August 28, 2025 • 59 mins
Hi Barbies, hi Kens!
Podcast Barbie hosts this very special pink, plastic fantastic episode on the history and legacy of Barbie - the doll and the movie!
From her humble beginnings in the late 50s, through various controversies along the way, Barbie has been symbolic of girlhood, and of embracing the idea that girls can be whatever they want to be through play, not just as mothers with babydolls.
As Barbie is based on the body of an actual young woman, the idea of a live action Barbie movie made sense. The first attempt was in 1986, and throughout the years, various studios have tried to make a live action Barbie film, while in the background, Barbie has been a staple in animation.
It wasn't until real life Producer Barbie, Margot Robbie, contacted Mattel, with her ideas for a meta take on Barbie that Warner Bros started to take notice. Producer Barbie contacted Director Barbie, Greta Gerwig, and together they assembled the brightest and best Barbies in Hollywood to join them to celebrate Barbieland and all their achievements by having Barbie and Ken going to the real world and discovering that Barbieland's version of matriarchy isn't quite the experience of the real world.
The Kens, well, they're just Ken.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Barbie !
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(01:16):
Hi, Barbie. Hi, Barbie. Hi,Barbie. Hi, Ken. I'm podcast Barbie
and welcome to verbal diorama,episode 310 Barbie. This is a podcast
that's all about the historyand legacy of movies, you know, and
movies you don't. That has agreat day every day. Ken only has
a great day if I look at him.Welcome to Verbal Diorama. Both long
(01:39):
term, longer distance, lowcommitment, casual, brbrand-newandnewlisteners
tothepodcastandlongterm,longdistance, low
commitment, regular returninglisteners. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for choosing tolisten to this podcast. I'm so happy
to have you here at bothBarbie's Dream house and andandKen'sMojo
DojoCastleHouseforthehistoryand legacy of Barbie. And like I
(02:00):
say, huge thank you. If youare a long term, long distance, low
commitment, casual listenerwho does listen to this podcast on
the regular and has continuedto listen to and support this podcast
over the last six years andover 300 episodes, it means so much
to continually have yoursupport podcast. Barbie has a great
episode every episode. So thisbit on the podcast I've wanted to
(02:24):
focus on female frontedmovies. Started with Black Widow
and then Red Sonja and nowPink Barbie. Or just Barbie. Barbie
can be anything. So women canbe anything. Black Widow was a superhero.
Red Sonja was all fantasy andswords and sorcery, but both kicked
ass. While looking great,Barbie is decidedly less violent.
(02:48):
Although she does punch a guyin the face for touching her inappropriately.
And somehow she's the one thatends up arrested and the guy does
not. But in Barbieland, theBarbies are in charge. And the Kens,
well, they're just Ken.Honestly, I have nothing big planned
for this episode. Just a giantblowout party with all the Barbies
and planned choreography and abespoke song with irrepressible thoughts
(03:10):
of death. Just stick aroundbecause I'm just m. Anywhere else,
I'd be a 10. Here's thetrailer for Barbie.
(06:01):
In Barbie land. The Barbiesand the Kens live together harmoniously
with the Barbies in positionsof power and seniority and the Kens
just being Ken. Barbie has agreat day every day. But Ken only
has a great day if Barbielooks at him. When Barbie starts
to think about death. Getscellulite and starts to experience
an existential crisis. Shevisits weird Barbie, A Barbie who
(06:24):
was played with too much. Whotells Barbie she needs to go to the
human world and find thelittle girl playing with her and
ensure she's happy again. Kenstows away on the journey. But the
real world is not a nice placefor Barbie who feels intimidated
and uncomfortable by thebehaviors of men. And Ken realizes
that Barbieland needspatriarchy. Let's run through the
(06:47):
cast of this movie. We haveMargot Robbie as Barbie. Ryan Gosling
as Ken. Kate McKinnon asBarbie. Issa Rae as Barbie Alexandra
Schick as Barbie Emma Mackeyas Barbie Harry Neff as Barbie Sharon
Rooney as Barbie Anna CruzCain as Barbie Ritu Arya as Barbie
(07:09):
Dua Lipa as Barbie NicolaCoughlan as Barbie Simulu as Ken
Kingsley Ben Adia as Ken TutiGatwa as Ken Scott Evans as Ken John
Cena as Ken America Pereira asGloria Ariana Greenglatt as Sasha
Rhea Perlman as Ruth HandlerMichael Cera as Alan Connor Swindles
(07:33):
as Aaron Dinkins, EmeraldFennell as Midge Will Ferrell as
Mattel's CEO and Helen Mirrenas the narrator. Barbie was written
by Greta Gerwig and NoahBaumbach was directed by Greta Gerwig
and based on Barbie by Mattel.Since the beginning of time, since
the first little girl everexisted, there have been dolls. But
(07:57):
the dolls were always andforever baby dolls until 66 years
ago when a doll was createdthat showed little girls they could
be more than just wives,mothers and homemakers through play.
They could be an astronaut, aveterinarian, a pilot or a doctor.
She could have her own dreamhouse, multiple cars and pets. Little
(08:18):
girls can be anything. Thislittle girl played with Barbie, usually
playing out soap operastorylines cheated on Barbie a lot
in my house. But Barbie wasalso fond of Action Man. Barbie was
created by Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel, and first launched
on 9 March 1959 at theAmerican International Toy Fair in
(08:39):
New York. The doll was namedafter Handler's daughter Barbara,
who by that time was 17 yearsold and it was revolutionary for
its time because it depictedan adult woman rather than a baby
or child which was the normfor dolls back then. Handler got
the inspiration after watchingher daughter play with paper dolls
of adult women, giving themadult roles and careers. She noticed
(09:02):
there was a gap in the marketfor a three dimensional adult female
doll. The design wasinfluenced by a German doll called
Bild Lilli, which Handlerdiscovered during a trip to Europe.
Lily was a dress dollavailable in two sizes, 30 centimeter
and 19 centimeter, with otherfashion items sold separately. Build
lily launched in 1955 and in1964 Mattel acquired the rights to
(09:28):
Build Lily, which iscoincidentally when production of
Build Lily stopped. Lily iswidely recognized within the industry
as the grandmother of Barbie.The first Barbie doll was made of
vinyl instead of hard plastic,had rooted hair with a curly fringe
rather than a wig cat's andincluded separate shoes and earrings
which were not molded on aslilies were. The original Barbie
(09:51):
wore a black and white stripedswimsuit, white sunglasses and came
in either blonde or brunette.She was marketed as a teenage fashion
model and cost $3. The dollwas initially met with skepticism
from toy buyers who thoughtparents wouldn't want to give their
children a doll with an adultfemale body. However, Barbie became
(10:12):
an immediate success. Ken, hermale companion, named after Handler's
son Kenneth, was introduced in1961. Barbie has had an on and off
romantic relationship withKen, but they've also had relationship
drama too. In February 2004,Mattel announced that Barbie and
Ken had decided to split up,but they were hoping to rekindle
(10:33):
their relationship after Kenhad a makeover. In 2011, Mattel launched
a campaign for Ken to win backBarbie's affections. The pair officially
reunited on Valentine's Day2011. During their quote unquote
split, Barbie was allegedlyvery friendly with an Australian
surfer called Blaine. Over thedecades, Barbie has evolved significantly.
(10:55):
She's had hundreds of careers,from astronaut to president, reflecting
changing societal attitudesabout women's roles. Barbie has also
become more diverse over time.While the original doll represented
a narrow beauty standard, astereotypical Barbie standard, you
might say. Mattel hasintroduced dolls at different ethnicities,
body types and abilities. Overthe years, the brand has faced criticism
(11:20):
regarding body image andbeauty standards, leading to ongoing
efforts to make the line moreinclusive and representative. One
of the most common criticismsof Barbie is is that she promotes
an unrealistic idea of bodyimage for young women, leading to
a risk of eating disorders andplastic surgery ideals. A standard
Barbie doll is 11.5 inches or29 cm tall, giving a height of 5
(11:44):
foot 9 inches. At 1.6scale,Barbie's vital statistics have been
estimated at 36 inch chest, 18inch waist and a 33 inch hips. According
to research by the UniversityCentral Hospital in Helsinki, Finland,
she would lack the 17 to 22%body fat required for a woman to
(12:05):
menstruate. In 1997, Barbie'sbody mould was redesigned and given
a wider waist, with Mattelsaying that this would make the doll
better suited to contemporaryfashion designs. In 2016, Mattel
introduced a range of new bodytypes, tall, petite and curvy, releasing
them exclusively as part ofthe Barbie Fashionistas line. It's
(12:28):
responded to criticismspointing to a lack of diversity in
the line. Barbie now has over22 skin tones, 94 hair colors, 13
eye colors and five bodytypes. That doesn't mean Barbie hasn't
had her fair share ofcontroversy over the years, including
launching a Barbie Oreo SchoolTime doll, which you could choose
(12:48):
a black or a white Barbie, butwithin The African American community.
The term Oreo has been a slurfor decades. Dark skinned Barbies
were originally marketed asBarbie's friend Christie, who debuted
in 1968. Black Barbie waslaunched in 1980, but just used the
same mold as the white Barbie.In 1990, instead of using the same
(13:10):
molds for the CaucasianBarbies, new ones were created specifically
for Black Barbie. In addition,facial features, skin tones, hair
texture and names were allaltered. The body shapes looked different,
but the proportions were thesame to ensure clothing and accessories
were interchangeable. Midgereally was a pregnant doll they discontinued
(13:31):
because they thought itpromoted having children out of wedlock.
But in Barbie's reality, Midgehad been married to Alan. Yes, that
Alan for several years. In1997, Mattel launched a wheelchair
doll called Share a SmileBecky, designed to reflect the diversity
of the real world. However,Becky was discontinued after her
wheelchair couldn't fitthrough Barbie's Dream House doors
(13:54):
or the Barbie Dreamhouseelevator. In May 2022, Mattel launched
the first ever transgenderBarbie modeled on Laverne cox. And
in 2024, Mattel expanded itsBarbie line to include dolls representing
individuals with down syndromeand vision impairments. Richard Dixon,
who left Mattel in August2023, and Lisa McKnight, Mattel's
(14:18):
executive vice president andchief brand officer, oversaw the
decisions relating to Barbiefor a movie. They had evolved Barbie
over the previous 10 to 15years as a character, transforming
her to be more relevant tomodern society and culture, as well
as McKnight launching theBarbie Dream Gap Project in 2018
to positively impact the livesof over 25 million girls by leveling
(14:42):
the playing field for girls.And and Mattel being so willing to
poke fun at itself in a Barbiemovie was considered an extremely
risky move. This was the firsttime Mattel had allowed Barbie to
appear in live action insteadof just in animation. And I think
we should all remember howrisk averse they were to have her
cameo in Toy story in 1995.The potential was there for financial
(15:07):
ruin if this movie had sailed.The template was there, though, because
nine years before Barbie, theLego Movie had been a critical and
commercial success. In 2014,it was proof that a toy line could
be adapted into a successfulmovie. But the Lego Movie also inadvertently
set such a high bar for what atoy movie could achieve that earlier
(15:29):
attempts to make a Barbiemovie struggled to match the creative
ambition of the Lego Movie.The earliest known attempt to adapt
Barbie was in 1986 when CannonFilms attempted to get a movie version
that, quote, shows her ownerthat all her Dreams can come true,
unquote to life. This wasdecades before Mattel became more
(15:50):
strategic about their filmlicensing. Mattel signed a partnership
with Universal in 2009 to makea Barbie movie with Lawrence Mark,
set to produce with RobHudner, the VP of entertainment for
Barbie, and Richard Dickson,the same guy I just mentioned, set
to executively produce. Theproject stalled in development without
ever moving beyond initialdiscussions and rights agreements.
