Why it took so long: The epic journey of Barbie to the big screen

Lights, camera, Barbie! After an incredible 64-year journey as Mattel's beloved fashion doll, Barbie is finally making her highly anticipated live-action debut on the big screen this Friday. Directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, Barbie is a live-action fantasy comedy starring Margot Robbie in the lead role. The film features a huge starry ensemble cast with names like America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren, and Will Ferrell. Barbiehas already received highly positive reviews with a score of 89 per cent on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads, "Barbieis a visually dazzling comedy whose meta humor is smartly complemented by subversive storytelling."

The excitement is palpable, and fans worldwide have been eagerly counting down the days. But this isn't just any ordinary debut; it's a milestone for a brand that has become an integral part of popular culture and has left an indelible mark on generations of children. Barbie's road to the movies has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with more twists and turns than a soap opera plot.

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Barbie movie's long road to fruition

Let's go back to 2009 when whispers of a live-action Barbie film first emerged. Universal Pictures showed interest in bringing the iconic doll to life, but the project never progressed beyond the initial discussions. Next up was Sony, which eagerly grabbed the opportunity to bring Barbie to the silver screen. The excitement was soaring when they announced a release date for 2017, with Academy Award winner Diablo Cody penning the script. However, despite Cody confessed that cracking the perfect storyline for Barbie proved to be as elusive as finding Barbie's elusive Ken. "I failed so hard at that project. I was literally incapable of writing a Barbie script. God knows I tried," she said. Well, Cody, we are no strangers to writer's block, either.

Enter comedienne Amy Schumer. Schumer and her sister Kim Caramele came up with a fresh and humorous storyline. In their version, Barbie, the ambitious inventor, finds herself expelled from Barbieland for not fitting the mould of "perfection." However, even with Schumer's brilliance, creative disagreements struck again, and the project got shelved faster than one could say "dream house."

Warner Bros and Greta Gerwig enter the picture

But the show must go on, and the baton was eventually passed to Warner Bros, determined to give Barbie the spotlight she deserves. And we have a Barbie movie.

Mattel to blame for all the delay in Barbie movie?

As we saw, the journey to bring Barbie to life on the big screen had its fair share of setbacks.Part of the reason for the lengthy journey was Mattel's fierce protectiveness of its iconic doll. When Pixar approached them about featuring Barbie in Toy Story, Mattel was cautious. They wanted Barbie to be portrayed as nothing less than perfection. However, they eventually saw the beauty in the tribute to toys, and Barbie made her appearance in Toy Story 2, which probably only helped the Barbie brand.

Remember the catchy tune "Barbie Girl" by Aqua? Mattel wasn't thrilled about the portrayal of Barbie in the song (it had sexual undertones, if you must know) and sought to shut it down. But the courts ruled in favour of artistic expression, and the song continued to resonate with audiences, regardless of Mattel's initial concerns.

Barbie in animation

Though Barbie's live-action debut may be her first, she's no stranger to the world of animation. Since 2001, Barbie has been a computer-animated superstar, featuring in over 40 films as per Collider where she's embarked on epic adventures and explored more worlds than a space explorer.

What the Barbie movie is all about?

Barbie and Ken, having faced expulsion from the idyllic Barbie Land due to their imperfections, embark on an adventure of self-exploration in the realm of reality. The official synopsis of the film reads, "To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken."

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