Gertwigs ‘Barbie’ stars in summer
June 2, 2023
Barbie, the plastic doll and cultural phenomenon we all know and have learned to love (or hate), is coming out with a new rendition of her and her plastic friends.
This time, however, the characters are taking on real word adaptations.
The new movie, aptly titled, “Barbie,” features Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) in “Barbieland,” a beautiful, colorful society with many Kens and Barbies. Gosling’s Ken, said to be a “complete doofus,” and Barbie leave their so-called home of “Barbieland” for the real world, where Will Ferrell’s Mattel CEO tries to bring them back.
The film is directed by Greta Gertwig, who boasts big hits such as 2019’s, “Little Women” and 2017’s, “Lady Bird,” and the release date is set as July 21.
Real-world adaptations have seen varied success over the year, such as the 2010 live action version of the 1951 “Alice In Wonderland,” which garnered supreme reviews from critics versus the 2019 liveaction “Lady In The Tramp,” where critics wrote that the original film was better because the characters’ emotion could not be projected correctly in there non-animated counterparts.
As the debate continues over the merits of live-action adaptations of beloved animated classics, it’s clear that some films have fared better than others, but one thing is certain: filmmakers must tread carefully when attempting to bring beloved animated characters to life on the big screen. But what we do know is that the new Barbie movie will most certainly be a new spin on some of our favorite characters.