(16:13):
In April 2014, Mattel teamedwith Sony Pictures to produce a new
film which would have JennyBix writing the screenplay and Laurie
McDonald and Walter F. Parksproducing. Bix was then replaced
by Oscar winner Diablo Cody.Sony wanted a girl boss feminist
twist on Barbie, which Codyfelt was wrong. She struggled to
(16:34):
write it and never completed adraft despite being announced in
2015 as the writer. The thenrecent release of the Lego Movie
had set a bar so high that noteven Diablo Cody could figure it
out. Sony ordered furtherrewrites by Lindsay Beer, Burt V.
Royal and Hilary Winston, whosubmitted son separate drafts. Winston's
(16:56):
screenplay was chosen and AmySchumer joined the project in 2016.
In Winston's screenplay,Barbie would be kicked out of Barbieland
for not being perfect enoughand would go on an adventure in the
real world before returningwith the realization that perfection
comes on the inside, not theoutside. Schumer would then rewrite
the script with her sister KimCarameli. However, Schumer exited
(17:19):
the project in 2017 joking shewas too skinny for the role and citing
scheduling conflicts, thoughshe later revealed the script wasn't
feminist and cool enough forher. Sony hired Olivia Milch to rewrite
the screenplay and approachedAlethea Jones to direct as a means
of interesting Anne Hathaway,in signing to Star Jones was attached
(17:41):
to direct by March 2018 andHathaway joined the project shortly
after. But after years ofdevelopment struggles, Sony Pictures
deal with Mattel for the film.Rights expired in October 2018 and
the project then moved toWarner Bros. Causing Jones and Hathaway
to leave the project.Meanwhile, in September 2018, Mattel
(18:02):
Playground Productions becameMattel Films with a focus on films
based on their iconic toybrands, with Barbie becoming the
first movie for that studio.Sony Pictures deal expiring led to
the proactive approach byMargot Robbie and her production
company, Lucky ChapEntertainment, to actively attempt
to take on a Barbie movie, andRobbie personally approached Mattel
(18:25):
CEO Enon Creech in an attemptto secure the rights to the iconic
doll. She told the executivethat her idea for a Barbie movie
would honor the legacy of thebrand, but that they also wanted
to acknowledge Barbie'shistory of encouraging unrealistic
beauty standards and to talkabout the things that the company
might not want to talk about,because you can either be included
(18:47):
in the conversation or someoneelse can talk about you. Mattel were
interested in the prospect ofan open conversation surrounding
the issues Barbie has and howthey could poke fun at that and be
a bit more meta as well aspoking fun at Mattel too. Women being
at the foundation of thecompany because there was a female
CEO in the 90s and thenanother one at some point. So that's
(19:11):
two right there. Jill Barrettwas CEO from 1997 to 2000. She played
a major role in expanding theBarbie brand and also spearheaded
Mattel's acquisition of theLearning company, although that move
ultimately led to herresignation after financial losses.
Margo Georgiadis was CEO from2017 to 2018 until she was succeeded
(19:32):
by Enon Creeds. Now at thattime, Margot Robbie was positioning
herself more as a producer ona movie about Barbie, way that starring
as Barbie less of a priority.Margot Robbie is a fantastic actor,
but she's also an astutebusinesswoman and Lucky Chap has
positioned itself as focusingon female driven stories like previous
(19:52):
movies and episodes of thispodcast on I, Tonya and Promising
Young Woman. So this made theproducer role essential to her vision
for the project. But bothCreech and Mattel executive Robbie
Brenner were also determinedto cast Margot Robbie, not Robbie
Brennan. She's someone else asBarbie. Not only did Robbie have
the classic blonde Barbielook, they were also impressed with
(20:14):
her ideas, one of which washiring Greta Gerwig to write the
movie because Robbie lovedLittle Women. And again, Robbie personally
contacted Gerwig to ask her towrite the screenplay and Gerwig agreed
on the condition that herpartner Noah Baumbach co write. Gerwig
and Baumbach were hired towrite the script in July 2019. While
(20:35):
Gerwig was Robbie's firstchoice for director, she wouldn't
sign and direct for two moreyears. But in the meantime, Gerwig
knew who Barbie was. In herfirst draft she wrote that Barbie
was Margot Robbie, and MargotRobbie was officially cast as Barbie
in July 2019. Gerwig andBaumbach were given complete creative
freedom on Barbie and workedon the screenplay during the COVID
(20:58):
lockdowns. Gerwig's mother haddiscouraged her from playing with
Barbies as a child, buteventually relented and Gerwig was
fascinated on how humanscreate dolls that imitate humans
and what does that meanexistentially? But Margot Robbie
isn't one to rest on herlaurels, and she also personally
pitched the movie to WarnerBrothers, comparing it to Jurassic
(21:20):
park, what the sort of bold,brave idea with a visionary director
could achieve. And this moviewas going to be a Barbie movie, but
also about gender roles,feminism, identity, the deconstruction
of perfection, traditionalgender stereotypes and how harmful
they can be, the pressureswomen face and the often contradictory
(21:40):
ideals they're held to, butmostly the patriarchy, the existentialism
and capitalism. Barbie'sanimation history in movies has been
long and fairly fruitful. Shestarred in no less than 44 animated
movies from 2001 to to 2025,as well as several animated TV series,
specials, short films, and aswell her appearances in Toy Story
(22:04):
2 and 3. But this would beBarbie's first time in live action.
Margot Robbie's stereotypicalBarbie lives as one of many Barbies
populating Barbieland and alsocast as Barbies include Issa Rae
as President Barbie, HarryNeff as Dr. Barbie, Sharon Rooney
as Lawyer Barbie and Anna CruzKane as Judge Barbie. Dua Lipa also
(22:27):
cameos as Mermaid Barbie aswell as appearing on the soundtrack,
which I will come to a bitlater. Ryan Gosling was cast to play
Beach Ken, whose only job isBeach. Gosling's announcement as
Ken had a few articles statingthat he was too old to play him,
which is interesting becauseit's usually women who are too old
to play a character in amovie. Beach Ken has a menagerie
(22:50):
of fellow Kensington,including rival Ken Simulu who did
backflips during dancerehearsals and this was subsequently
incorporated into the film,sparking jealousy in Gosling's character
and leading to the rivalrythat plays out. We never get to see
them beat each other offthough, unfortunately. But this is
a movie about Barbie, not Ken,and so most of the Kens are merely
(23:12):
just background, includingsome of Britain's best up and comers
like Kingsley, Ben Adir andShuti Gatwob, who found out he was
cast as Doctor who duringfilming of Barbie. John Cena agreed
to a cameo as Merman Ken afterrunning into Margot Robbie during
filming in London. Cena wasfilming Fast X at Leedsman Studios
at the same time as Barbie wasfilming at the same studio. Robbie
(23:36):
asked him to be a merman andhe agreed. Principal photography
on Barbie began on 22nd March2022 at Leaveston Studios and wrapped
on 21st July. They alsofamously filmed on location at Venice
Beach Skate park in LosAngeles. Greta Gerwig opted to use
filming techniques from the1950s to create a period accurate
(23:57):
look, including for in cameraspecial effects. Barbieland's production
design is the stuff of pureHollywood escapism and fantasy. A
soundstage of dream housespainted in hyper saturated color.
There are no laws of nature,no gravity, but there is the air
of playtime. Margot Robbie'sstereotypical Barbie drinks from
(24:20):
an empty cup, bounces off ofplastic water, brushes her hair with
an oversized fake brush andfloats from her top floor bedroom
down to her car on the streetas if carried by invisible hands.
Sarah Greenwood is theproduction designer and Katie Spencer
the set director. They've beennominated for six Academy Awards
each and they were pivotal tomaking Barbieland look like Barbieland.
(24:44):
Taking inspiration fromBarbie's history as well as mid century
Palm Springs and oldHollywood, Greta Gerwig would dub
Barbieland authenticartificiality. There is CGI in Barbieland,
but it's used very sparinglyand never on the set itself. It is
a complete set with paintedbackdrops. And Barbieland comes with
(25:05):
its own set of rules. There'sno black, no white, no chrome, no
physical elements like sand,water or fire, no electricity or
wind. Barbie's world exists asif it were for a child. Her wardrobe
has plastic wrap over it andoutfits magically appear on Barbie
and for Barbie. Proportionsfor the set echoed an actual Barbie
(25:28):
dream house, where Barbie isjust a tiny bit too big for her furniture
and car. They reducedeverything in size by 23%. Barbieland
was built across sevendifferent stages at Leavestone, the
largest of which was 250 footlong, 140 foot wide and 50 foot high.
Barbie's dream house is areinterpretation of Richard Neutra's
(25:49):
1946 Kaufman House, theproperty that defined Palm Springs
modernist design, but with acrucial difference. Because the Dream
house has no walls or doors,because children don't walk their
dolls down the stairs, theypick them up and move them. Hence
no doors. The skyline ofBarbieland was a 250 foot long, hand
painted, bubblegum blueskyline of the San Jacinto Mountains.
(26:13):
Set design was also inspiredby the photography of Slim Ahrens,
who took photos of socialitesand celebrities with his work, principally
appearing in Life, Town andCountry and holiday magazines. He
shot his most praised photo inCalifornia, which is called Kings
of Hollywood. A 1957 NewYear's Eve photograph depicting Clark
(26:33):
Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooperand James Stewart relaxing at a bar
in full formal wear. Andthere's a lot of pink in this movie.
Barbie made headlines duringthe pandemic when it was reported
that global supply of pinkpaint was running out. It wasn't
just Barbie. Record lowtemperatures at the paint factory
in Texas in 2021 had affectedthe stock and the company was struggling
(26:58):
to meet general demand. Butall publicity is good publicity that
all world's pink paint wasgoing to build Barbieland. The actual
shades of pink took a longtime to reach. They're based on a
Roscoe pigment mixed withwhite to create various shades. The
palette chosen for the scenesin Barbieland were inspired by the
classic three stripTechnicolor look which was dubbed
(27:20):
Techno Barbie. Director ofphotography Rodrigo Prieto created
a lighting system forBarbieland that was basically seven
massive suns rigged so everyBarbie could be lit from every angle
because the lighting alwayshas to be perfect in Barbieland.
Carrying on the retro 50sthemes is the costume design. The
(27:42):
costume design here isJacqueline Duran, seven time Academy
Award nominee and two timewinner for Anna Karenina and Little
Women. Barbie was her seventhAcademy Award nomination for Best
Costume design. And playingwith Barbie is inherently playing
with fashion. So Duran Drewfrom the 1950s and 60s Retro looks
for Barbie for When we meether with only 15 colour combinations
(28:06):
and mostly pastels. Borrowingfrom Barbie's real historical fashion
but also going to random shopsto find pink items for Barbie as
a doctor. The costume teamwere inspired by 60 years of Barbie
doctor outfits. All of theKens originally matched their Barbie
but with fewer options, but asthe movie progresses so does the
(28:26):
fashion. Many of the outfitswere inspired by actual Barbie fashion
but updated like the acid neonskating look for Venice beach which
is Based on the 1994 HotSkating Barbie which is a full on
sleeved catsuit. But theycopied the pattern of the catsuit
for the main part of the bodyand updated the look to make it very
80s feeling. They were alsoable to pull from Chanel's archives
(28:50):
for vintage suits, beach wear,sportswear and accessories including
a pink Chanel suit originallyworn by Claudia Schiffer on the Runway
in spring summer 1995. MargotRobbie wears a mixture of true vintage
pieces and recreations ofChanel items. The ski suit Barbie
wears in the traveling sceneis vintage Chanel, but they didn't
(29:14):
have a male version for Ken,so Chanel kindly made one specifically
for Ryan Gosling. And a moviewith such lavish costumes warrants
a cameo from costume royalty.The then 91 year old Anne Roth Oscar,
BAFTA and Tony Award winningcostume designer. Emmy Award nominated
and with more than 100 screencredits including being previously
(29:37):
featured on this podcast forher work in Mamma Mia. Roth Cameos
as the woman on the bench thatBarbie calls beautiful. This cameo
was mistakenly attributed byoutlets like the Daily Mail as starring
Barbara Handler, the real lifedaughter of Barbie creator Ruth Handler.
