Mattel has reportedly been in contact with Illumination about a possible Barbie animated film, in hopes of creating a major animated franchise.
Mattel releases special line of dolls from the movie 'Barbie'
According to a recent report from the Puck Newsletter, Mattel has met with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri about a film. The report doesn’t say how far along the talks are, but does note that Mattel hopes Illumination can turn Barbie’s world into a mega-popular animated franchise, similar to what it did with the 2023 Super Mario Bros. film.
The report also notes that while the live-action Barbie film was made at Warner Bros. Discovery, Mattel still owns the animation rights. The newsletter also cites Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the frontmen behind the 2023 hit film, as being aware of the animated film talks and that they are “not excited” about it.
Barbie was directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she co-wrote with her husband Noah Baumbach. It was produced by Robbie and Tom Ackerly for LuckyChap and Mattel Films' Robbie Brenner, along with Josey McNamara and Ynon Kreiz. It earned over $1.4 billion worldwide during its theatrical release, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023.
