Barney - Barney's Musical Castle (2000)

Depending on how you feel about the Purple One, Barney's Musical Castle is either a loathsome marketing tool (a self-addressed piece of video fan mail, sort of) or a magnificent 70-minute romp for young minds. The tape plants viewers in the audience for a performance of Barney's third live stage show, a cross-country affair for which more than a million of the warm-fuzzies-inducing big fellas turned out. The story's simple: Barney and his usual complement of sidekicks (a handful of completely nonironic, overly nice school kids, plus the brother-sister dino duo of B.J. and Baby Bop) discover a lost crown in the flimsy-looking set they call the Enchanted Forest and set out to return it to the king. Their mission is interspersed with syrupy, kid-pleasing song and dance numbers (20 of them total). To gain entry to the king's castle, for instance, the gang must perform the musical equivalent of a password. That's a song, the guard explains, that involves clapping, foot-stamping, and shouting hooray! (Barney to the crowd: "Do we know a song like that?") Throughout the performance, the camera cuts away to shots of singing, clapping, overjoyed toddlers, and their delighted-looking parents, most of them gripping, wearing, or waving some article of Barney paraphernalia. Buy the video if you've disappointed a young devotee of the dinosaur by skipping the show when it blew through your town or if the king of cornball makes your kids happy. Ages 3 to 6. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

Give It Up, Justin! You Can't Change Clothes!

I saw Barney's Musical Castle in St. Louis, Missouri. Andy, Jessica, and Penny had the same clothes on as in the video. Justin had a rainbow colored shirt on when I saw him in St. Louis, but in the video, he was wearing a red shirt. He still had the same shorts no matter what. He's a teenager and he can't change clothes when he goes from city to city. If he's a teenager, why is he with Barney if Barney is for toddlers? I don't think Justin belongs in this show since he's a teenager and he changes from shirt to shirt. I think the director should have gotten rid of him since he is not good in my opinion. August 9, 2005

My 13 month old daughter loves this!

My daughter graduated from Baby Mozart, to Elmo, now this. I bought this video when she was 8 months and she didn't start liking it until she was 12 months. This video really captivates her. I can't believe how annoying Barney is, though! Elmo is not as annoying, he's actually cute. With an Elmo video, she pays attention sometimes, but with this, it's like she's possesed! (very scary, actually). She won't move until the video is over. I bought another Barney video today, and she cried when it started playing. She knew it wasn't her favorite. Anyhow, I would recommend this video. Ironically, she really doesn't like Barney on TV! I think it's the kids in the audience that make it, also, it's almost all pure singing which she loves. I will poiont out that my vhs version is terrible. April 8, 2002

The best Barney so far...

This is a wonderful Barney video. My 2 year old can sing all the songs (it's FULL of animated singing). I would recommend this for a Barney lover. It's special because it's a live preformance. Watching the childrens faces as they see Barney, Baby Bop and BJ come on stage is priceless. December 10, 2001

Form of torture for adults, but my kid loves it

My daughter's sitter informed me that this was her favorite tape. We don't really watch Barney that much, but I believed her, because when we passed the video in the store, purple box all aglow, she started to cry and point for it. It wasn't until I sat thru the video with her that I saw her level of devotion. She watches the screen like they were showing the moon landing. The decription above is pretty much on target. Where do they get those dorky kids, anyhow? The set is cheap and the banter chessier. But my little one just thinks it's the greatest thing ever. There's even an intermission on the tape, during which she cries (hasn't grasped the concept of "rewind" or "time out" yet). Like I said, you'll think your brain is melting away, but for 60, YES 60 minutes of free parent time, "Barney's Musical Castle" is heaven sent. April 3, 2001

A Great Barney Video

I borrowed this video from a friend and have to go buy it because my toddler sings long with Barney and sits throught the whole. It is a taping of a live performance somewhere, but it very well done. I recommend this video to any parent whose child loves the songs that Barney sings. There are also a section with a few Wiggles' songs following Barney's performance. March 2, 2001

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