But of course, the Daily Mailgot it wrong. There are also nods
(29:58):
in Barbie to classic cinemalike the wizard of Oz, the Matrix,
Singing in the Rain, west sideStory, the Trenchon Grease, An American
in Paris, the Red Shoes, theUmbrellas of Cherbourg, as well as
Obvious nods to 2001 SpaceOdyssey, the Godfather and Pride
and Prejudice. Barbie alsochannels silent era Hollywood movies
(30:19):
and theatrical effects for thetransition between Barbieland and
the real world, where Barbieuses a variety of vehicles and travels
across magical landscapes,including space, to get to the real
world. The vehicles werepractical stationary vehicles that
hovered over a movingbackground and foreground, with the
background moving slower thanthe foreground, which is basically
(30:39):
achieved by technicians on setpulling ropes to make the conveyor
belted foreground move. Theonly one that wasn't a set like this
was the camper van set. GretaGerwig insisted on using traditions
and techniques from filmmakingin the 50s because that's when Barbie
debuted. They had practicalminiatures built, scanned and captured.
And despite having 1300 visualeffects shots, the film prioritizes
(31:04):
practical techniques andvirtual production techniques and
miniature work. And thisinspired the creation of hundreds
of digital miniatures topopulate Barbie lab vistas, set extensions,
backdrops, and of course, somefull CGI shots. Visual effects supervisor
Glenn Pratt worked with VisualEffects Studio's Framestore on Barbieland
scenes and UPP on theinvisible effects deployed in the
(31:28):
real world and also in the carpursuit sequence. Now, this movie
is just a two hour ad forBarbie. It's not a two hour ad for
the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer SSEV that's driven in those scenes,
which bizarrely is an electricvehicle, but it sounds like a petrol
vehicle. Anyway, it's time tosegue into the obligatory Keanu reference
(31:49):
for this episode. And if youdon't know what that is, it's where
I try and link the movie thatI'm featuring with Keanu Reeves,
simply because he is the bestof Kens. And Jonathan Groff was up
for the role of Alanoriginally, but he had to turn it
down and he later regrettedthe decision because the role eventually
went to Michael Cerar, who isreally good fun in the movie. Groff
(32:11):
obviously co starred in theMatrix resurrections with Keanu Reeves.
And so that is the easiest andcleanest way to link Keanu Reeves
to Barbie, becauseunfortunately he's not in Barbie.
Alexandra Despatch whocollaborated with Greta Gerwig on
Little Women, was set to scoreBarbie. But in May 2023 he left the
(32:32):
project and Mark Ronson andAndrew Wyatt joined to compose the
score in his place. MarkRonson was also the executive producer
of Barbie the Album, and inaddition to executively producing
the album, Ronson served as aco producer and co writer on several
of the tracks, including Dancethe Night, what Was I Made For Man,
(32:53):
I Am, and I'm Just Ken. Themovie is a who's who of actors, and
the soundtrack is a who's whoof musical artists including Charli
xcx, Heim, Ice Spice, Khalid,Sam Smith, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Billie
Eilish, Pink Panthers, TameImpala, and cast members Ryan Gosling
(33:13):
and Dua Lipa. But one obvioussong is missing, Aqua's Barbie Girl,
which was a huge hit in 1997,becoming its own pop culture phenomenon,
Life in Plastic. It'sfantastic, the absence of which from
the Barbie movie soundtrackhas a fascinating backstory rooted
in a bitter legal battlebetween Mattel and the song's creators.
(33:37):
Mattel sued AKA's record labelover the song in 1997, and the label
countersued for defamation.Mattel specifically took issue with
the sexual and other unsavourythemes that the song associated with
Barbie. The legal battlelasted five years, going all the
way to the Supreme Court in2022. The Court of Appeals ruled
(33:59):
that the song was protected asparody under trademark doctrine and
the First Amendment, withJudge Alex Kaczynski concluding the
parties are advised to chill.Come on Barbie, let's go party. In
2009, Mattel completed reverseCourse and licensed Barbie Girl for
a new Fab Girl Barbiecommercial and YouTube music video
(34:20):
with rewritten G rated lyrics.While fans were disappointed that
the original 1997 Barbie girlwasn't included on the Barbie soundtrack,
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice'sBarbie World samples and interpolates
the original Aqua track. Aquais credited as a performer and co
writer on the track. And whileI wish I could talk about every single
(34:41):
song on this soundtrackbecause I love the Barbie soundtrack,
I think it's great. I don'thave time to talk about every single
song on the soundtrack otherthan just to say I love the songs
on the Barbie soundtrack.Great, because I need to talk about
the marketing for this movie.Because Barbie was the rare big budget,
non franchise movie thatliterally every company wanted to
partner with. It was astrategy unlike anything else that
(35:04):
came before or after theteaser trailer was based on the beginning
of the movie featuring littlegirls playing with baby dolls set
to The Music from 2001 A SpaceOdyssey and was specifically placed
just before showings of Avatarthe Way of Water, the highest grossing
film of 2022. Case studieshave been extensively written about
(35:25):
Barbie's marketing and how itchanged how Hollywood can effectively
market a movie and market amovie specifically to women. It is
something that will continueto be studied for decades. From the
get go, Barbie's marketing wasunapologetically bright pink and
girly. Bright pink billboardsjust stating the date in the Barbie
font popped up everywhere andMargot Robbie's press tour and promotional
(35:49):
outfits Foley embraced notonly the vibrant pinks but also Barbie's
historical fashion. Each ofher outfits embodied one of the iconic
Barbie dolls of the last sevendecades. Stylist Andrew Mukamel,
who traveled with the cast,sourced outfits at each location
that paid homage to anoriginal Barbie doll look. Not even
(36:09):
the SAG AFTRA strike that cutthe press tour short could stifle
the buzz about the Barbiemovie. The strike meant some looks
didn't get their moment toshine, so Andrew Mukamal and Margot
Robbie would end upcollaborating on the world tour.
A copy table book containingall the planned looks including never
before seen photos referencingintended looks by Givenchy inspired
(36:33):
by gay parisienne Barbie from1959 which was intended for Berlin
Carolina Herrera, inspired bymovie mixer Barbie from 2007 intended
to be worn in New York and MiuMiu inspired by Evening Splendor
Barbie from 1959 intended forTokyo. The COVID of the book has
Robbie laid out like a Barbiein a box wearing the Claudia Schiffer
(36:57):
Chanel suit, also intended tobe worn in Tokyo. Social media was
utilized in an organic way bypromoting a Barbie selfie generator
and encouraging people toupload their own photos. Over 13
million people used the Barbieselfie generator before the movie
even came out. Stem Barbiescould buy a fuchsia pink Xbox hairstylist.
(37:21):
Barbies could buy brandedproducts by Revlon and l' Oreal makeup
artist Barbies could havelines from Nyx and nail polishes
by Opie. You could even buy apink Barbie burger at Burger King
in Brazil. Or weirdly enough,Barbie endorsed home insurance. You
could rent a Malibu BarbieDream House through a partnership
(37:42):
with Airbnb. The huge nonBarbie mansion in Malibu was given
a massive makeover and turnedinto a modern day Barbie Dream House.
Competition winners could wintwo free one night stays at the Malibu
Dream House. In June 2023,Barbie officially took part in Pride
Month in multiple citiesincluding in Los Angeles and New
(38:02):
York with a huge Pink Prideparade featuring floats, skaters
and drag, which was attendedby the LGBTQ stars of the movie like
Scott Evans and AlexandraShipp, and they featured in LA's
Hot Pink Hollywood Pridefloat. And then there was Barbenheimer,
a term first used in a tweetby Matt Neglia of Next best picture
(38:23):
in April 2022 that becamesynonymous with the summer of 2023.
Oppenheimer started life as aWarner Brothers movie. However, Christopher
Nolan was unhappy withstudio's simultaneous theatrical
and HBO Max releases anddidn't want that for Oppenheimer.
Maybe he'd been on the phonewith Scarlett Johansson following
(38:44):
Black Widow, but neverthelesshe left Warner Bros and he'd worked
with them since 2002 and hetook Oppenheimer to Universal. Drew
agreed to Nolan's terms, whichincluded a production budget of $100
million, an equal marketingbudget, an exclusive theatrical window
ranging from 90 to 120 days,20% of the film's first dollar gross
(39:07):
and a three week period bothbefore and after the opening in which
Universal could not releaseanother new film. But Warner Brothers
could release another new filmand their planned release of Coyote
vs. Acme on 21 July 2023 wouldinstead become their planned release
for Barbie, the same date asOppenheimer. And allegedly Nolan's
(39:30):
disagreement with Warner Bros.Was cited as the principal cause
of this decision. Both filmsheld their premieres in London in
July 2023 Barbie on 12 Julyand Oppenheimer on 13 July and on
14 July SAG AFTRA declared astrike which halted promotional activities
involving its members. Thistype of film release counter programming
(39:52):
has happened before, mostnotably on 18 July 2008 when Warner
Brothers and Universal againreleased two competing movies in
style and tone. Warner Bros.With the Dark Knight and Universal
with Mamma Mia. The DarkKnight won that time. The Barbenheimer
phenomenon was widely creditedwith boosting interest in both films,
(40:14):
but specifically Barbie. Witha total of 79% of tickets sold over
the weekend being for the twofilms, 52% of those tickets were
for Barbie. That was a totalof 18.5 million people, with many
people on social mediaspecifically wanting to see both
because they were so widelydifferent. But the ultimate winner
(40:35):
of Barbenheimer was Barbie.Barbie was released on 21st July
2023, immediately hittingnumber one at the domestic box office
with Oppenheimer taking secondplace. It would stay at number one
for four weeks before it wasdethroned by Blue beetle in its fifth
week, and even then, BlueBeetle only grossed $2.5 million
(40:56):
more in its first week thanBarbie did in its fifth week. Barbie
would stay in the top 10 for11 weeks. The release of Barbie was
controversial throughout theworld, though there was controversy
over the alleged appearance ofthe nine Dash line, a depiction of
the South China Sea from theChinese perspective in the film,
and Vietnam's Film CensorshipAuthority banned the film for allegedly
(41:19):
displaying such lines. Incontrast, the Philippines requested
that the lines in question beblurred. The nine Dash line is controversial
due to maritime borderdisputes between China, Vietnam,
Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei andthe Philippines. In July 2023, Warner
Brothers issued a statementexplaining that the map in the concerned
(41:39):
image was a childlike crayondrawing with dashed lines depicting
Barbie's journey fromBarbieland to the real world and
was not intended to make anytype of statement. Jordan Richards
Schoner from ConcordiaUniversity said that while the map
might seem innocuous, therepeated presentation of images that
supported the goals of theChinese government risks increasing
(42:01):
their acceptance byinternational publics and is therefore
a cause for concern. In theworld map drawing, dashed lines can
be seen Asia, the UnitedStates, Greenland, Brazil and Africa.
