Rag Dolly

Anytime you’re adapting a piece of existing media you have two options, tell a story in that world or tell a story about that word. Bare is has a hundred stories inside the world of Barbie, but there is only one Barbie movie. A movie about what it means to be Barbie, what it means to be a toy or a woman or a toy shaped like a woman. The Lego movie does less fourth wall breaking but it was never about what the animated characters are experiencing, it’s about a kid wanting to be creative and his dad who just wants to glue everything down. It’s what Boop wanted to be before vastly misjudging what people like about Betty Boop or the cartoons in the first place.

The Raggedy Ann musical isn’t a story in Raggedy Ann’s world, it’s about what Raggedy Ann’s world is for. About escapism and hope and how powerful it can be, but how specific and personal it is. About what it means to be created to bring joy and then thrust into a situation beyond your reach.

Who is Barbie if she isn’t a bimbo or a feminist icon? What are legos if you aren’t being creative with them? Who is raggedy Ann if she isn’t smiling? Does joy and hope and laughter really have the power to cure everything? Rag Dolly says "no, but care and love and understanding do". Cheeriness vs compassion. Telling vs listening. This is what made me fall in love with this musical. I love media where the message is to encourage people, especially kids, to understand how to ask for what they need emotionally, especially when it's less about cheering up and more about listening. Marcella is going through a hell of a time, but she can't stand anyone to tells her she just needs to smile. She needs someone to hold her hand and give her just enough hope to face her demons (and her mother) herself.