Hi Barbie! Just two years after the blockbuster release of Barbie, the live-action recreation of Mattel’s iconic doll, Illumination and Mattel Studios are ready to develop a new Barbie movie. However, instead of live-action, this will be a Barbie animated movie for theaters.
Keep reading about the newest film in Mattel Studios’ docket now.
Related: 13 Stunning Barbie Movie Quotes
What is the Barbie Animated Movie About?
As of now, there are no details about the Barbie animated movie. Representatives for Illumination, Universal, and Mattel declined to comment on the matter. While there is no slated date, the film will be released by Universal Pictures. No current plot or creatives are attached to the film.
The First Animated Film for Theaters
The iconic doll by Mattel has starred in 52 animated movies and streaming TV movies since 2001. However, there has never been a Barbie animated movie made for theaters.
This new film would be a huge step for the Barbie franchise to continue its monopolizing grip on the toy industry, consistently ranking in the top five most-popular toys sold.
The most recent streaming TV film for Barbie is 2025’s Barbie and Teresa: Recipe for Friendship.
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Success of the 2023 Barbie Film
The Barbie movie was a record-smashing success.
The film grossed over $1.44 billion worldwide, becoming part of the “Barbenheimer” trend where moviegoers would watch both Barbie and Oppenheimer in one day. Barbie was the highest-grossing film of 2023 and is now one of the highest-grossing films of all time, including the highest-grossing for a female director.
The film went on to the awards season with high spirits, snagging not one but eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For?” took the award for Best Original Song.
Before the film reached record-breaking success, leading actress Margot Robbie had a good feeling about the film.
“I think my pitch in the green-light meeting was that the studios have prospered so much when they’re brave enough to pair a big idea with a visionary director.”
She brought up the success of both dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg, stating, “I was like, ‘And now you’ve got Barbie and Greta Gerwig.’ And I think I told them that it’d make a billion dollars, which maybe I was overselling, but we had a movie to make, okay!”
Well, she didn’t oversell at all, and now Mattel is determined to increase its toy-based feature film repertoire.
Mattel Studios Future Projects
Mattel combined its film and television groups to form Mattel Studios last month, and they already have big plans.
The studio has two films slated for release in 2026: a live-action Masters of the Universe and a live-action Matchbox film. Other exciting news includes John M. Chu joining the live-action Hot Wheels movie to direct.
Mattel has also announced adaptations of toy brands Whac-A-Mole and View-Master. The company is developing projects for American Girl, Bob the Builder, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, and Wishbone.
Also Read: Donkey Kong Movie Might Be Coming After New Copyright Filing
The total list comprises nearly 20 different Mattel properties being prepped for the big screen.
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