There were also severalcountries specifically in the Middle
east that refused to showBarbie because of the promotion of
homosexuality. Nevertheless,Barbie was a huge box office success
(42:25):
during its opening weekend andset the record for any film that
was not a sequel, remake orsuperhero property. With a domestic
opening weekend gross of $162million, its total domestic gross
was $636.2 million.Internationally it grossed $810.8
million for a total worldwidegross of $1.48 billion on an estimated
(42:50):
128 to $145 million budget. Ithas an 88% of rotten tomatoes with
a consensus reading. Barbie isa visually dazzling comedy whose
meta humor is smartlycomplemented by subversive storytelling,
with particular praise for thepartnership of Gerwig and Robbie,
Ryan Gosling, the costumes andthe production design. On the 26th
(43:12):
of February 2025, Barbiebecame the first film to be logged
5 million times on Letterboxd.But also it is effectively a 2 hour
Barbie commercial. Somecritics saw it as satirizing capitalism,
while others perceived it asbeing a satire utilizing capitalist
themes. Barbie was nominatedfor eight Academy Awards Best Picture
(43:34):
Best Supporting Actor for RyanGosling, Best Supporting Actress
for America Ferreira, BestAdapted Screenplay, Best Costume
Design, two for Best OriginalSong and for Best Production Design.
It would win Best OriginalSong for what Was I Made For By Billie
Eilish in true Ken fashion,after Ryan Gosling was nominated
for an Oscar for hisperformance in the movie but Greta
(43:56):
Gerwig and Margot Robbie werenot, he made a statement saying that
there was no Ken withoutBarbie and no Barbie movie without
Greta Gerwig. It was nominatedfor five BAFTAs, including Best Actress
in a Leading Role for MargotRobbie, Best Supporting Actor for
Ryan Gosling, Best OriginalScreenplay, Best Costume Design and
Best Production Design. It wasalso nominated for nine Golden Globes
(44:20):
for Best Motion Picture,Musical or Comedy, Best Actress for
Margot Robbie, Best SupportingActor for Ryan Gosling, Best Director,
Best Screenplay and three forBest Original Song. It would win
Cinematic and Box OfficeAchievement and Best Original Song
for what Was I Made For ByBillie Eilish. Barbie is tied with
Cabaret for the second mostnominations in Golden Globe Awards
(44:43):
history. The film's soundtrackalbum and score received 12 nominations
at the 66th annual GrammyAwards. It received a record 18 nominations
at the Critics Choice Awards,more than any other film, surpassing
the Shape of Water andEverything Everywhere all at once,
which had 14 each. FollowingBarbie's premiere, Gerwig stated
(45:04):
she had no plans for a sequelwith her co writer Noah Baumbach
and stars Margot Robbie andRyan Gosling only ever being contracted
for one film. In December2024, the Hollywood Reporter reported
that a sequel had enteredearly development with Gerwig and
Baumbach set to return. Therepresentatives for Warner Bros.
(45:26):
Gerwig and Baumbach denied theclaim. There will however be a new
Barbie animated movie from adeal between Mattel Studios and Illumination
which was announced in July2025 for a new theatrical animated
Barbie adventure, this timedistributed by Universal Studios.
Thanks to Barbie, Mattel'sother roster of toy related upcoming
(45:48):
films include Masters of theUniverse due out in 2026 and also
Barney, American Girl, Bob thebuilder, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball,
Polly Pocket, Rock and Sockand Robots and Uno, all in various
stages of development. Barbieis not a perfect movie, but it's
at least trying to be morethan just Skin Deep. A brand that
(46:10):
for so many years had anunattainable level of perfection
and beauty at its core, has amovie that actually takes that perfection
and rips up the rule book.Barbieland initially represents the
idealized feminist realizationof women holding all positions of
power and gender basedlimitations being eliminated. It
celebrates women'scapabilities and the importance of
(46:33):
female empowerment and selfdetermination. It also critiques
certain aspects ofcontemporary feminism. It shows how
even well intentioned feministspaces can exclude or marginalize
others. The Kens in Barbielandare essentially Decorative accessories
with no real agency orpurpose. Even characters like Midge
and Alan are excluded fromBarbieland to a degree. The film
(46:56):
also gently mocks feministrhetoric and the impossible standards
that can emerge from girl bossculture. But Barbieland isn't the
real world. And so when Barbieand Ken do go to the real world,
it's a cultural shock for bothof them. Ongoing gender inequalities,
workplace discrimination andthe persistence of beauty standards
that affect women's selfworth. The patriarchy's harmful effects
(47:19):
show when Ken transformsBarbieland into Kendom after visiting
the real world, demonstratinghow male dominated systems can marginalize
women, reduce them todecorative roles and prioritize male
ego and competition overcollaboration. Which is of course
how the Barbies eventuallytake Barbieland back. It's not necessarily
demonising the patriarchy,instead exploring more why someone
(47:42):
like Ken would find itappealing. He discovers a sense of
purpose and identity that helacked in matriarchal Barbieland,
where he felt invisible anddefined only by his relationship
to Barbie, through Barbie'sexistential crisis and eventual decision
to become human. True feminismmust include the right to be imperfect,
mortal and complex. Itsuggests that both the plastic perfection
(48:06):
of Barbieland and thepatriarchal alternative of Kendom
are incomplete solutions, thatthere are no easy answers to the
issues in society, but healthyones require balance, mutual respect
and space for everyone to findpurpose and identity, regardless
of gender. It advocates forsystems that don't simply flip power
(48:26):
dynamics, but create genuineequality and understanding. And this
is a message we need more in2025 than ever, especially when the
Kens seem to be taking controlof more and more Barbie. The movie
isn't here to hate on men, butshow how damaging the patriarchy
is and how it actually doesn'tmake anyone's lives better. If anything,
(48:47):
this is a movie women can walkaway from, knowing that a matriarchy
would never be better, and mencan walk away realizing how harmful
the patriarchy is to women.Women will have their existences
validated and men willhopefully understand those experiences.
I love this movie for itsbeautiful production design and costumes,
for its soundtrack, for itsperformances, but also for making
(49:09):
me feel seen. I do thinkBarbie man could have been more inclusive
and diverse because most ofthe Barbies and Kens we do see in
the background or in the dancenumbers, we just get fleeting moments
of apparently. Bowen Yang, DanLevy and Ben Platt were all considered
to play Kens, and a cameo byOlivia Colman was cut. She would
have been a rival narratoragainst Helen Mirren, and I would
(49:31):
have loved that. Margot Robbieis really everything. She is the
perfect Barbie in everyrespect. But as a producer, I really
think she is everything. I'vebeen a huge fan of her work for ages.
She's out there doing greatthings as producer Barbie and I don't
think she'd mind beingreferred to as that. Ryan Gosling
is really terrific in thismovie. As the eye candy for a Barbie
(49:53):
that just isn't interested andthe bringer of patriarchy and as
the downfall of patriarchy. Hejust plays this Ken who is so insecure,
doesn't know who he is or whohe should be without Barbie. He has
his mojo dojo, castle house,but he's still so miserable because
there is no Ken withoutBarbie. But his realization that
he is Ken, it's just so great.The idea that kids are playing with
(50:17):
the Barbies and Kens makes somuch sense that Ken doesn't understand
what staying over because yourgirlfriend and boyfriend actually
means. To be honest, when Ifound out patriarchy wasn't just
about horses, I lost interesttoo. Greta Gerwig, given the ability
to do so, has made somethingaudacious, unrestrained and flamboyant.
A cinematic event that therehasn't been in some time. A wholly
(50:40):
crowd pleasing, brightlycolored, layered look at life through
the eyes of Barbie. Where elsewould you see a depression Barbie,
the patriarchy being describedas men, mansplaining the Godfather.
A movie that doesn't careabout setting up a wider universe,
but just commenting on the onewe currently have in a Hollywood
of playing it safe,prioritizing sequels. Barbie could
(51:03):
have just been another cookiecutter adaptation, but not under
Gerwig's fierce direction ofwhat she wanted Barbie to be. It
feels like Barbie should neverhave been this good. And yet it's
proven that if Hollywoodtrusts filmmakers who know what they're
doing, we get good stuff.Reportedly, Mattel did bulk on one
scene, but when it was actedout for them, they got it. It just
(51:25):
didn't make sense on the page.But also kudos to Mattel for taking
the risks because it paid offfiguratively and literally. I wish
the movie had leaned more intothe mother daughter pairing of Gloria
and Sasha and for them to havemore of an arc. It's a Barbie movie,
so it has to be about Barbie.But Barbie is brought to the real
world by Gloria's ownexistential crisis as a woman, as
(51:49):
a mother, with the associatedspeech of some of the impossible
standards. Women are held tobeing thin, but not too thin. But
no, it's being healthy,leading without being in charge.
And acknowledging the systemis rigged and unfair, but doing so
is complaining, etc. Whichfelt quite cathartic to hear spoken
out loud. And still to thisday feels like the underlying message
of this movie is about how wewere never going to live up to the
(52:12):
unrealistic ideals of Barbie.Humans only have one ending Ideas
Live Forever. Barbie was wrongon one thing though. Our mothers
didn't just stand still. Andnot just our mothers, but our mothers,
our grandmothers, aunts, andall women have never stood still.
They stood up. They gave womenthe right to vote, gave us the right
(52:34):
to own property, and to bemore than just owned by men. But
what is true is that theirdaughters have come so far. It is
a profound line, but it's justnot true. Not to my experience. Women
could never stand still. Womenhave had to give up a lot to become
mothers and still do, but theydon't stand still. Barbie stood still
(52:55):
and stands the test of time toembody our hopes and dreams so we
as little girls could seeourselves as whatever we wanted to
be, to find what we were madefor, to grow up and make the world
better for future girls andwomen. This movie makes me emotional
and I'm expressing it. I haveno difficulty holding both logic
(53:15):
and feeling at the same timeand it does not diminish my powers.
It expands them. As for thispodcast, Barbie I'm just em and I'm
enough and I'm great at doingstuff. Thank you for listening. As
always, I would love to hearyour thoughts on Barbie and thank
you for your continued supportof this podcast. If you want to get
(53:36):
involved and help this podcastgrow, you could tell your friends
and family. You could leave arating or review wherever you found
this podcast. Or you can findme and follow me on social media.
I'm erbaldiorama across socialmedia and you can like posts, comment
on posts and share posts. Itall helps with getting the visibility
out of this podcast. Thispodcast Barbie is now going to watch
(53:59):
the BBC's Pride of Pretty Disfor the seventh time until she falls
asleep. And because it's mybirthday soon. Coming next, a special
episode all about the BBC's1995 six part series on Pride and
Prejudice starring Colin Firthand Jennifer Ehle, featuring some
very special guests. Now Idon't normally do TV on this podcast.
(54:24):
I also don't really havespecial guests on this podcast, but
for the 1995 BBC Pride ofPrejudice I simply had to. Every
year for my birthday I tend tocover something that means a lot
to me and Pride and Prejudiceis one of those series that I have
watched a lot over the years.It is very special to me and so of
(54:45):
course I wanted to bring somespecial people on to talk about the
BBC's 1995 Pride of Prejudice.So please join me very shortly for
an episode of that. I want tobe a part of the people that make
meaning, not the thing that'smade. I want to do the imagining.
