine shifts her focus from fashion to action tales based on her adventures in foreign countries; this causes the Bratz girls to follow suit in looking for hot stories in Stilesville, London, and New York to keep up with Burdine, but what they don’t know is that Burdine is not behind concocting these stories but rather the Tweevils out of desperation to keep Your Thing sales afloat while Burdine is on vacation. The plot of this game is similar to that of Bratz season two episode “Bye-Bye Burdine” and incorporates several clips from that episode, despite this season not airing until 2008. This version of the Bratz The Movie video game is the final piece of media to include the main cast of voice actors—mainly Dionne Quann, Olivia Hack, Tia Mowry, Soleil Moon Frye, Wendie Malick, Kaley Cuoco, and Lacey Chabert—as this cast’s final film would be Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz and a brand-new voice cast would be brought in for the second season of the television series to lower production costs. Despite the television series’ second season having a new voice cast, all of the unaired (at the time) season two clips used for the Bratz The Movie video game would use the original voice cast. Some versions of the Wii game come with a bonus disc featuring sneak peeks of the Bratz film, while some others come with Wii controller skins.
While the PS2 and Wii versions follow a similar structure to previous Bratz video games, the GameBoy Advance (GBA) version of Bratz The Movie is incredibly different. Bratz The Movie follows the Bratz as they “spend their summer vacation at the Sotherby School of Talents and Artistry” and “learn how to play music, create new dance routines, and polish their talents as they prepare to enter a Talent Competition with their new friends”. Sound familiar? The plot is essentially a less-involved version of the Bratz Girlz Really Rock movie, which would be released in Fall of 2008. As to why the GBA version of Bratz The Movie is different from its PS2/Wii counterparts and follows a similar storyline to Girlz Really Rock is beyond me, but I theorize that the plot of the GBA game may have been what Bratz The Movie could have been had it remained a live-action/animated hybrid as originally intended but was later shelved and would become the basis for the video game as well as Girlz Really Rock; this is just a theory and not confirmed, though! Coincidentally, Girlz Really Rock would receive a limited theatrical release.
Another video game tie-in to the Bratz film, titled Bratz 4 Real, was released for the Nintendo DS and PC a few months after the Bratz The Movie video game and focused more on the movie’s storyline. Bratz 4 Real is the least-favored game out of the two, and its gameplay is not as fun or exciting as Bratz The Movie. However, the PC version of Bratz 4 Real is sometimes applauded for giving more context to some plot points in the Bratz film. The PC version includes a mix of the live-action cast and previous video game cast members providing voices. The DS version has zombies, so that’s interesting.
THE LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS
And of course, we have made it to the lifestyle product tie-ins! Kudos to you if you’ve made it this far into the article, we’re nearing the end. Every major Bratz flagship line has a decent number of licensed products, and The Movie is a great example of this. The Movie branding appears on apparel from costume pieces to winter gear, appliances like a popcorn machine and milkshake mixer, collectibles such as Jollibee Kids Meal toys, cosmetics, a dedicated home décor collection, a Plugged In electronics line, food items (shoutout to the Glamour Compact that came with mints, I loved that one as a kid), board games, gift cards, an advent calendar, sports equipment, and stationery, among other items. The Movie’s licensed goods aided in creating a brand identity for this collection, and would be one of the last Bratz flagship lines to release such a hefty amount of licensed goods.
IN RETROSPECT…
Regardless of what you say or think about The Movie lineup or the live-action Bratz film, it still remains to be “that girl” in terms of marketing and goods. I’m sure most can agree that this is not the brand’s strongest era in terms of quality and design, nor is the film considered Oscar-worthy, but how many doll brands can say they scored a live-action movie deal six years into the game? I’m sure some can, but we have to consider the immense popularity Bratz had in the early-to-late 2000s. Not many brands can do what Bratz did back then, and many have tried and failed to replicate that success over the past twenty-one years. The Movie may seem like a blip in the brand’s history, but it more so reflects on how much of a powerhouse the Bratz franchise truly was. And it’s gained a cult status years later, with thinkpieces and memes being made about the film all these years later. Plus, most of the Bratz girls are still friends IRL today!
The Bratz film and this era as a whole maintains a special place in my heart, and I’m sure it does in the hearts of many Bratz fans. The messaging behind the film was so powerful to me as a child, and it helped give me more meaning to the brand beyond the ideals of friendship and fashion. Growing up gay can be a scary experience for many young people, and the film’s messaging behind being your authentic self, finding community despite differences, and embracing difference is something that struck me at that time in my life. I also admired Cloe’s storyline because I also grew up in a single-parent household and the line where she says “my mom is my hero” rings true for me. I am grateful for what this film instilled in me despite how “bad” it has been perceived. I even got to meet Nathalia Ramos at the Bratz launch party in 2015, which was such a special moment; she is such a kind person and I will cherish that moment forever.
A showroom featuring various Bratz The Movie products, including the Movie Making Studio with Sharidan, the Home Décor Collection, and Funky Fashion Makeover Yasmin.
Following up with the film sections of this article, it is important we shout out some of the amazing creatives involved with the film. Nathalia Ramos went on to star in the popular Nickelodeon soap series House of Anubis and works to educate U.S. citizens on politics via social media; she is also a new mother, congratz!!! Skyler Shaye has gone on to appear in shows like Showtime’s Ray Donovan and has starred in a string of sequels in the Baby Geniuses franchise alongside her godfather Jon Voight, with a few of them being directed by Sean McNamara. McNamara would also later collaborate with Prima J, who would make a cameo in his film Bring It On: Fight To The Finish starring Christina Milian. Logan Browning became a main cast member in Tyler Perry’s television series Meet The Browns, and further went on to star in popular shows like Hit The Floor and Dear White People. Janel Parrish became well-known for her role as Mona Vanderwaal in the popular television series Pretty Little Liars and its spinoff The Perfectionists, as well as the To All The Boys film series. Chelsea Staub would begin going by the name Chelsea Kane, and would star in the Disney Channel shows Jonas and Fish Hooks as well as the teen drama One Tree Hill and sitcom Baby Daddy. Anneliese van der Pol would finish her run as the last Belle of the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, then go on to star in films like Vampires Suck and the sequel series to That’s So Raven titled Raven’s Home. Malese Jow would go on to have recurring roles in The Vampire Diaries and Big Time Rush. Lainie Kazan would remain fabulous and Chet Hanks would go on to become Chet Hanx. Susie Singer Carter would collaborate with McNamara again in 2011 on the film Soul Surfer starring AnnaSophia Robb before writing, directing, and producing the award-winning short film My Mom and the Girl starring Valerie Harper.
If you are interested in learning about all of the Movie products and media mentioned in this retrospective, check out the Bratz 2007, Bratz Boyz 2007, Lil' Bratz 2007 Dolls database pages, as well as the Movie pages in the Media Profiles section of Stilesville Central!
Thank you so much for reading this retrospective of the Movie line and the live-action Bratz film! Make sure to check out Lookin’ Bratz on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok for more Bratz and Bratz The Movie content!
xoxo
