Overall this is a good movie with a good message about friendships and how a big fight can repair your friendship when the world is against you and love the songs
18 Reviews
Good movie
dianamarinelli9 January 2021
I guess it's okay
ericstevenson29 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is another one of the many Barbie movies made. I'd argue none of them are good, but this one at least wasn't that bad. I actually did like some of the twists. It's actually a story being told by Barbie about her and her friend as other characters who find a magic mirror with a girl imprisoned in it. In the movie, they end up going to a castle they think they want to live in because of a prophecy. It's actually revealed that this prophecy is fake. Also, they decide not to stay in the diamond castle in the end, which I actually liked. I thought that told a good message.
I guess the animation wasn't the best or worst. I did think it was better than some used in the other films but it did look off many times. I especially was turned off by the dragon. He was actually kind of well written too. Still, it was kind of boring and it probably would have worked better as a long episode of a Barbie TV show. For Barbie fans, I would in fact recommend it, as it's nothing too memorable. It is at least better than you would think. **1/2
I guess the animation wasn't the best or worst. I did think it was better than some used in the other films but it did look off many times. I especially was turned off by the dragon. He was actually kind of well written too. Still, it was kind of boring and it probably would have worked better as a long episode of a Barbie TV show. For Barbie fans, I would in fact recommend it, as it's nothing too memorable. It is at least better than you would think. **1/2
Barbie version of Game of Thrones
juliankennedy2312 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Barbie and the Diamond Castle (2008 Video): 5 out of 10: Barbie and her friend Teresa are sitting in their apartment one afternoon playing and singing a soft country-pop tune when what I assume is Barbie's little sister comes in all bratty because her friend did something that was not magic.
So to calm her sister down Barbie tells a tale of two other women Liana and Alexa who also live together and play pop-country tunes and who not just look like Barbie and her friend but are voiced by the same actresses. So right of the bat it isn't Barbie and the Diamond Castle it is Barbie telling a story that is not about Barbie but kind of is, and a Diamond Castle does show up but in reality, isn't a castle. Yeah, I am going to have to break this one down a bit.
The Good: This story has some lovely morals about friendship which is pleasant for a kids movie. Barbie sorry I mean Liana is always trying to do the right thing, and both characters show empathy, kindness, and charity on a regular basis.
There are a decent number of songs in this film, and while none of them are going on my Spotify playlist anytime soon, there are admittedly pleasant little earworms well sung.
The film is quite colorful, and the story moves at a decent pace keeping both the kids and parents interest.
The Bad: The CGI is right out of a PlayStation 2 cutscenes, and that is at its best (See The Ugly for when even that fails) It is watchable for the most part as clearly shown in Ghost in the Shell 2.0 CGI ages much faster than traditional animation.
The pandering to the little girl audience is sometimes over the top. I will talk about the dogs in a minute, but I want to talk about the Diamond Castle. Adults will quickly realize that a place that has Greek Muses is not a castle at all but a temple. The villain of the piece called Lydia is clearly the Muse Euterpe. While I would not expect young girls to know their Greek mythology, it would not hurt to accidentally educate the little monsters. There is nothing wrong with mixing Greek mythology with Medival tropes, but Barbie and the Diamond Castle tried to fit some square pegs in some round holes instead of letting the different groups coexist together.
The Ugly. The CGI dragon is ugly, but he is a cute ugly. The graphics sometimes makes Alexa's blue dress look like she is hiding a dwarf under there (She is standing, but her legs are as if she was sitting on a chair.) The dogs, on the other hand, are another level of Hell. At their best, they are too cute and sparkly and can cause proximity diabetes. But there is a scene in a tavern where they decide to dance along with the girls' pop-country tune, and they become Eldritch horrors. Rarely has the medium of film had such terror on screen. I don't know what kind of art or programming failure caused this, but the uncanny valley has a new depth.
Before In Conclusion: I very much dislike when people project sexuality on characters and circumstances where none exists. But Liana and Alexa are clearly a couple. I mean they reject nicely the lads that help them out on the adventure and abandon them by traveling together over a rainbow bridge. Then Liana and Alexa refuse to live in the castle so they can go back to sharing the cabin in the woods where they grow flowers together. I mean Barbie is telling this story, and she clearly intends for Liana to be her and Teresa to be Alexa. Talk about unconsciously projecting your fantasies.
In Conclusion. Barbie and the Diamond Castle is a pleasant enough film with decent songs and colorful worlds for the little ones. Parents can pretend it is a Barbie version of Games of Thrones which works surprisingly well. Outside of the occasional ugly graphics and the fear your little ones will start singing a decent video with good values.
