Do you want to be a Barbie girl in a Barbie world? You’re not alone.
Hours after the newest trailer debuted for the upcoming film with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, online searches relating to Barbie doubled. Interest in ‘Barbie Fashion’ rose by 106% worldwide, while searches for ‘Barbie style’ increased by 142% worldwide. In addition, searches for ‘pink clothes,’ Barbie’s signature color, jumped 174%, and searches for blonde hair dye, Barbie’s signature hair color, went up 157%.
Research on the new interest in the Barbie brand was conducted by Flaunt Your Fashion.
“Barbie has been a staple of popular culture for decades with her instantly recognizable look,” says a spokesperson. “The newly released trailer and movie posters have caused a buzz online, with fans eagerly awaiting the movie, which is set to be released in the summer. As these findings show, the excitement has also transcended into the fashion space, with many fans wanting to emulate Barbie’s iconic style, indicating that pink tones, cowboy boots, and bright patterns are set to make a big comeback this summer.”
The Live-Action Barbie Movie Has Been a Long Time Coming
While 2023’s Barbie film is the franchise’s live-action debut, the iconic character has an impressive list of animated movies. The iconic doll is no stranger to the big screen, appearing in over 40 animated films since 2001. But while the animate features are skewed to a younger demographic, Barbie has a broader appeal.
Barbie attempts to court an older audience and may serve as a satirical take on the brand. Beyond Robbie and Gosling, the impressive cast list features Ariana Greenblatt, Will Ferrell, Helen Mirren, Rhea Perlman, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, and Kate McKinnon.
First announced in 2009, the rights to Barbie shifted between studios, beginning with Universal Pictures. Sony Pictures acquired the rights in 2014 before losing them four years later. Finally, Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the rights in 2019. Margot Robbie was cast in the lead role a year later. She also serves as a producer for the film. Ryan Gosling was cast as Ken in early 2022.
Barbie is written by Noah Baumbach, best known for his work on Marriage Story. Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig, best known for Lady Bird and Little Women, also serves as a writer and director for the movie. The two collaborators are also married in real life.
Details on the movie’s plot have mostly been kept under wraps, but official releases and the trailers offer some information. Barbie is expelled from “Barbie Land” and sets off into the human world for true happiness. Most of the film’s cast portrays various Barbie and Ken dolls in Barbie Land. In addition, Will Ferrell plays a toy company CEO in the human world, presumably based on Barbie’s parent company Mattel.
Another Major Role for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling
Robbie’s stock has skyrocketed over the past decade. One of her first roles was in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, appearing from 2008-2011 and again in 2012. After several more minor film roles, she had a breakout appearance in Martin Scorcese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, co-starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. However, she may be best known for her performance as Harley Quinn in 2016’s Suicide Squad, 2020’s Birds of Prey, and 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
Margot Robbie appeared as Tony Harding in 2017’s I, Tonya, and Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
In addition to acting, Robbie also serves as a producer on several of the films she stars in, including Birds of Prey and Barbie.
Her co-star, Ryan Gosling, began acting at 13 on The Mickey Mouse Club, where he appeared from 1993 through 1995. He would appear in other family entertainment shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark? in 1995 and Goosebumps in 1996. His first film appearance is 1997’s Frankenstein and Me, though he is better remembered for 2000’s Remember the Titans.
Gosling’s breakout role is his performance as Noah Calhoun in 2004’s The Notebook, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. His other notable movies include La La Land, Blade Runner 2049, The Big Short, and The Nice Guys.
Barbie releases in theaters on July 21st, 2023.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
