BARBIE'S WORLD

‘Barbie’ Animation Underway After Margot Robbie’s Live-Action Success

The success of the doll movie has set the scene for an animated counterpart.

Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking movie, Barbie, is now getting an animated counterpart almost two years later, according to an exclusive released Thursday from Deadline. Illumination, maker of the Despicable Me franchise, and Mattel Studios will partner to produce the film, making this the first ever Barbie animation to grace the big screen. The film’s release date is currently unknown. The details surrounding the film are a mystery, with reps for Illumination, Mattel, and Universal all declining to comment. There is also no word on the plot or which directors will lead the film. While this is the first animated Barbie movie to show in theaters, the franchise has had a long history of animated Barbie movies. IMDb lists 40 Barbie animations from as early as 2001. The most recent animated film came out in 2021, titled Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams. The live-action Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, became the highest-grossing film worldwide at $1.44 billion and broke numerous other records. The success of the film also went on to boost sales by 25% for Barbie dolls, according to CNN.