I don't want to be the idea.So if you enjoy what I do for this
(55:07):
podcast and you simply want tosupport this podcast, Barbie, who
literally does everything onher own, if you have some spare pennies,
you can financially supportthis podcast. You're under no obligation
because this podcast is freeand it always will be free. And simply
by listening you aresupporting this podcast. However,
if you wish to, you could makea one off donation@verbaldiorama.com
(55:30):
tips or you can subscribe tothe patreon@verbaldiorama.com patreon
all money made goes back intothe podcast. Pay for software subscriptions,
website hosting and newequipment. Huge thank you to all
of the amazing Barbies andKens over at the Patreon of Verbal
Diorama for supporting thispodcast. They are Ken, Barbie, Ken,
(55:55):
Barbie, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken,Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie, Ken, Ken,
Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken,Barbie, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie,
Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie,Ken and Ken. If you want to get in
(56:15):
touch, you want to say hi,Barbie, you want to give me feedback
or suggestions, you can emailverbaldiora@gmail.com you can also
fill out the contact formverbaldiorama.com as well. And finally,
(58:46):
Bye, Barbie. Bye, Barbie. Bye,Barbie. Bye, Ken.
Hi, Barbie. Hi, Barbie. Hi,Barbie. Hi, Ken. I'm podcast Barbie
and welcome to verbal diorama,episode 310 Barbie. This is a podcast
that's all about the historyand legacy of movies, you know, and
movies you don't. That has agreat day every day. Ken only has
a great day if I look at him.Welcome to Verbal Diorama. Both long
(01:39):
term, longer distance, lowcommitment, casual, brbrand-newandnewlisteners
tothepodcastandlongterm,longdistance, low
commitment, regular returninglisteners. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for choosing tolisten to this podcast. I'm so happy
to have you here at bothBarbie's Dream house and andandKen'sMojo
DojoCastleHouseforthehistoryand legacy of Barbie. And like I
(02:00):
say, huge thank you. If youare a long term, long distance, low
commitment, casual listenerwho does listen to this podcast on
the regular and has continuedto listen to and support this podcast
over the last six years andover 300 episodes, it means so much
to continually have yoursupport podcast. Barbie has a great
episode every episode. So thisbit on the podcast I've wanted to
(02:24):
focus on female frontedmovies. Started with Black Widow
and then Red Sonja and nowPink Barbie. Or just Barbie. Barbie
can be anything. So women canbe anything. Black Widow was a superhero.
Red Sonja was all fantasy andswords and sorcery, but both kicked
ass. While looking great,Barbie is decidedly less violent.
(02:48):
Although she does punch a guyin the face for touching her inappropriately.
And somehow she's the one thatends up arrested and the guy does
not. But in Barbieland, theBarbies are in charge. And the Kens,
well, they're just Ken.Honestly, I have nothing big planned
for this episode. Just a giantblowout party with all the Barbies
and planned choreography and abespoke song with irrepressible thoughts
(03:10):
of death. Just stick aroundbecause I'm just m. Anywhere else,
I'd be a 10. Here's thetrailer for Barbie.
(06:01):
In Barbie land. The Barbiesand the Kens live together harmoniously
with the Barbies in positionsof power and seniority and the Kens
just being Ken. Barbie has agreat day every day. But Ken only
has a great day if Barbielooks at him. When Barbie starts
to think about death. Getscellulite and starts to experience
an existential crisis. Shevisits weird Barbie, A Barbie who
(06:24):
was played with too much. Whotells Barbie she needs to go to the
human world and find thelittle girl playing with her and
ensure she's happy again. Kenstows away on the journey. But the
real world is not a nice placefor Barbie who feels intimidated
and uncomfortable by thebehaviors of men. And Ken realizes
that Barbieland needspatriarchy. Let's run through the
(06:47):
cast of this movie. We haveMargot Robbie as Barbie. Ryan Gosling
as Ken. Kate McKinnon asBarbie. Issa Rae as Barbie Alexandra
Schick as Barbie Emma Mackeyas Barbie Harry Neff as Barbie Sharon
Rooney as Barbie Anna CruzCain as Barbie Ritu Arya as Barbie
(07:09):
Dua Lipa as Barbie NicolaCoughlan as Barbie Simulu as Ken
Kingsley Ben Adia as Ken TutiGatwa as Ken Scott Evans as Ken John
Cena as Ken America Pereira asGloria Ariana Greenglatt as Sasha
Rhea Perlman as Ruth HandlerMichael Cera as Alan Connor Swindles
(07:33):
as Aaron Dinkins, EmeraldFennell as Midge Will Ferrell as
Mattel's CEO and Helen Mirrenas the narrator. Barbie was written
by Greta Gerwig and NoahBaumbach was directed by Greta Gerwig
and based on Barbie by Mattel.Since the beginning of time, since
the first little girl everexisted, there have been dolls. But
(07:57):
the dolls were always andforever baby dolls until 66 years
ago when a doll was createdthat showed little girls they could
be more than just wives,mothers and homemakers through play.
They could be an astronaut, aveterinarian, a pilot or a doctor.
She could have her own dreamhouse, multiple cars and pets. Little
(08:18):
girls can be anything. Thislittle girl played with Barbie, usually
playing out soap operastorylines cheated on Barbie a lot
in my house. But Barbie wasalso fond of Action Man. Barbie was
created by Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel, and first launched
on 9 March 1959 at theAmerican International Toy Fair in
(08:39):
New York. The doll was namedafter Handler's daughter Barbara,
who by that time was 17 yearsold and it was revolutionary for
its time because it depictedan adult woman rather than a baby
or child which was the normfor dolls back then. Handler got
the inspiration after watchingher daughter play with paper dolls
of adult women, giving themadult roles and careers. She noticed
(09:02):
there was a gap in the marketfor a three dimensional adult female
doll. The design wasinfluenced by a German doll called
Bild Lilli, which Handlerdiscovered during a trip to Europe.
Lily was a dress dollavailable in two sizes, 30 centimeter
and 19 centimeter, with otherfashion items sold separately. Build
lily launched in 1955 and in1964 Mattel acquired the rights to
(09:28):
Build Lily, which iscoincidentally when production of
Build Lily stopped. Lily iswidely recognized within the industry
as the grandmother of Barbie.The first Barbie doll was made of
vinyl instead of hard plastic,had rooted hair with a curly fringe
rather than a wig cat's andincluded separate shoes and earrings
which were not molded on aslilies were. The original Barbie
(09:51):
wore a black and white stripedswimsuit, white sunglasses and came
in either blonde or brunette.She was marketed as a teenage fashion
model and cost $3. The dollwas initially met with skepticism
from toy buyers who thoughtparents wouldn't want to give their
children a doll with an adultfemale body. However, Barbie became
(10:12):
an immediate success. Ken, hermale companion, named after Handler's
son Kenneth, was introduced in1961. Barbie has had an on and off
romantic relationship withKen, but they've also had relationship
drama too. In February 2004,Mattel announced that Barbie and
Ken had decided to split up,but they were hoping to rekindle
(10:33):
their relationship after Kenhad a makeover. In 2011, Mattel launched
a campaign for Ken to win backBarbie's affections. The pair officially
reunited on Valentine's Day2011. During their quote unquote
split, Barbie was allegedlyvery friendly with an Australian
surfer called Blaine. Over thedecades, Barbie has evolved significantly.
(10:55):
She's had hundreds of careers,from astronaut to president, reflecting
changing societal attitudesabout women's roles. Barbie has also
become more diverse over time.While the original doll represented
a narrow beauty standard, astereotypical Barbie standard, you
might say. Mattel hasintroduced dolls at different ethnicities,
body types and abilities. Overthe years, the brand has faced criticism
(11:20):
regarding body image andbeauty standards, leading to ongoing
efforts to make the line moreinclusive and representative. One
of the most common criticismsof Barbie is is that she promotes
an unrealistic idea of bodyimage for young women, leading to
a risk of eating disorders andplastic surgery ideals. A standard
Barbie doll is 11.5 inches or29 cm tall, giving a height of 5
(11:44):
foot 9 inches. At 1.6scale,Barbie's vital statistics have been
estimated at 36 inch chest, 18inch waist and a 33 inch hips. According
to research by the UniversityCentral Hospital in Helsinki, Finland,
she would lack the 17 to 22%body fat required for a woman to
(12:05):
menstruate. In 1997, Barbie'sbody mould was redesigned and given
a wider waist, with Mattelsaying that this would make the doll
better suited to contemporaryfashion designs. In 2016, Mattel
introduced a range of new bodytypes, tall, petite and curvy, releasing
them exclusively as part ofthe Barbie Fashionistas line. It's
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responded to criticismspointing to a lack of diversity in
the line. Barbie now has over22 skin tones, 94 hair colors, 13
eye colors and five bodytypes. That doesn't mean Barbie hasn't
had her fair share ofcontroversy over the years, including
launching a Barbie Oreo SchoolTime doll, which you could choose
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a black or a white Barbie, butwithin The African American community.
The term Oreo has been a slurfor decades. Dark skinned Barbies
were originally marketed asBarbie's friend Christie, who debuted
in 1968. Black Barbie waslaunched in 1980, but just used the
same mold as the white Barbie.In 1990, instead of using the same
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molds for the CaucasianBarbies, new ones were created specifically
for Black Barbie. In addition,facial features, skin tones, hair
texture and names were allaltered. The body shapes looked different,
but the proportions were thesame to ensure clothing and accessories
were interchangeable. Midgereally was a pregnant doll they discontinued
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because they thought itpromoted having children out of wedlock.
But in Barbie's reality, Midgehad been married to Alan. Yes, that
Alan for several years. In1997, Mattel launched a wheelchair
doll called Share a SmileBecky, designed to reflect the diversity
of the real world. However,Becky was discontinued after her
wheelchair couldn't fitthrough Barbie's Dream House doors
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or the Barbie Dreamhouseelevator. In May 2022, Mattel launched
the first ever transgenderBarbie modeled on Laverne cox. And
in 2024, Mattel expanded itsBarbie line to include dolls representing
individuals with down syndromeand vision impairments. Richard Dixon,
who left Mattel in August2023, and Lisa McKnight, Mattel's
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executive vice president andchief brand officer, oversaw the
decisions relating to Barbiefor a movie. They had evolved Barbie
over the previous 10 to 15years as a character, transforming
her to be more relevant tomodern society and culture, as well
as McKnight launching theBarbie Dream Gap Project in 2018
to positively impact the livesof over 25 million girls by leveling
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the playing field for girls.And and Mattel being so willing to
poke fun at itself in a Barbiemovie was considered an extremely
risky move. This was the firsttime Mattel had allowed Barbie to
appear in live action insteadof just in animation. And I think
we should all remember howrisk averse they were to have her
cameo in Toy story in 1995.The potential was there for financial
(15:07):
ruin if this movie had sailed.The template was there, though, because
nine years before Barbie, theLego Movie had been a critical and
commercial success. In 2014,it was proof that a toy line could
be adapted into a successfulmovie. But the Lego Movie also inadvertently
set such a high bar for what atoy movie could achieve that earlier
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attempts to make a Barbiemovie struggled to match the creative
ambition of the Lego Movie.The earliest known attempt to adapt
Barbie was in 1986 when CannonFilms attempted to get a movie version
that, quote, shows her ownerthat all her Dreams can come true,
unquote to life. This wasdecades before Mattel became more
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strategic about their filmlicensing. Mattel signed a partnership
with Universal in 2009 to makea Barbie movie with Lawrence Mark,
set to produce with RobHudner, the VP of entertainment for
Barbie, and Richard Dickson,the same guy I just mentioned, set
to executively produce. Theproject stalled in development without
ever moving beyond initialdiscussions and rights agreements.
