DVD Review: Barbie and the Diamond Castle: Mattel Inc., NBC-Universal's Direct-to-DVD Movie Supports Toy Line

Mattel Inc./NBC-Universal's Barbie and the Diamond Castle is the latest in a series of direct-to-DVD animated films designed to keep little girls interested in the venerable doll line. Much like the Disney Princesses or Disney Fairies line of direct-to-DVD films, they're little more than feature-length ads for toys, games, clothes and other merchandise.

What's It About?

Best friends Barbie™ and Theresa™ narrate the story of Liana™ and Alexa™ (yep, Mattel copyrighted these names, presumably so they could market some dolls), two best friends who live together in a cottage by the woods. When they discover an enchanted mirror with a young woman named Melody™ trapped inside, they must band together to defeat the evil Lily™, an enchantress who wants to control the fabled Diamond Castle™. An adventure™ ensues.

Let's ignore for a moment the fact that this flick is essentially a 78-minute ad for Barbie merch. How does it stand as a film in its own right?

The answer? Not all that good. The CGI animation is glossy but crude. The characters' expressions don't really change, their eyes look dead, and there are quite a few moments where the their lips don't match up to the dialogue. They also look like they're actually floating a few centimetres above the ground, instead of being a part of the scene.

The worst offenders are the adorable puppies/comic relief Sparkle™ and Lily™, who literally look like they're superimposed above the scene, not actually in it. And don't even start on the sequences involving horses. Not only do the characters' hair not move when the horses are galloping (Barbie must have some incredibly strong hair gel), but the horses' speed doesn't match the rate at which they cover the ground. Yep, some animation supervisors were asleep at their posts when this thing was being put together.

Then there's the story. It's a standard quest narrative filled with deus ex machina moments, bumbling villains (foremost is an idiot dragon named Slider™), and several schmaltzy songs about the importance of friendship.

Extra Bits

Yeah, there are a few extra tidbits to this DVD. There are some manufactured "hilarious™ bloopers" from the film, a music video for the song "Connected" featuring Katharine McPhee™ and a preview for the next film, Barbie™ in A Christmas Carol.

The Final Analysis?

Marshall McLuhan once said, "The medium is the message," which meant that any medium possessed an inherent message that superseded any other that they might try to project. Barbie and the Diamond Castle may ostensibly be an adventure story about the importance of friendship, but don't be fooled: its true raison d'etre is to sell toys. Lots of toys.

So the question now becomes: do you want your little girl to continuously pester you to buy her more Barbie dolls and accessories? If the answer is yes, then Barbie and the Diamond Castle is for you.

But, if the sheer deluge of advertising aimed at your little princess scares the ever-living you-know-what out of you, then avoid this DVD like the plague. It possesses little value, either as animation, or entertainment. It rates a 1/10.

Sep 19, 2008 7:34 PM

Guest :

I disagree with you, I thought this movie was exceptional, I loved the strong meaining of friendship and courageous spirit. I loved the animation and the happy ending. best friends are forever

Sep 24, 2008 6:51 AM

Guest :

i havent seen this movie. let me watch it!

Sep 24, 2008 6:51 AM

Guest :

i havent seen this movie. let us watch it!!

Oct 3, 2008 12:34 PM

Guest :

I strongly disagree with you. First of all, in regards to your opinion on the computer animation aspect of the DVD, clearly you do not understand the pipeline of DVD productions. Either that, or you're an animation enthusiast who knows what good animation should look like, but doesn't know what it takes to achieve that level of animation. If you look at the mass of animation out there, how many DVDs and television cartoons do you not see occasional animation and technical-related issues? If you look at video games, where longer production time is usually given, there are very, very few games out there that have lip sync problems, never mind the constant animation glitches and crashes. I'm not saying it's ok to have these issues here and there. There is always room for improvement. And we should always look forward to improvement. However, I think what we need to focus more on a review like this is the message behind the DVD, as most parents would deem it to be more important than the aesthetic value. So what's the message? Friends, period. I don't remember watching the DVD where at some point, either during the feature or bonus materials, it tells me to go buy a Barbie doll for my kid. And neither have my kids pestering me for one while they watch the DVD. Selling Barbie dolls is not a message. Mattel started the Barbie business from selling dolls and eventually developing a DVD line for those dolls to carry children-friendly messages. Of course, if kids like the DVDs they'll want to buy the dolls. That's what the entertainment business is about. We as customer enjoy the visual media and therefore purchase merchandises related to the media. Be it models, dolls, collectives, etc. Every medium is trying to sell something. Unless you rate all Disney films and DVDs the same score you rated this Barbie DVD, Disney is trying to sell their merchandises through their mediums too! These are huge productions we're talking about. You simply can't make more DVDs for kids if these companies don't make money from their merchandises. The DVDs themselves have good messages and value about friends. Not only do kids have fun watching them, they're also learning something important in life. That's what's important.

Oct 4, 2008 10:13 AM

Guest :

great movie any one in school talk about it

Nov 22, 2008 8:36 PM

Guest :

This review seems to be written by someone who doesn't realize that most (if not all) mainstream movies aimed at children are merchandizing media. If he hasn't noticed this as of yet, then he's either not very perceptive or someone with an agenda...neither of which allows for an accurate review in absolute terms. I'm a father of a 3.5 yo daughter who loves the music so much in this movie that she makes me play my guitar while she sings during the movie. This has been a great way for me to connect with her. The message of friends looking past their own needs to help others in much more need was well-received by my daughter as well.
My advice: Disregard the reviewer's comments on this movie. Further, I'd question the all of his other reviews as well.