Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was one of the biggest films to come out last year, and though the status of a sequel isn’t clear, it looks like Illumination has found a way to deliver without having to get Gerwig or Margot Robbie involved.
According to Puck’s Matt Belloni (via WorldofReel) Mattel and Illumination—the studio that brought audiences Minions—is looking to make an animated Barbie movie with the goal to have it attain The Super Mario Bros. Movie-levels of success.
What’s more, the source also says that Gerwig and Robbie are aware that the project is in the works and are not exactly ‘thrilled’ about it pushing forward. But with the success of the first movie, and Gerwig not having a sequel planned, an animated movie may be the next best thing for the Barbie franchise rather than just hiring another director and having someone who isn’t Robbie play the role of Barbie.
Of course, there is the case of Barbie having survived so long with just animated direct-to-video movies. Many a millennial has grown up with Barbie films like The Princess and the Pauper, Rapunzel, and Mariposa.
this is erasure of the barbie animated universe and i will not stand for it. https://t.co/srb3GxaY92 pic.twitter.com/Z7bSeX2JMd
— c.j (@unsaidcj) August 16, 2024
Who knows, maybe an animated film could be a chance for the franchise to get more experimental. Sony did it with Spider-Man, and now we have the MCU Tom Holland films and the Spider-Verse movies. With the right treatment, maybe Illumination can find a way to have another stab at Barbie without it being detrimental to the live-action film.
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
An animated Barbie film from Illumination has not been officially announced.
