The second trailer of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starrer Barbie movie was a visual outburst of shades of pink. The live-action adaption movie is based on Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel and is directed by Greta Gerwig. You get a closer look into Barbie’s life as Margot drives a pink convertible in Barbie Land.
Barbie Movie (2023) does not seem like a standard toy-to-movie adaptation, we feel there is something more powerful in the iconic character, beyond the ‘plastic world’. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Barbie Movie will hit the theatres on July 21, 2023.
While the plot of the movie is still a secret here are some facts we could garner.
Margot Robbie as Barbie
Margot Robbie will bring the iconic figurine to life on screen. The Australian actor is famous for her performance as Harley Quinn in DC superhero movies. She will also be producing the film through her production company LuckyChap Entertainment. Mattel Films and HeyDay Films will be co-producing.
Margot Robbie’s resemblance to the popular doll will make her fit flawlessly into the sparkly colourful dresses, bright heels and Malibu dream house.
Previously Amy Schumer was to take up the titular role. However, the comedian dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts. Later Anne Hathaway, Alethea Jones and Patty Jenkins were considered for the role in the previous versions of the script.
Ryan Gosling as Ken
The actor initially rejected the project due to a packed filming schedule, but the aftermath of the pandemic offered him an open spot on his agenda to play the male doll, Ken, on screen. On June 15 2022, Warner Bros. shared the first look of Gosling’s bleach-blonde, ripped Ken. Some of his past performances along the lines of his portrayal of Ken would be La La Land and Crazy Stupid Love.
Ensemble of Cast
From the trailer, we can see that there are multiple Barbies and Kens. Hari Nef the trans actress and model will play a fabulous doctor Barbie and Dua Lipa will play a mermaid Barbie. Nicola Coughlin plays a diplomat Barbie, and Issa Rae will play a Barbie president. Alexandra Ship will take the role of celebrated author Barbie. Actors Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa, will portray alternate Kens.
Then there are the ‘humans’ in the Barbie movie. There is Helen Mirren as the narrator, Kate McKinnon, Sex Education star Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt and Will Ferrell.
Costume Design
Outfits play a pivotal element in the Barbie movie. For instance, the pink Gingham dress and floral necklace, fluffy heels, pink beret and party dress, and the sparkly disco outfit. Academy Award and BAFTA Award recipient Jacqueline Durran has designed the costumes for the Barbie movie. The wardrobe specialist is known for her incredible contributions to movies like Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice, and Little Women.
Social Media Poster Frenzy
Since the release of the second trailer and subsequent character poster reveals has created a wave of excitement among netizens. Warner and Bros might have anticipated the craze that they have come up with an AI-based Barbie Selfie Generator. Fans can upload their pics, add a tagline and change colour to create their Barbie/Ken avatars with the sparkly, circular background.
Barbie movie fans have taken a step further to create posters using celebrities, popular characters and famous personalities.
Memes
Users have reacted positively to the memes that have been spawned from the tagline “She is everything. He’s just Ken”. The movie shows Barbies’ as accomplished professionals, politicians and leaders. Ken dolls do not have any of those identifiers other than being just Ken.
The memes reflect the imbalance in those relationships where women have to make an effort to keep the relationship going. The tagline has now evolved to denote men who do not deserve their partners, both real and fiction.