So to calm her sister down Barbie tells a tale of two other women Liana and Alexa who also live together and play pop-country tunes and who not just look like Barbie and her friend but are voiced by the same actresses. So right of the bat it isn't Barbie and the Diamond Castle it is Barbie telling a story that is not about Barbie but kind of is, and a Diamond Castle does show up but in reality, isn't a castle. Yeah, I am going to have to break this one down a bit.
The Good: This story has some lovely morals about friendship which is pleasant for a kids movie. Barbie sorry I mean Liana is always trying to do the right thing, and both characters show empathy, kindness, and charity on a regular basis.
There are a decent number of songs in this film, and while none of them are going on my Spotify playlist anytime soon, there are admittedly pleasant little earworms well sung.
The film is quite colorful, and the story moves at a decent pace keeping both the kids and parents interest.
The Bad: The CGI is right out of a PlayStation 2 cutscenes, and that is at its best (See The Ugly for when even that fails) It is watchable for the most part as clearly shown in Ghost in the Shell 2.0 CGI ages much faster than traditional animation.
The pandering to the little girl audience is sometimes over the top. I will talk about the dogs in a minute, but I want to talk about the Diamond Castle. Adults will quickly realize that a place that has Greek Muses is not a castle at all but a temple. The villain of the piece called Lydia is clearly the Muse Euterpe. While I would not expect young girls to know their Greek mythology, it would not hurt to accidentally educate the little monsters. There is nothing wrong with mixing Greek mythology with Medival tropes, but Barbie and the Diamond Castle tried to fit some square pegs in some round holes instead of letting the different groups coexist together.
The Ugly. The CGI dragon is ugly, but he is a cute ugly. The graphics sometimes makes Alexa's blue dress look like she is hiding a dwarf under there (She is standing, but her legs are as if she was sitting on a chair.) The dogs, on the other hand, are another level of Hell. At their best, they are too cute and sparkly and can cause proximity diabetes. But there is a scene in a tavern where they decide to dance along with the girls' pop-country tune, and they become Eldritch horrors. Rarely has the medium of film had such terror on screen. I don't know what kind of art or programming failure caused this, but the uncanny valley has a new depth.
Before In Conclusion: I very much dislike when people project sexuality on characters and circumstances where none exists. But Liana and Alexa are clearly a couple. I mean they reject nicely the lads that help them out on the adventure and abandon them by traveling together over a rainbow bridge. Then Liana and Alexa refuse to live in the castle so they can go back to sharing the cabin in the woods where they grow flowers together. I mean Barbie is telling this story, and she clearly intends for Liana to be her and Teresa to be Alexa. Talk about unconsciously projecting your fantasies.
In Conclusion. Barbie and the Diamond Castle is a pleasant enough film with decent songs and colorful worlds for the little ones. Parents can pretend it is a Barbie version of Games of Thrones which works surprisingly well. Outside of the occasional ugly graphics and the fear your little ones will start singing a decent video with good values.
a great movie for kids
horseylaxgurl12 October 2008
the kids i babysit absolutely LOVE this movie, and i thought i would hate watching it- but its so cute! i love Leona and Alexa's characters and its a good movie for kids :) the songs are pretty and get stuck in your head really quick! i have "2 voices" stuck in my head right now.. XD this is definitely my favorite movie the kids i babysit have me watch... cause its fun for everyone- they love the dogs, their older sister loves the exciting parts, and i like the songs... i admit it XD every time the kids are done watching it, they either a) want to watch it again or b) grab their Barbie and play "Barbie and the Diamond Castle" i definitely recommend this movie for parents or babysitters :)
A hodgepodge of items from various tales, a magic flute and mirror mirror of mine...
RosanaBotafogo9 July 2023
Liana and Alexa (Barbie and Teresa) are best friends who share everything, including their love of singing. Upon meeting a girl inside a mirror, the duo embark on a journey that will put their friendship to the ultimate test. In this animated movie, Barbie (Kelly Sheridan) wants to teach her little sister, Stacie (Chantal Strand), the true value of friendship. So she and her best friend, Teresa (Cassidy Ladden), weave a music-infused fairy tale about Liana and Alexa, two peasant girls who have little else but each other and their love of song. When a magic mirror reveals an evil plan to destroy the Diamond Castle and end all music worldwide, Liana and Alexa bravely set out to save the day.
The music from this movie is beautiful, I even saved it on my Spotify playlist, the story is also cute, like all the Barbie franchise, with cute characters, including even the villains, multicolored and vibrant colors... Always with a cute message at the end , and the "Happily Ever After"... A hodgepodge of items from various tales, a magic flute and mirror mirror of mine...
