Barbie has been a cultural icon for decades. Greta Gerwig‘s 2023 theatrical take on the doll busted the box office wide open. After success like that, where does one go? A sequel? Sure, but not yet. Toy line? Already got that; it’s the reason there’s a movie to begin with.
It would seem Mattel is still eager to capitalize on the franchise’s theatrical popularity by developing an animated Barbie feature for theatrical release.
Barbie is no stranger to animated films. Most were direct to video releases; can’t even begin to list how many there are, especially if you count in animated specials, series, and streaming releases too. But Barbie has yet to have a big screen animated adaptation, which Mattel is looking to change with the help of Illumination.
Mattel recently doubled down on its media production by combining its television and film divisions to form Mattel Studios earlier this year. Illumination meanwhile has had a string of successes including their “Minions” and “Despicable Me” franchises. Add to this the collaborative work they did with Nintendo to bring “The Super Mario Bros. Movie“ to audiences along with its upcoming sequel. So clearly the company has a handle on not just its own material, but adapting the properties of others.
Mattel and Illumination reaching a deal is a new development, so we don’t have any details to report about who’s involved in the film in terms of voice cast or production. Illumination distributes films through its parent company Universal, so at least we can expect that to appear on their release slate eventually.
We will however continue to provide information as it becomes available.
