Barbie and the Diamond Castle (2008)
On October 17, 2023 by CrescentFor her next musical, Barbie chose to do something a bit different. Barbie and the Diamond Castle is a step away from the previous musical affairs, but it plays to its strengths and develops into an amazing story with some of the best leads Barbie has ever seen. And maybe they’re a bit in love. Okay, yes, they absolutely are.
Story
Diamond Castle follows the adventures of Liana and Alexa, two best friends who live together in a cottage. They find a strange mirror one day and meet a girl named Melody trapped inside. Melody tells them of the wicked Lydia, a muse turned twisted who betrayed her friends in search of greater power. Melody asks Liana and Alexa to help her defeat Lydia and save the world from her darkness, and the girls agree. Along the way, they make new friends, endure countless challenges, and eventually realize just how much they mean to each other.
The story of Diamond Castle is one that is sold on the relationship between Liana and Alexa, and the plot shines brightest here. After all the trials and tribulations they endure, their arguments and differences of opinion feel natural and real. There is only so much a person can take before they start to crack, and Liana and Alexa show their weaknesses to one another freely. The two are the perfect leads to this story, and I adore them both.
Diamond Castle struggles a little bit in terms of pacing though. It feels like there’s a lot of movement from point A to point B without any information about what happened in between. This can make the movie feel a bit strange in terms of progression near the middle. I wish the pacing had been a bit better; this would have really helped the film to shine.
Overall, the story is strong, but its pacing struggles in the second act.
Story: 8/10
Characters
The leading characters, Liana and Alexa, really do sell the story of Diamond Castle. They develop beautifully together, and they work as perfect foils and equals. Liana and Alexa carry the story, and the two feel like real, fleshed out people. I can’t say enough how much I love Liana and Alexa, and Melody is the perfect third member of their trio. They make up for each other’s shortcomings very well. The story would not be as strong as it is if not for them.
Lydia and Slyder are appropriately imposing villains, and they feel far more threatening than they have any right to. Slyder is the bumbling minion to balance out Lydia’s cunning and short temper. They’re terrifying villains who have tons of narrative weight to their actions. Their strength makes them the perfect opposing force for our leading trio.
Unfortunately, the positives flicker off from there regarding the cast. Jeremy and Ian, the two love interests of Diamond Castle, are very one-note and boring. There’s next to nothing to them, and the movie barely even bothers to give them distinct personalities from each other. I can’t even tell which twin is which half the time, and I don’t think it matters either. They feel like plot convenience whenever they show up, and they’re nowhere near as fun to watch as some of the other love interests in the Barbie cinematic universe. Liana and Alexa don’t even end up with them in the end; the two go back home without the boys around. It seems like the girls are getting together instead of pairing off with their boys. What was the point of them being here again?
And then there are the dogs. Ugh. The dogs have been teased all over the internet, and they deserve it. The dogs, Sparkles and Lily, are wastes of screen time. They really drag down an otherwise great movie every single time they appear, and I hate them for it. Diamond Castle would undoubtedly be a better movie without Sparkles and Lily. I wish they weren’t here at all, and I hate having to see them.
While the leading trio and villains of Diamond Castle are great, the love interests and animal sidekicks leave a lot to be desired.
Characters: 7/10
World Building
The world building of Diamond Castle feels very strong so long as it centers around the Diamond Castle itself. The story of Lydia betraying the other muses in favor of finding a new power for herself is very interesting. I loved learning more about the titular castle over the course of the movie. It’s a very interesting location with a storied history I adore.
I also really like the town where Liana and Alexa first meet Jeremy and Ian. It feels bustling and lived-in from the start. I love the change of scenery for a Barbie movie, and it’s the perfect place to help develop the world a bit more. Liana and Alexa are out of their element, and this location proves it right away. Their cottage is nice too, and it feels cozy and loved from its first appearance even if we don’t spend much time there.
The world building tends to fall apart outside of those three spots though. Since the pacing of the middle part of the movie is so poor, the locations visited there fall flat due to a lack of attention. In this case, the pacing problem becomes the world building problem. Only the three aforementioned locations feel particularly strong with the others ultimately struggling.
The world building is strong when centered around a few concrete locations, but the others–especially those in the middle of the movie–struggle greatly to match up to that level.
World Building: 7/10
Themes
The theme of Diamond Castle is that friendship is the true treasure. That theme fits perfectly with the story the movie is telling, and nothing goes against that in a way that undermines it. Even with the framing of Barbie telling the story to Stacy, her younger sister, this theme feels natural. Liana and Alexa grew a lot, but at the end of the day, they were alright as long as they had each other. The theme really is perfect for this movie.
Themes: 10/10
Production
Diamond Castle is the third movie in the Barbie film catalogue to double as a musical, and it’s a very unorthodox one. Where the other movies focused on music as a way of moving the story forward, Diamond Castle uses its music as a source of connection between the characters. Almost all of Liana and Alexa’s songs revolve around them using music to connect with each other or other people, and that works perfectly for the story. The songs strike a nice balance between modern pop and the medieval fantasy setting, and I like them all overall. I wish the songs’ placements were paced a bit better since they’re very front heavy, but they’re still all fun additions.
As is to be expected, the voice acting and animation is strong too… For the most part. The animation on the hair can be a bit wonky at times, especially in the opening and ending of the movie. Liana and Alexa’s default hairstyles look fine, but straying beyond that leaves the animation feeling bizarre. It’s a small enough point to not be too distracting, but it’s something to note.
However, the dogs are very distracting. They’re obnoxious hogs of screen time, and their voice acting does them no favors. Their models are awful too, and they feel so out of place compared to the strong animation found in the rest of the film. This movie would be much better without those dogs around, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
The production is very strong in regards to its music, but the animation falls flat especially around the animal sidekicks.
Production: 8/10
Overall
Barbie and the Diamond Castle is an unorthodox musical in Barbie’s film roster, but it’s still a very good one. Even with its shortcomings, the movie is incredible and loads of fun. I highly recommend this movie to any fan of Barbie… Or just someone looking for a good queer story. It’s definitely a great one in that category too.
Overall: 8/10
Silly Superlative: Barbie movie with the gayest romantic tension
Archives
Calendar
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 |
Leave a Reply