The music from this movie is beautiful, I even saved it on my Spotify playlist, the story is also cute, like all the Barbie franchise, with cute characters, including even the villains, multicolored and vibrant colors... Always with a cute message at the end , and the "Happily Ever After"... A hodgepodge of items from various tales, a magic flute and mirror mirror of mine...
A fun Barbie movie... yeah I admitted it.
brokensilent1 October 2008
For being a Barbie movie, I enjoyed watching this with my girls far more than I expected. I liked the characters quite a bit, especially the twins. The storyline was fun and as usual, the good lesson. The graphics weren't bad, the music though a tad bit shrill at times with the singing, isn't bad either though beware, they're catchy enough tunes that they get stuck in your head... like a commercial jingle. I find myself humming "Connected" and then laughing at the fact that I'm humming my daughter's movie song. My three year old is entranced with the movie, she loves the puppies. So far, out of the barbie movies I have been bullied with big blue eyes and sweet smiles into watching, this one is my favorite.
Nostalgia can't save it
cgearheart12 June 2022
Yes, yes, I know, Barbie films are very nostalgic and very happy and fluffy, woohoo yay, party on. This movie isn't good. The animation is bad, the characters sound like they were voiced by the same two actors, and it was very dull. It's for kids and it's direct to dvd so I'm giving it a break.
Pure magic and imagination at its finest
zakima227 June 2009
I am the proud daddy of a beautiful 4year old little girl who loves all her Barbie movies, however this movie is the one that seems to have captured her attention the most. The story is easy to follow, some scenes might be a little dark but hey if your kids can watch a Disney movie they can certainly watch this(Nobody Dies). The films animation was done very well, its not Pixar or Dreamworks but thats what is so great about it. This film does not try and be something its not.
The lessons of friendship and trust are really put up front in this film. I do recommend this film to parents who have young children, babysitters, or if you flat out just want to see a great story about muses of music turned to stone, two girls who find a girl trapped in a mirror, and must take her to her home which is the Diamond Castle. I won't be sexist either the boys will get a kick out of the twins and the dragon Slyder I know my 8 year old son though it was cool. I must say for a movie that didn't have much publicity, it has done rather well for itself.... the only reason this film does not get a full 10 out of 10 with me, is the fact that it does not supply the bonus features that I normally hope to see, such as deleted scenes. It does have a blooper trailer. However if you want to see the missing sequence you have to view Barbie and the Christmas Carol and see the deleted scene with the puppies, which is a very cute music video, its just sad that it wasn't on the original release of Diamond Castle. So what are you waiting for, go check out this movie, and if you have already, leave it some love.
The lessons of friendship and trust are really put up front in this film. I do recommend this film to parents who have young children, babysitters, or if you flat out just want to see a great story about muses of music turned to stone, two girls who find a girl trapped in a mirror, and must take her to her home which is the Diamond Castle. I won't be sexist either the boys will get a kick out of the twins and the dragon Slyder I know my 8 year old son though it was cool. I must say for a movie that didn't have much publicity, it has done rather well for itself.... the only reason this film does not get a full 10 out of 10 with me, is the fact that it does not supply the bonus features that I normally hope to see, such as deleted scenes. It does have a blooper trailer. However if you want to see the missing sequence you have to view Barbie and the Christmas Carol and see the deleted scene with the puppies, which is a very cute music video, its just sad that it wasn't on the original release of Diamond Castle. So what are you waiting for, go check out this movie, and if you have already, leave it some love.
My second favourite of the Barbie movies
TheLittleSongbird26 May 2012
I admit I do enjoy most of the Barbie movies, though none are among my favourite movies. Of the lot, my personal favourite is Nutcracker, but Diamond Castle is my second favourite. The animation here is among the best-looking of any of the Barbie movies, colourful and wondrous. The music is very catchy, any movie does its job well if you remember or love the music, and while Nutcracker, Rapunzel and Swan Lake have music that is more to my personal taste, Diamond Castle does its job well indeed in this respect. The dialogue is good, not too corny, and the story is cute, has a lot of heart and while there is a dark centre it is not too dark. I love the characters, especially the twins and Slyder, and the voice work is solid from all, Kelly Sheridan and Scott McNeil impress me every time I hear them. In conclusion, I really like this movie, given a chance without prejudice you may like it too. 9/10 Bethany Cox
I LOVE THIS FILM
nevejlarsen3 November 2021
This movie is an exception piece of cinematic art. It tells the harrowing story of two girls who learn to work together and defeat evil. This film is a great example of how barbie films are great examples of feminism in pop culture. These girls realise they don't need to live their lives at the will of a man and they go on an adventure to prove themselves. They fighting over a man, as seen in many children's films. They use there wit and smarts to work though problems and achieve their goals.