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In April 2014, Mattel teamedwith Sony Pictures to produce a new
film which would have JennyBix writing the screenplay and Laurie
McDonald and Walter F. Parksproducing. Bix was then replaced
by Oscar winner Diablo Cody.Sony wanted a girl boss feminist
twist on Barbie, which Codyfelt was wrong. She struggled to
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write it and never completed adraft despite being announced in
2015 as the writer. The thenrecent release of the Lego Movie
had set a bar so high that noteven Diablo Cody could figure it
out. Sony ordered furtherrewrites by Lindsay Beer, Burt V.
Royal and Hilary Winston, whosubmitted son separate drafts. Winston's
(16:56):
screenplay was chosen and AmySchumer joined the project in 2016.
In Winston's screenplay,Barbie would be kicked out of Barbieland
for not being perfect enoughand would go on an adventure in the
real world before returningwith the realization that perfection
comes on the inside, not theoutside. Schumer would then rewrite
the script with her sister KimCarameli. However, Schumer exited
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the project in 2017 joking shewas too skinny for the role and citing
scheduling conflicts, thoughshe later revealed the script wasn't
feminist and cool enough forher. Sony hired Olivia Milch to rewrite
the screenplay and approachedAlethea Jones to direct as a means
of interesting Anne Hathaway,in signing to Star Jones was attached
(17:41):
to direct by March 2018 andHathaway joined the project shortly
after. But after years ofdevelopment struggles, Sony Pictures
deal with Mattel for the film.Rights expired in October 2018 and
the project then moved toWarner Bros. Causing Jones and Hathaway
to leave the project.Meanwhile, in September 2018, Mattel
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Playground Productions becameMattel Films with a focus on films
based on their iconic toybrands, with Barbie becoming the
first movie for that studio.Sony Pictures deal expiring led to
the proactive approach byMargot Robbie and her production
company, Lucky ChapEntertainment, to actively attempt
to take on a Barbie movie, andRobbie personally approached Mattel
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CEO Enon Creech in an attemptto secure the rights to the iconic
doll. She told the executivethat her idea for a Barbie movie
would honor the legacy of thebrand, but that they also wanted
to acknowledge Barbie'shistory of encouraging unrealistic
beauty standards and to talkabout the things that the company
might not want to talk about,because you can either be included
(18:47):
in the conversation or someoneelse can talk about you. Mattel were
interested in the prospect ofan open conversation surrounding
the issues Barbie has and howthey could poke fun at that and be
a bit more meta as well aspoking fun at Mattel too. Women being
at the foundation of thecompany because there was a female
CEO in the 90s and thenanother one at some point. So that's
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two right there. Jill Barrettwas CEO from 1997 to 2000. She played
a major role in expanding theBarbie brand and also spearheaded
Mattel's acquisition of theLearning company, although that move
ultimately led to herresignation after financial losses.
Margo Georgiadis was CEO from2017 to 2018 until she was succeeded
(19:32):
by Enon Creeds. Now at thattime, Margot Robbie was positioning
herself more as a producer ona movie about Barbie, way that starring
as Barbie less of a priority.Margot Robbie is a fantastic actor,
but she's also an astutebusinesswoman and Lucky Chap has
positioned itself as focusingon female driven stories like previous
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movies and episodes of thispodcast on I, Tonya and Promising
Young Woman. So this made theproducer role essential to her vision
for the project. But bothCreech and Mattel executive Robbie
Brenner were also determinedto cast Margot Robbie, not Robbie
Brennan. She's someone else asBarbie. Not only did Robbie have
the classic blonde Barbielook, they were also impressed with
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her ideas, one of which washiring Greta Gerwig to write the
movie because Robbie lovedLittle Women. And again, Robbie personally
contacted Gerwig to ask her towrite the screenplay and Gerwig agreed
on the condition that herpartner Noah Baumbach co write. Gerwig
and Baumbach were hired towrite the script in July 2019. While
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Gerwig was Robbie's firstchoice for director, she wouldn't
sign and direct for two moreyears. But in the meantime, Gerwig
knew who Barbie was. In herfirst draft she wrote that Barbie
was Margot Robbie, and MargotRobbie was officially cast as Barbie
in July 2019. Gerwig andBaumbach were given complete creative
freedom on Barbie and workedon the screenplay during the COVID
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lockdowns. Gerwig's mother haddiscouraged her from playing with
Barbies as a child, buteventually relented and Gerwig was
fascinated on how humanscreate dolls that imitate humans
and what does that meanexistentially? But Margot Robbie
isn't one to rest on herlaurels, and she also personally
pitched the movie to WarnerBrothers, comparing it to Jurassic
(21:20):
park, what the sort of bold,brave idea with a visionary director
could achieve. And this moviewas going to be a Barbie movie, but
also about gender roles,feminism, identity, the deconstruction
of perfection, traditionalgender stereotypes and how harmful
they can be, the pressureswomen face and the often contradictory
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ideals they're held to, butmostly the patriarchy, the existentialism
and capitalism. Barbie'sanimation history in movies has been
long and fairly fruitful. Shestarred in no less than 44 animated
movies from 2001 to to 2025,as well as several animated TV series,
specials, short films, and aswell her appearances in Toy Story
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2 and 3. But this would beBarbie's first time in live action.
Margot Robbie's stereotypicalBarbie lives as one of many Barbies
populating Barbieland and alsocast as Barbies include Issa Rae
as President Barbie, HarryNeff as Dr. Barbie, Sharon Rooney
as Lawyer Barbie and Anna CruzKane as Judge Barbie. Dua Lipa also
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cameos as Mermaid Barbie aswell as appearing on the soundtrack,
which I will come to a bitlater. Ryan Gosling was cast to play
Beach Ken, whose only job isBeach. Gosling's announcement as
Ken had a few articles statingthat he was too old to play him,
which is interesting becauseit's usually women who are too old
to play a character in amovie. Beach Ken has a menagerie
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of fellow Kensington,including rival Ken Simulu who did
backflips during dancerehearsals and this was subsequently
incorporated into the film,sparking jealousy in Gosling's character
and leading to the rivalrythat plays out. We never get to see
them beat each other offthough, unfortunately. But this is
a movie about Barbie, not Ken,and so most of the Kens are merely
(23:12):
just background, includingsome of Britain's best up and comers
like Kingsley, Ben Adir andShuti Gatwob, who found out he was
cast as Doctor who duringfilming of Barbie. John Cena agreed
to a cameo as Merman Ken afterrunning into Margot Robbie during
filming in London. Cena wasfilming Fast X at Leedsman Studios
at the same time as Barbie wasfilming at the same studio. Robbie
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asked him to be a merman andhe agreed. Principal photography
on Barbie began on 22nd March2022 at Leaveston Studios and wrapped
on 21st July. They alsofamously filmed on location at Venice
Beach Skate park in LosAngeles. Greta Gerwig opted to use
filming techniques from the1950s to create a period accurate
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look, including for in cameraspecial effects. Barbieland's production
design is the stuff of pureHollywood escapism and fantasy. A
soundstage of dream housespainted in hyper saturated color.
There are no laws of nature,no gravity, but there is the air
of playtime. Margot Robbie'sstereotypical Barbie drinks from
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an empty cup, bounces off ofplastic water, brushes her hair with
an oversized fake brush andfloats from her top floor bedroom
down to her car on the streetas if carried by invisible hands.
Sarah Greenwood is theproduction designer and Katie Spencer
the set director. They've beennominated for six Academy Awards
each and they were pivotal tomaking Barbieland look like Barbieland.
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Taking inspiration fromBarbie's history as well as mid century
Palm Springs and oldHollywood, Greta Gerwig would dub
Barbieland authenticartificiality. There is CGI in Barbieland,
but it's used very sparinglyand never on the set itself. It is
a complete set with paintedbackdrops. And Barbieland comes with
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its own set of rules. There'sno black, no white, no chrome, no
physical elements like sand,water or fire, no electricity or
wind. Barbie's world exists asif it were for a child. Her wardrobe
has plastic wrap over it andoutfits magically appear on Barbie
and for Barbie. Proportionsfor the set echoed an actual Barbie
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dream house, where Barbie isjust a tiny bit too big for her furniture
and car. They reducedeverything in size by 23%. Barbieland
was built across sevendifferent stages at Leavestone, the
largest of which was 250 footlong, 140 foot wide and 50 foot high.
Barbie's dream house is areinterpretation of Richard Neutra's
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1946 Kaufman House, theproperty that defined Palm Springs
modernist design, but with acrucial difference. Because the Dream
house has no walls or doors,because children don't walk their
dolls down the stairs, theypick them up and move them. Hence
no doors. The skyline ofBarbieland was a 250 foot long, hand
painted, bubblegum blueskyline of the San Jacinto Mountains.
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Set design was also inspiredby the photography of Slim Ahrens,
who took photos of socialitesand celebrities with his work, principally
appearing in Life, Town andCountry and holiday magazines. He
shot his most praised photo inCalifornia, which is called Kings
of Hollywood. A 1957 NewYear's Eve photograph depicting Clark
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Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooperand James Stewart relaxing at a bar
in full formal wear. Andthere's a lot of pink in this movie.
Barbie made headlines duringthe pandemic when it was reported
that global supply of pinkpaint was running out. It wasn't
just Barbie. Record lowtemperatures at the paint factory
in Texas in 2021 had affectedthe stock and the company was struggling
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to meet general demand. Butall publicity is good publicity that
all world's pink paint wasgoing to build Barbieland. The actual
shades of pink took a longtime to reach. They're based on a
Roscoe pigment mixed withwhite to create various shades. The
palette chosen for the scenesin Barbieland were inspired by the
classic three stripTechnicolor look which was dubbed
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Techno Barbie. Director ofphotography Rodrigo Prieto created
a lighting system forBarbieland that was basically seven
massive suns rigged so everyBarbie could be lit from every angle
because the lighting alwayshas to be perfect in Barbieland.
Carrying on the retro 50sthemes is the costume design. The
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costume design here isJacqueline Duran, seven time Academy
Award nominee and two timewinner for Anna Karenina and Little
Women. Barbie was her seventhAcademy Award nomination for Best
Costume design. And playingwith Barbie is inherently playing
with fashion. So Duran Drewfrom the 1950s and 60s Retro looks
for Barbie for When we meether with only 15 colour combinations
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and mostly pastels. Borrowingfrom Barbie's real historical fashion
but also going to random shopsto find pink items for Barbie as
a doctor. The costume teamwere inspired by 60 years of Barbie
doctor outfits. All of theKens originally matched their Barbie
but with fewer options, but asthe movie progresses so does the
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fashion. Many of the outfitswere inspired by actual Barbie fashion
but updated like the acid neonskating look for Venice beach which
is Based on the 1994 HotSkating Barbie which is a full on
sleeved catsuit. But theycopied the pattern of the catsuit
for the main part of the bodyand updated the look to make it very
80s feeling. They were alsoable to pull from Chanel's archives
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for vintage suits, beach wear,sportswear and accessories including
a pink Chanel suit originallyworn by Claudia Schiffer on the Runway
in spring summer 1995. MargotRobbie wears a mixture of true vintage
pieces and recreations ofChanel items. The ski suit Barbie
wears in the traveling sceneis vintage Chanel, but they didn't
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have a male version for Ken,so Chanel kindly made one specifically
for Ryan Gosling. And a moviewith such lavish costumes warrants
a cameo from costume royalty.The then 91 year old Anne Roth Oscar,
BAFTA and Tony Award winningcostume designer. Emmy Award nominated
and with more than 100 screencredits including being previously
(29:37):
featured on this podcast forher work in Mamma Mia. Roth Cameos
as the woman on the bench thatBarbie calls beautiful. This cameo
was mistakenly attributed byoutlets like the Daily Mail as starring
Barbara Handler, the real lifedaughter of Barbie creator Ruth Handler.
