The hype for the Barbie movie is real. Since the instantly iconic posters, followed by a possibly even more iconic movie trailer came out on Tuesday, the internet has entered a bubble gum pink fever dream of countless Kens, heel moulded feet and Barbie poster generators – but has anyone stopped to wonder what the movie is actually about?!
Wikipedia reads: "After being expelled from Barbieland for being a less than perfect-looking doll, Barbie sets off for the human world to find true happiness," while the press release adds: "To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken." Compelling? Yes. Informative? No.
The trailers haven't been much better. The first teaser trailer, narrated by Helen Mirren, sees Margot Robbie tower over a group of young girls playing with baby dolls as a giant, picturesque Barbie, leading the kids to smash their toys – which doesn't give us an awful lot of plot information.
Even the second teaser trailer doesn't give us much more. In it, countless Ken and Barbie characters live in Barbie Land. And what do we know? We know Simu Liu's Ken doesn't like Ryan Gosling's Ken, that Margot's Barbie and Ryan's Ken are boyfriend and girlfriend, and that they take a road trip to the 'real world'. And that's it! Of course, there are plenty of theories, including that the dialogue between the dolls is because they are being played with by humans - but we'll have to watch and find out!
While there are dozens of stars cast as versions of Barbie and Ken, the cast posters have also revealed that there are some 'humans' thrown into the mix, with Ariana Greenblatt and America Ferrera playing humans that don't feature at all in the trailer. So Ken and Barbie travel to the real world, then what? Aside from a glimpse of Will Ferrell's character, whose tagline is 'please call me Mother,' there is no sign of anything but Barbie Land.
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A version of the movie was discussed in more detail by Amy Schumer. She left the project back in 2017, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the studio wanted Barbie to invent a pair of high heels made from jell-o. However, the project moved from Sony Pictures to Warner Bros Pictures, with a new director – Greta Gerwig – since Amy's involvement, so the plot is likely very different.
While we'd love to know more about our newest obsession before it lands in cinemas on 21 July, fans have actually been enjoying the secrecy. One person wrote: "They hiding the hell out of Barbie plot and I’m glad I can enjoy the trailer with no spoilers," while another person added: "Literally so addicted to the seeming absence of any hints at plot or development or commentary in the Barbie movie trailers and leaks we’ve seen so far….. I have no idea what this movie could possibly be about besides Barbie. love it 10/10."
A third person added: "Wild that at some point the Barbie movie will have a plot and a structure of some kind. I've been enjoying it as an intermittent burst of vibes."
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