Incredible film, must watch for any young women or parents.
Incredible film, must watch for any young women or parents.
Wow!
AnnaPagrati22 August 2021
Best of all the Barbie movies
julievanz4 May 2020
Pretty Good Movie About Friendship and Magic.
fastandfuriostmp22 December 2020
A movie from my childhood. It's pretty good, and I do recommend watching it. Songs are catchy; the characters are great. It has a good storyline with a friendship lesson behind it. Even now as an adult I appreciate this movie and the magical experience it gave me.
Cons: I find the puppies dancing like humans to be really weird. Even when I was kid I cringed at those parts. If it weren't for that I'd give this movie a solid 10/10. The puppies are fine otherwise.
Cons: I find the puppies dancing like humans to be really weird. Even when I was kid I cringed at those parts. If it weren't for that I'd give this movie a solid 10/10. The puppies are fine otherwise.
Great for young children
marisamcwhinnie5 November 2020
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, v1.00
annevejb13 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
When I first started with Barbie DVDs it was the My Scene collection and I found the music to be really okay but the stories to have too much of gritty mid teen personalities than I could easily cope with back then. England was having a pogrom against some of the dispossessed and we did tend to get a lot of grit, a maybe for why the occasional hypersensitivity. The last couple of years I have been noticing a lot of grit and hypersensitivity on the IMDb user pages. At other places in England too.
Easter 2010 I could not find a Barbie Easter egg but what I did have instead was three more Barbie DVDs. As well as Diamond Castle (2008) I also had Rapunzel (2002) and Swan Lake (2003). Music is a strong part of these, too, but it is nothing like My Scene. I started by preferring all of these stories but having qualms about the music in all but Swan Lake.
Second viewing, with Barbie DVDs I do watch them more than once, I was still having qualms with the music in Rapunzel but could really like the others. So, here are two more Barbie DVDs, Diamond Castle and Swan Lake, and I could really like both the stories and the music.
With Rapunzel, I wonder if the problem is symbolic. I sort of like the story of Rapunzel, a Barbie like girl trapped by a wicked witch but managing to eventually break free. Smooth and nice, if leaving the witch trapped in everlasting hell. Just if anyone knows the classical music that much of the background music uses, Dvorak's New World Symphony, would they be likely to be considering the music as a weak sham, too? Most age 5ish should not have that sort of problem so they just might like this a lot. The other IMDb user reviews that mention the music appear to like it too. The music is played well and fits rather well but if one knows the way that Dvorak used this stuff then is this missing out, a repetitive chunk of nice instead of the proper musical story that Dvorak wrote? Symbolic new world? This qualm will likely appear as unreal to many, but it does have me heading back to listen to the proper music and not bothering with the DVD all that much. A sort of grit that most all will not notice as real at all?
But Diamond Castle and Swan Lake. I could not find a Barbie Easter egg, I had to put up with a HSM and a choc bunny instead, but what I found was way better. Oh yeah these are nice.
Easter 2010 I could not find a Barbie Easter egg but what I did have instead was three more Barbie DVDs. As well as Diamond Castle (2008) I also had Rapunzel (2002) and Swan Lake (2003). Music is a strong part of these, too, but it is nothing like My Scene. I started by preferring all of these stories but having qualms about the music in all but Swan Lake.
Second viewing, with Barbie DVDs I do watch them more than once, I was still having qualms with the music in Rapunzel but could really like the others. So, here are two more Barbie DVDs, Diamond Castle and Swan Lake, and I could really like both the stories and the music.
With Rapunzel, I wonder if the problem is symbolic. I sort of like the story of Rapunzel, a Barbie like girl trapped by a wicked witch but managing to eventually break free. Smooth and nice, if leaving the witch trapped in everlasting hell. Just if anyone knows the classical music that much of the background music uses, Dvorak's New World Symphony, would they be likely to be considering the music as a weak sham, too? Most age 5ish should not have that sort of problem so they just might like this a lot. The other IMDb user reviews that mention the music appear to like it too. The music is played well and fits rather well but if one knows the way that Dvorak used this stuff then is this missing out, a repetitive chunk of nice instead of the proper musical story that Dvorak wrote? Symbolic new world? This qualm will likely appear as unreal to many, but it does have me heading back to listen to the proper music and not bothering with the DVD all that much. A sort of grit that most all will not notice as real at all?
But Diamond Castle and Swan Lake. I could not find a Barbie Easter egg, I had to put up with a HSM and a choc bunny instead, but what I found was way better. Oh yeah these are nice.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
