Will the first live-action Barbie movie bring happiness and nostalgia to its audience? Let’s watch the trailer to find out.
When the Barbie doll was invented in 1959, it became a typical toy for children all over the world. And although Barbie’s (full name Barbara Millicent Roberts) male counterpart, Ken (full name Ken Carson), wasn’t invented and released until a few years later, in 1962, the duo quickly became one of the most iconic toys of all time. in history.
With the increasing popularity of Barbie and Ken, as well as the many other Barbie friends and family released over the years, there is no shortage of representation of them in the media. From the countless animated shows and movies to the famous roles of Barbie and Ken in the Toy Story movies, these puppets have kept their relevance over the years. Now, however, the world gets its first live-action Barbie movie courtesy of writer and director Greta Gerwig (Ladybird). In less than two minutes and with no plot revealed yet, the teaser trailer is for Barbie leaves much to the imagination of the viewers.
A boring and serious start
The trailer opens with the camera panning a landscape during sunrise, with Helen Mirren providing the narration. She treats the audience to a brief history of how dolls, though always baby dolls, have existed since the first little girl existed, as the camera continues to focus on different parts of the rocky and desolate landscape. A number probably recognizable from 2001: A space odyssey plays ominously as the little girls happily hang around with their baby dolls. The music intensifies when a figure appears in the silhouette of the sun. Curious, the girls wander over to the giant figure and begin poking her legs. We then finally see the full image of the previously shaded figure.
Who better to play the first live-action Barbie than Margot Robbie? They made her look identical from head to toe to the first ever Barbie. From the curly fringe and ponytail combination to the black and white striped bathing suit all the way to the white-tipped toenails peeking through black high-heeled shoes. Barbie lowers her sunglasses to wink, signaling the little girls breaking and tossing their baby dolls in favor of the new toy, as the title of the movie flashes on screen in the iconic pink Barbie font.
The rest is a Total Vibe Shift
The next few seconds of the trailer come with a much more upbeat music score and a more vibrant color scheme. The opening scene for the final part of the trailer begins with Barbie in yet another iconic outfit and hair combo looking out and waving at what appears to be an entire valley of Barbie homes and businesses. Done almost exclusively in shades of pink, we can see a few different styles of Barbie houses, each of which has a different Barbie resident who also enjoys the view.
For anyone who has ever played with these dolls or owned the houses, it’s easy to see the care and attention that went into creating the aesthetic with the plastic-looking furniture, the vehicles in the background, and even the trees. There’s even a purple treehouse at one of the houses, so we can assume there will be some younger cast members representing the younger sister versions of Barbies. Far back we see a Ferris wheel, other buildings that look like restaurants, and even an airport complete with a pink plane in the sky.
Notable cast members
The next few scenes fly by in a whirlwind of action and color, but even with the quick scene changes, viewers are treated to some big stars. Barbie’s male counterpart, Ken, is played by none other than a blond-haired, blue-eyed Ryan Gosling. While no character names have been assigned yet, we also see Kingsley Ben-Adir (Peaky Blinders), Ncuti Gatwa (Sex education), Issa Rae (Clumsy black girl) and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). All these characters are shown in different states of party or dance giving the feeling that this movie will be cheerful and full of plastic action.
Many other notable actors are also listed as part of the cast without character names. Saturday Night Live alums Will Ferrell and Kate McKinnon are both listed among the cast. Together with them we have Rhea Perlman (cheers), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Rita Arja (The Umbrella Academy) and Michael Cera (Arrested development). This star-studded cast is sure to make kids and adults alike laugh.
Even though this teaser trailer is very short, it’s packed with upbeat music, famous actors, and more than enough pink to attract fans of both the old classic and the new Barbies. How fantastic can life in plastic really be? The world can find out on July 21, 2023.