But of course, the Daily Mailgot it wrong. There are also nods
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in Barbie to classic cinemalike the wizard of Oz, the Matrix,
Singing in the Rain, west sideStory, the Trenchon Grease, An American
in Paris, the Red Shoes, theUmbrellas of Cherbourg, as well as
Obvious nods to 2001 SpaceOdyssey, the Godfather and Pride
and Prejudice. Barbie alsochannels silent era Hollywood movies
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and theatrical effects for thetransition between Barbieland and
the real world, where Barbieuses a variety of vehicles and travels
across magical landscapes,including space, to get to the real
world. The vehicles werepractical stationary vehicles that
hovered over a movingbackground and foreground, with the
background moving slower thanthe foreground, which is basically
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achieved by technicians on setpulling ropes to make the conveyor
belted foreground move. Theonly one that wasn't a set like this
was the camper van set. GretaGerwig insisted on using traditions
and techniques from filmmakingin the 50s because that's when Barbie
debuted. They had practicalminiatures built, scanned and captured.
And despite having 1300 visualeffects shots, the film prioritizes
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practical techniques andvirtual production techniques and
miniature work. And thisinspired the creation of hundreds
of digital miniatures topopulate Barbie lab vistas, set extensions,
backdrops, and of course, somefull CGI shots. Visual effects supervisor
Glenn Pratt worked with VisualEffects Studio's Framestore on Barbieland
scenes and UPP on theinvisible effects deployed in the
(31:28):
real world and also in the carpursuit sequence. Now, this movie
is just a two hour ad forBarbie. It's not a two hour ad for
the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer SSEV that's driven in those scenes,
which bizarrely is an electricvehicle, but it sounds like a petrol
vehicle. Anyway, it's time tosegue into the obligatory Keanu reference
(31:49):
for this episode. And if youdon't know what that is, it's where
I try and link the movie thatI'm featuring with Keanu Reeves,
simply because he is the bestof Kens. And Jonathan Groff was up
for the role of Alanoriginally, but he had to turn it
down and he later regrettedthe decision because the role eventually
went to Michael Cerar, who isreally good fun in the movie. Groff
(32:11):
obviously co starred in theMatrix resurrections with Keanu Reeves.
And so that is the easiest andcleanest way to link Keanu Reeves
to Barbie, becauseunfortunately he's not in Barbie.
Alexandra Despatch whocollaborated with Greta Gerwig on
Little Women, was set to scoreBarbie. But in May 2023 he left the
(32:32):
project and Mark Ronson andAndrew Wyatt joined to compose the
score in his place. MarkRonson was also the executive producer
of Barbie the Album, and inaddition to executively producing
the album, Ronson served as aco producer and co writer on several
of the tracks, including Dancethe Night, what Was I Made For Man,
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I Am, and I'm Just Ken. Themovie is a who's who of actors, and
the soundtrack is a who's whoof musical artists including Charli
xcx, Heim, Ice Spice, Khalid,Sam Smith, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Billie
Eilish, Pink Panthers, TameImpala, and cast members Ryan Gosling
(33:13):
and Dua Lipa. But one obvioussong is missing, Aqua's Barbie Girl,
which was a huge hit in 1997,becoming its own pop culture phenomenon,
Life in Plastic. It'sfantastic, the absence of which from
the Barbie movie soundtrackhas a fascinating backstory rooted
in a bitter legal battlebetween Mattel and the song's creators.
(33:37):
Mattel sued AKA's record labelover the song in 1997, and the label
countersued for defamation.Mattel specifically took issue with
the sexual and other unsavourythemes that the song associated with
Barbie. The legal battlelasted five years, going all the
way to the Supreme Court in2022. The Court of Appeals ruled
(33:59):
that the song was protected asparody under trademark doctrine and
the First Amendment, withJudge Alex Kaczynski concluding the
parties are advised to chill.Come on Barbie, let's go party. In
2009, Mattel completed reverseCourse and licensed Barbie Girl for
a new Fab Girl Barbiecommercial and YouTube music video
(34:20):
with rewritten G rated lyrics.While fans were disappointed that
the original 1997 Barbie girlwasn't included on the Barbie soundtrack,
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice'sBarbie World samples and interpolates
the original Aqua track. Aquais credited as a performer and co
writer on the track. And whileI wish I could talk about every single
(34:41):
song on this soundtrackbecause I love the Barbie soundtrack,
I think it's great. I don'thave time to talk about every single
song on the soundtrack otherthan just to say I love the songs
on the Barbie soundtrack.Great, because I need to talk about
the marketing for this movie.Because Barbie was the rare big budget,
non franchise movie thatliterally every company wanted to
partner with. It was astrategy unlike anything else that
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came before or after theteaser trailer was based on the beginning
of the movie featuring littlegirls playing with baby dolls set
to The Music from 2001 A SpaceOdyssey and was specifically placed
just before showings of Avatarthe Way of Water, the highest grossing
film of 2022. Case studieshave been extensively written about
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Barbie's marketing and how itchanged how Hollywood can effectively
market a movie and market amovie specifically to women. It is
something that will continueto be studied for decades. From the
get go, Barbie's marketing wasunapologetically bright pink and
girly. Bright pink billboardsjust stating the date in the Barbie
font popped up everywhere andMargot Robbie's press tour and promotional
(35:49):
outfits Foley embraced notonly the vibrant pinks but also Barbie's
historical fashion. Each ofher outfits embodied one of the iconic
Barbie dolls of the last sevendecades. Stylist Andrew Mukamel,
who traveled with the cast,sourced outfits at each location
that paid homage to anoriginal Barbie doll look. Not even
(36:09):
the SAG AFTRA strike that cutthe press tour short could stifle
the buzz about the Barbiemovie. The strike meant some looks
didn't get their moment toshine, so Andrew Mukamal and Margot
Robbie would end upcollaborating on the world tour.
A copy table book containingall the planned looks including never
before seen photos referencingintended looks by Givenchy inspired
(36:33):
by gay parisienne Barbie from1959 which was intended for Berlin
Carolina Herrera, inspired bymovie mixer Barbie from 2007 intended
to be worn in New York and MiuMiu inspired by Evening Splendor
Barbie from 1959 intended forTokyo. The COVID of the book has
Robbie laid out like a Barbiein a box wearing the Claudia Schiffer
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Chanel suit, also intended tobe worn in Tokyo. Social media was
utilized in an organic way bypromoting a Barbie selfie generator
and encouraging people toupload their own photos. Over 13
million people used the Barbieselfie generator before the movie
even came out. Stem Barbiescould buy a fuchsia pink Xbox hairstylist.
(37:21):
Barbies could buy brandedproducts by Revlon and l' Oreal makeup
artist Barbies could havelines from Nyx and nail polishes
by Opie. You could even buy apink Barbie burger at Burger King
in Brazil. Or weirdly enough,Barbie endorsed home insurance. You
could rent a Malibu BarbieDream House through a partnership
(37:42):
with Airbnb. The huge nonBarbie mansion in Malibu was given
a massive makeover and turnedinto a modern day Barbie Dream House.
Competition winners could wintwo free one night stays at the Malibu
Dream House. In June 2023,Barbie officially took part in Pride
Month in multiple citiesincluding in Los Angeles and New
(38:02):
York with a huge Pink Prideparade featuring floats, skaters
and drag, which was attendedby the LGBTQ stars of the movie like
Scott Evans and AlexandraShipp, and they featured in LA's
Hot Pink Hollywood Pridefloat. And then there was Barbenheimer,
a term first used in a tweetby Matt Neglia of Next best picture
(38:23):
in April 2022 that becamesynonymous with the summer of 2023.
Oppenheimer started life as aWarner Brothers movie. However, Christopher
Nolan was unhappy withstudio's simultaneous theatrical
and HBO Max releases anddidn't want that for Oppenheimer.
Maybe he'd been on the phonewith Scarlett Johansson following
(38:44):
Black Widow, but neverthelesshe left Warner Bros and he'd worked
with them since 2002 and hetook Oppenheimer to Universal. Drew
agreed to Nolan's terms, whichincluded a production budget of $100
million, an equal marketingbudget, an exclusive theatrical window
ranging from 90 to 120 days,20% of the film's first dollar gross
(39:07):
and a three week period bothbefore and after the opening in which
Universal could not releaseanother new film. But Warner Brothers
could release another new filmand their planned release of Coyote
vs. Acme on 21 July 2023 wouldinstead become their planned release
for Barbie, the same date asOppenheimer. And allegedly Nolan's
(39:30):
disagreement with Warner Bros.Was cited as the principal cause
of this decision. Both filmsheld their premieres in London in
July 2023 Barbie on 12 Julyand Oppenheimer on 13 July and on
14 July SAG AFTRA declared astrike which halted promotional activities
involving its members. Thistype of film release counter programming
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has happened before, mostnotably on 18 July 2008 when Warner
Brothers and Universal againreleased two competing movies in
style and tone. Warner Bros.With the Dark Knight and Universal
with Mamma Mia. The DarkKnight won that time. The Barbenheimer
phenomenon was widely creditedwith boosting interest in both films,
(40:14):
but specifically Barbie. Witha total of 79% of tickets sold over
the weekend being for the twofilms, 52% of those tickets were
for Barbie. That was a totalof 18.5 million people, with many
people on social mediaspecifically wanting to see both
because they were so widelydifferent. But the ultimate winner
(40:35):
of Barbenheimer was Barbie.Barbie was released on 21st July
2023, immediately hittingnumber one at the domestic box office
with Oppenheimer taking secondplace. It would stay at number one
for four weeks before it wasdethroned by Blue beetle in its fifth
week, and even then, BlueBeetle only grossed $2.5 million
(40:56):
more in its first week thanBarbie did in its fifth week. Barbie
would stay in the top 10 for11 weeks. The release of Barbie was
controversial throughout theworld, though there was controversy
over the alleged appearance ofthe nine Dash line, a depiction of
the South China Sea from theChinese perspective in the film,
and Vietnam's Film CensorshipAuthority banned the film for allegedly
(41:19):
displaying such lines. Incontrast, the Philippines requested
that the lines in question beblurred. The nine Dash line is controversial
due to maritime borderdisputes between China, Vietnam,
Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei andthe Philippines. In July 2023, Warner
Brothers issued a statementexplaining that the map in the concerned
(41:39):
image was a childlike crayondrawing with dashed lines depicting
Barbie's journey fromBarbieland to the real world and
was not intended to make anytype of statement. Jordan Richards
Schoner from ConcordiaUniversity said that while the map
might seem innocuous, therepeated presentation of images that
supported the goals of theChinese government risks increasing
(42:01):
their acceptance byinternational publics and is therefore
a cause for concern. In theworld map drawing, dashed lines can
be seen Asia, the UnitedStates, Greenland, Brazil and Africa.
There were also severalcountries specifically in the Middle
east that refused to showBarbie because of the promotion of
homosexuality. Nevertheless,Barbie was a huge box office success
(42:25):
during its opening weekend andset the record for any film that
was not a sequel, remake orsuperhero property. With a domestic
opening weekend gross of $162million, its total domestic gross
was $636.2 million.Internationally it grossed $810.8
million for a total worldwidegross of $1.48 billion on an estimated
(42:50):
128 to $145 million budget. Ithas an 88% of rotten tomatoes with
a consensus reading. Barbie isa visually dazzling comedy whose
meta humor is smartlycomplemented by subversive storytelling,
with particular praise for thepartnership of Gerwig and Robbie,
Ryan Gosling, the costumes andthe production design. On the 26th
(43:12):
of February 2025, Barbiebecame the first film to be logged
5 million times on Letterboxd.But also it is effectively a 2 hour
Barbie commercial. Somecritics saw it as satirizing capitalism,
while others perceived it asbeing a satire utilizing capitalist
themes. Barbie was nominatedfor eight Academy Awards Best Picture
(43:34):
Best Supporting Actor for RyanGosling, Best Supporting Actress
for America Ferreira, BestAdapted Screenplay, Best Costume
Design, two for Best OriginalSong and for Best Production Design.
