Mattel and Illumination in Talks Over Animated Barbie Movie

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As a gamer who’s been around the block a few times and has seen more animated movies than I can count, the prospect of an animated Barbie movie is both exhilarating and slightly apprehensive. The success of the live-action film was undeniable, raking in over $1.4 billion worldwide and earning 11 Grammy nominations.

It’s said that Mattel has been discussing the possibility of an animated Barbie film with Illumination, aiming to establish a significant animated series.

Based on information from the Puck newsletter’s latest release, there have been discussions between Mattel and Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri regarding a potential film collaboration. Although the specific stage of these negotiations remains unclear, it is suggested that Mattel envisions Illumination transforming the universe of Barbie into a highly successful animated series, much like how they brought the Super Mario Bros. world to life in the 2023 movie.

What do we know about an animated Barbie movie?

1) The report further states that while the live-action Barbie film was produced at Warner Bros. Discovery, Mattel retains control over the animation rights. Additionally, the article suggests that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, key figures behind the successful 2023 movie, are conscious of discussions about an animated project and express some disapproval towards them.

In 2023, Barbie hit the big screen under the guidance of director Greta Gerwig who collaborated with her husband Noah Baumbach on the script. The production was a joint effort between Robbie and Tom Ackerly from LuckyChap Entertainment, Mattel Films’ Robbie Brenner, as well as Josey McNamara and Ynon Kreiz. Its box office success during its cinema release surpassed $1.4 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing film of that year.

In this movie, we have a stellar cast that includes Robbie, Gosling, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Hari Nef, Will Ferrell, Helen Mirren, Dua Lipa, and many others. The film’s soundtrack is currently up for 11 Grammy awards, with categories such as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Notably, Ryan Gosling has earned his first Grammy nomination for “I’m Just Ken.”

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2024-08-16 21:40