Barbie tells the following story to her little sister, Kelly, who is insecure about her painting abilities. Rapunzel is a young princess with long, floor-length hair, acting as a servant to the wicked witch Gothel, who claims Rapunzel was cruelly abandoned as a baby. Gothel resents Rapunzel's hobby of painting pictures, and demands Rapunzel spend all her time maintaining and cleaning the manor they live in, which is isolated from the rest of the world by a magic wall. Rapunzel's only friends are Penelope, a young dragon, and Hobie, an anxious rabbit. One day, Rapunzel and her friends accidentally open a secret tunnel, where Rapunzel finds a silver hairbrush engraved with a loving message from her parents. This leads Rapunzel to question Gothel's story. Rapunzel continues down the tunnel and finds herself beyond the magic walls, near the kingdom outside. She saves young Princess Katrina from a
hole with the help of Katrina's older 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 realizes she's been outside for a while and leaves in a rush, without learning Stefan's name. However, Gothel's pet ferret Otto sees Rapunzel and tells Gothel all that happened. Gothel faces Rapunzel, demanding to know who she spoke with. 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 commands Penelope's father Hugo to keep Rapunzel prisoner. That night, as Rapunzel sleeps, the hairbrush she found magically transforms into a paintbrush. When Rapunzel attempts to use the paintbrush on the tower wall, she magically paints a portal to the kingdom. She uses it to meet Stefan again, though she insists that he does not tell her his name so that she cannot reveal it to Gothel. They search for the origin of her paintbrush, and discover that it was made by a silversmith in Wilhelm's kingdom. Before Rapunzel leaves, Stefan gives her an invitation to the
masquerade ball that night. She paints another portal to return to the tower. To prepare for the masquerade, Rapunzel paints herself a beautiful gown, but is again found out by Otto. Gothel cuts off Rapunzel's hair, destroys the portal to the kingdom, and shatters the paintbrush. When Rapunzel once again cannot give Stefan's name, Gothel puts a spell on the tower to never release its lying prisoner. She also chains Hugo, intending to come back later and punish him for failing to keep Rapunzel from leaving. At the ball, Gothel wears Rapunzel's hair and lures Stefan outside the palace, before attacking 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. The same night, 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 she kidnapped Wilhelm's daughter as revenge for Wilhelm not returning her love. Gothel tries to kill both Stefan and Wilhelm, but Rapunzel arrives and Gothel attacks her instead, but not before accidentally causing a fire. Rapunzel and her friends trick Gothel and Otto into running through the portal to the tower; Gothel's spells are broken, releasing Hugo, who explains to a distraught Gothel that her lying heart has trapped her in the tower forever. After Stefan, Wilhelm, Frederick, and the knights put out the fire, 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. ==Cast==