It would win Best OriginalSong for what Was I Made For By Billie
Eilish in true Ken fashion,after Ryan Gosling was nominated
for an Oscar for hisperformance in the movie but Greta
(43:56):
Gerwig and Margot Robbie werenot, he made a statement saying that
there was no Ken withoutBarbie and no Barbie movie without
Greta Gerwig. It was nominatedfor five BAFTAs, including Best Actress
in a Leading Role for MargotRobbie, Best Supporting Actor for
Ryan Gosling, Best OriginalScreenplay, Best Costume Design and
Best Production Design. It wasalso nominated for nine Golden Globes
(44:20):
for Best Motion Picture,Musical or Comedy, Best Actress for
Margot Robbie, Best SupportingActor for Ryan Gosling, Best Director,
Best Screenplay and three forBest Original Song. It would win
Cinematic and Box OfficeAchievement and Best Original Song
for what Was I Made For ByBillie Eilish. Barbie is tied with
Cabaret for the second mostnominations in Golden Globe Awards
(44:43):
history. The film's soundtrackalbum and score received 12 nominations
at the 66th annual GrammyAwards. It received a record 18 nominations
at the Critics Choice Awards,more than any other film, surpassing
the Shape of Water andEverything Everywhere all at once,
which had 14 each. FollowingBarbie's premiere, Gerwig stated
(45:04):
she had no plans for a sequelwith her co writer Noah Baumbach
and stars Margot Robbie andRyan Gosling only ever being contracted
for one film. In December2024, the Hollywood Reporter reported
that a sequel had enteredearly development with Gerwig and
Baumbach set to return. Therepresentatives for Warner Bros.
(45:26):
Gerwig and Baumbach denied theclaim. There will however be a new
Barbie animated movie from adeal between Mattel Studios and Illumination
which was announced in July2025 for a new theatrical animated
Barbie adventure, this timedistributed by Universal Studios.
Thanks to Barbie, Mattel'sother roster of toy related upcoming
(45:48):
films include Masters of theUniverse due out in 2026 and also
Barney, American Girl, Bob thebuilder, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball,
Polly Pocket, Rock and Sockand Robots and Uno, all in various
stages of development. Barbieis not a perfect movie, but it's
at least trying to be morethan just Skin Deep. A brand that
(46:10):
for so many years had anunattainable level of perfection
and beauty at its core, has amovie that actually takes that perfection
and rips up the rule book.Barbieland initially represents the
idealized feminist realizationof women holding all positions of
power and gender basedlimitations being eliminated. It
celebrates women'scapabilities and the importance of
(46:33):
female empowerment and selfdetermination. It also critiques
certain aspects ofcontemporary feminism. It shows how
even well intentioned feministspaces can exclude or marginalize
others. The Kens in Barbielandare essentially Decorative accessories
with no real agency orpurpose. Even characters like Midge
and Alan are excluded fromBarbieland to a degree. The film
(46:56):
also gently mocks feministrhetoric and the impossible standards
that can emerge from girl bossculture. But Barbieland isn't the
real world. And so when Barbieand Ken do go to the real world,
it's a cultural shock for bothof them. Ongoing gender inequalities,
workplace discrimination andthe persistence of beauty standards
that affect women's selfworth. The patriarchy's harmful effects
(47:19):
show when Ken transformsBarbieland into Kendom after visiting
the real world, demonstratinghow male dominated systems can marginalize
women, reduce them todecorative roles and prioritize male
ego and competition overcollaboration. Which is of course
how the Barbies eventuallytake Barbieland back. It's not necessarily
demonising the patriarchy,instead exploring more why someone
(47:42):
like Ken would find itappealing. He discovers a sense of
purpose and identity that helacked in matriarchal Barbieland,
where he felt invisible anddefined only by his relationship
to Barbie, through Barbie'sexistential crisis and eventual decision
to become human. True feminismmust include the right to be imperfect,
mortal and complex. Itsuggests that both the plastic perfection
(48:06):
of Barbieland and thepatriarchal alternative of Kendom
are incomplete solutions, thatthere are no easy answers to the
issues in society, but healthyones require balance, mutual respect
and space for everyone to findpurpose and identity, regardless
of gender. It advocates forsystems that don't simply flip power
(48:26):
dynamics, but create genuineequality and understanding. And this
is a message we need more in2025 than ever, especially when the
Kens seem to be taking controlof more and more Barbie. The movie
isn't here to hate on men, butshow how damaging the patriarchy
is and how it actually doesn'tmake anyone's lives better. If anything,
(48:47):
this is a movie women can walkaway from, knowing that a matriarchy
would never be better, and mencan walk away realizing how harmful
the patriarchy is to women.Women will have their existences
validated and men willhopefully understand those experiences.
I love this movie for itsbeautiful production design and costumes,
for its soundtrack, for itsperformances, but also for making
(49:09):
me feel seen. I do thinkBarbie man could have been more inclusive
and diverse because most ofthe Barbies and Kens we do see in
the background or in the dancenumbers, we just get fleeting moments
of apparently. Bowen Yang, DanLevy and Ben Platt were all considered
to play Kens, and a cameo byOlivia Colman was cut. She would
have been a rival narratoragainst Helen Mirren, and I would
(49:31):
have loved that. Margot Robbieis really everything. She is the
perfect Barbie in everyrespect. But as a producer, I really
think she is everything. I'vebeen a huge fan of her work for ages.
She's out there doing greatthings as producer Barbie and I don't
think she'd mind beingreferred to as that. Ryan Gosling
is really terrific in thismovie. As the eye candy for a Barbie
(49:53):
that just isn't interested andthe bringer of patriarchy and as
the downfall of patriarchy. Hejust plays this Ken who is so insecure,
doesn't know who he is or whohe should be without Barbie. He has
his mojo dojo, castle house,but he's still so miserable because
there is no Ken withoutBarbie. But his realization that
he is Ken, it's just so great.The idea that kids are playing with
(50:17):
the Barbies and Kens makes somuch sense that Ken doesn't understand
what staying over because yourgirlfriend and boyfriend actually
means. To be honest, when Ifound out patriarchy wasn't just
about horses, I lost interesttoo. Greta Gerwig, given the ability
to do so, has made somethingaudacious, unrestrained and flamboyant.
A cinematic event that therehasn't been in some time. A wholly
(50:40):
crowd pleasing, brightlycolored, layered look at life through
the eyes of Barbie. Where elsewould you see a depression Barbie,
the patriarchy being describedas men, mansplaining the Godfather.
A movie that doesn't careabout setting up a wider universe,
but just commenting on the onewe currently have in a Hollywood
of playing it safe,prioritizing sequels. Barbie could
(51:03):
have just been another cookiecutter adaptation, but not under
Gerwig's fierce direction ofwhat she wanted Barbie to be. It
feels like Barbie should neverhave been this good. And yet it's
proven that if Hollywoodtrusts filmmakers who know what they're
doing, we get good stuff.Reportedly, Mattel did bulk on one
scene, but when it was actedout for them, they got it. It just
(51:25):
didn't make sense on the page.But also kudos to Mattel for taking
the risks because it paid offfiguratively and literally. I wish
the movie had leaned more intothe mother daughter pairing of Gloria
and Sasha and for them to havemore of an arc. It's a Barbie movie,
so it has to be about Barbie.But Barbie is brought to the real
world by Gloria's ownexistential crisis as a woman, as
(51:49):
a mother, with the associatedspeech of some of the impossible
standards. Women are held tobeing thin, but not too thin. But
no, it's being healthy,leading without being in charge.
And acknowledging the systemis rigged and unfair, but doing so
is complaining, etc. Whichfelt quite cathartic to hear spoken
out loud. And still to thisday feels like the underlying message
of this movie is about how wewere never going to live up to the
(52:12):
unrealistic ideals of Barbie.Humans only have one ending Ideas
Live Forever. Barbie was wrongon one thing though. Our mothers
didn't just stand still. Andnot just our mothers, but our mothers,
our grandmothers, aunts, andall women have never stood still.
They stood up. They gave womenthe right to vote, gave us the right
(52:34):
to own property, and to bemore than just owned by men. But
what is true is that theirdaughters have come so far. It is
a profound line, but it's justnot true. Not to my experience. Women
could never stand still. Womenhave had to give up a lot to become
mothers and still do, but theydon't stand still. Barbie stood still
(52:55):
and stands the test of time toembody our hopes and dreams so we
as little girls could seeourselves as whatever we wanted to
be, to find what we were madefor, to grow up and make the world
better for future girls andwomen. This movie makes me emotional
and I'm expressing it. I haveno difficulty holding both logic
(53:15):
and feeling at the same timeand it does not diminish my powers.
It expands them. As for thispodcast, Barbie I'm just em and I'm
enough and I'm great at doingstuff. Thank you for listening. As
always, I would love to hearyour thoughts on Barbie and thank
you for your continued supportof this podcast. If you want to get
(53:36):
involved and help this podcastgrow, you could tell your friends
and family. You could leave arating or review wherever you found
this podcast. Or you can findme and follow me on social media.
I'm erbaldiorama across socialmedia and you can like posts, comment
on posts and share posts. Itall helps with getting the visibility
out of this podcast. Thispodcast Barbie is now going to watch
(53:59):
the BBC's Pride of Pretty Disfor the seventh time until she falls
asleep. And because it's mybirthday soon. Coming next, a special
episode all about the BBC's1995 six part series on Pride and
Prejudice starring Colin Firthand Jennifer Ehle, featuring some
very special guests. Now Idon't normally do TV on this podcast.
(54:24):
I also don't really havespecial guests on this podcast, but
for the 1995 BBC Pride ofPrejudice I simply had to. Every
year for my birthday I tend tocover something that means a lot
to me and Pride and Prejudiceis one of those series that I have
watched a lot over the years.It is very special to me and so of
(54:45):
course I wanted to bring somespecial people on to talk about the
BBC's 1995 Pride of Prejudice.So please join me very shortly for
an episode of that. I want tobe a part of the people that make
meaning, not the thing that'smade. I want to do the imagining.
I don't want to be the idea.So if you enjoy what I do for this
(55:07):
podcast and you simply want tosupport this podcast, Barbie, who
literally does everything onher own, if you have some spare pennies,
you can financially supportthis podcast. You're under no obligation
because this podcast is freeand it always will be free. And simply
by listening you aresupporting this podcast. However,
if you wish to, you could makea one off donation@verbaldiorama.com
(55:30):
tips or you can subscribe tothe patreon@verbaldiorama.com patreon
all money made goes back intothe podcast. Pay for software subscriptions,
website hosting and newequipment. Huge thank you to all
of the amazing Barbies andKens over at the Patreon of Verbal
Diorama for supporting thispodcast. They are Ken, Barbie, Ken,
(55:55):
Barbie, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken,Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie, Ken, Ken,
Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken,Barbie, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie,
Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, Barbie,Ken and Ken. If you want to get in
(56:15):
touch, you want to say hi,Barbie, you want to give me feedback
or suggestions, you can emailverbaldiora@gmail.com you can also
fill out the contact formverbaldiorama.com as well. And finally,
(58:46):
Bye, Barbie. Bye, Barbie. Bye,Barbie. Bye, Ken.
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