Ryan Gosling negotiates to be Ken in Barbie movie
The Barbie franchise has long crossed from toys into film and television. Before the live action project began, the director embarked on a private journey into the real world of imagination, letting a nudged doll step off the perfect dollhouse and into broader possibilities. Greta Gerwig guided the project, consulting Margot Robbie and drawing from a wide spectrum of cinema. She looked to two classic works by Jacques Demy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Ladies of Rochefort, to imagine how color, song, and stylized environments can carry emotion beyond everyday life. The story nods to a whimsical romance between a man and a mermaid and to the idea that stepping away from an imagined world toward real life can redefine Barbie’s identity. Gerwig also suggested that watching too many Barbie films from Mattel’s catalog isn’t necessary to grasp the character’s core essence after more than six decades.
The Barbie franchise has a rich history of animated appearances that predate live action films. The 1987 television special Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World marked the first audiovisual outing for the iconic figure beyond toys, and from 2001 onward roughly forty computer-animated Barbie features followed. These stories were often voiced by Canadian actress Kelly Sheridan and targeted video and DVD audiences seeking extended adventures with the beloved doll.
Earlier milestones include Barbie in the Nutcracker, where the character dances to Tchaikovsky’s score, followed by tales like Rapunzel, Swan Lake, and A Christmas Carol. The Barbie Diaries (2006) presented her as a teenager facing insecurities, while the 2009 adaptation of The Three Musketeers placed Barbie in a supportive role as an ally who dreams of becoming a sharpshooter. Over time, the franchise broadened beyond fairy tales to include stories set in video game worlds, espionage adventures, and space odysseys.
Barbie’s influence on popular culture has extended beyond cinema. In the summer of 2009, for Barbie’s 50th anniversary, an exhibition highlighted the doll’s evolution, featuring fashion, design, photography, and advertising that feature the character. Artists like Andy Warhol created iconic pieces such as Portrait of Billy Boy as Barbie in 1986, underscoring Barbie’s standing within the pop art movement.
The 1987 experimental work Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, directed by Todd Haynes, used Barbie dolls to portray the life of Karen Carpenter through a blend of documentary footage and reenactments. Haynes later directed acclaimed films, but this earlier project remains notable for its unconventional approach to biographical storytelling through dolls, inviting viewers to question media representations and celebrity narratives.
The provocative role of Barbie as a cultural symbol has sparked debates about body image and the pressures of feminine ideals. Conversations have touched on eating disorders and the impact of idealized beauty standards. In a landmark copyright case, Richard Carpenter sued the creator over unauthorized use of music, a clash that highlighted tensions between pop culture icons and intellectual property rights. Barbie’s legacy continues to provoke discourse about how popular culture negotiates perfection, ambition, and identity.
There is a Canadian thread in Barbie’s global reach. A later interpretation titled Barbie, not connected to the famous doll, centers on a separate narrative about a family story unfolding across cultural lines. The franchise’s footprint spans countries and generations, showing how a simple toy can morph into a web of cinematic, artistic, and social meanings.
Following a brief journey through Toy Story 2’s universe, Barbie maintained a special place in Pixar’s storytelling landscape as Toy Story 3 arrived in 2010. In that film, Ken appears as part of the Sunnyside nursery’s vibrant world, voiced by Michael Keaton. Barbie is voiced by Jodi Benson, with a history of interactions tracing back to Woody and his friends. The moment when Barbie and Ken share a frame becomes a focal point for exploring fashion, personality, and playful romance. The cultural conversation around their dynamic remains a point of interest for audiences, inviting reinterpretation and dialogue about identity, collaboration, and style within animated cinema.