BARB AND THE BATTLE FOR BAILIWICK

As if leering bad guy Witch Head and his huge Shadow Army aren’t daunting enough, Barb faces a tougher challenge—her mom.

With Barb Witch Head’s captive and the Shadow Blade back in his clutches to compel his army’s obedience (see Barb and the Ghost Blade, 2022), it looks like nothing can stop him from laying waste to the hapless hamlet of Bailiwick. Nothing? Enter Barb’s mother, Raven, leaping out of the Shadow Realm to the rescue with a mighty scream, an even mightier ax…and an infuriating determination to keep her daughter out of the action and safe from danger. Cue the mother-daughter clash! Barb, of course, can’t be held back for long and makes it to the climactic battle just in time to pull off a rescue of her own with an army of yetis on speed sleds (“YETIS! LET’S ROCK AND ROLL!”), not to mention a mystical Ghost Blade powerful enough to disarm Witch Head and persuade him to give up his evil ways. Now cue the massive dance party: “WE WON!” Despite plenty of explosive cartoon action and a colorful cast that includes toothy monsters of several sorts led by a spiky villain, Barb and Raven consistently steal the show—the latter topped by a magnificent purple mohawk and both sporting Wonder Woman tiaras and world-class glares.

A proper, rousing entry with plenty of juice left in the tank for future exploits.