Japan 2014 76m Directed by: Kunihiko Yuyama. Starring: Ikue Ohtani, Sarah Natochenny, Haven Paschall, Mike Liscio, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, Caitlin Glass, Oliver Wyman, Brittney Lee Hamilton, Lianne Marie Dobbs, Marc Thompson, Michele Knotz, James Carter Cathcart, Kayzie Rogers. Music by: Shinji Miyazaki.
In the underground Diamond Domain, home to many Carbink, the Mythical Pokémon Diancie serves as ruler. The Heart Diamond that sustains the land is beginning to fall apart, and Diancie is not yet strong enough to create a new one. While seeking help from the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas, Diancie encounters a group of thieves who want to take control of its diamond-producing power-'and who awaken the Legendary Pokémon Yveltal from its cocoon in the process. Ash and his friends now must help Diancie discover its true power, stop Yveltal's rampage, and save the Diamond Domain.
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Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) has better plot, villains and characters compared to most of the previous Pokémon films. Beautifully animated, what's most pleasant about this animated feature is that there are no more pointless just-there-to-be-there supporting characters and the new travelling companion characters are much more interesting and endearing!
Then, there are more villains in this one as well. In fact, it has the most villains by far. Some may find this overwhelming but I find this great! Finally, a typical villain's pursuit of legendary Pokémon makes sense; a lot of villains are after Diancie here because mythical or legendary Pokémon are supposed to be well-known by many! Those creatures aren't supposed to be something so exclusive to the featured villain to the extend that no one else in the entire Pokémon Universe knows about it so in this case, there are four parties which is great!
There are also more mega evolved Pokémon showcased in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) which is nice. It is fun to see how much Pokémon has evolved over the years. Unfortunately, legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal are only briefly featured. They are still powerful here in their own ways but I guess this animated feature is ultimately all about Diancie. Those who love these two legendary Pokémon may be delighted to watch them coming to life in animation but they may be disappointed as well since these two are just a minor character with not much purpose; with one giving life and the other doing destruction.
The shiniest part of all, is surely Diancie's scenes. It is a Pokémon Princess, made of diamond and can make diamonds too. She is so pretty, princessy and pinkish! Her charming and adorable personality can be amusing at times but she is always in trouble so too bad she is made a damsel in distress here. Still, there is a great friendship story between the characters, some feminine cosplay for a bit and unexpected turns of situations thus overall Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) certainly is an enjoyable one and it is certainly the most kawaii Pokémon film ever!
As a conclusion, the beautifully animated Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) is not perfect but as a whole, the animated feature is certainly better than many of the previous Pokémon films in many aspects. It can also be dark yet uplifting due to the powerful characters, beautiful friendship and a very gentle ending!
There are six generations of Pokémon to-date and this one is a great start for the sixth generation films! Hopefully, the performance of the next Pokémon films will not go downhill again but it is quite unlikely since the new Pokémon XY series seems to be promising!
Review by Rosalyn Lim from the Internet Movie Database.