There are still plenty of questions about the plot of the Barbie movie, but the official trailer, which dropped on Tuesday, proved the film is sure to be “Fun, Fun, Fun!”
Featuring the groovy Beach Boys track echoing those three words, the trailer shows that the film is doubling down on the kitschy world of the Mattel doll, with many vibrant Barbie and Ken characters living in a world of pink camp perfection.
The film, which is set to be released on July 21, is directed by three-time Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig, who cowrote the movie with Noah Baumbach. Just their involvements alone are proof the film should (hopefully) be good and come with more than a dash of social commentary.
Thankfully, they aren’t alone. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling lead a star-studded cast as figurine power couple Barbie and Ken, and they have an irresistible goofy chemistry in the trailer. Thank god for it! We’ve been in a dry spell for romantic leads with real chemistry.
The trailer proves that Barbie will be the film of the summer that those Venice Beach paparazzi set photos of Robbie and Gosling roller skating all but promised. Still, the film’s plot is a bit of a mystery. According to Vogue, the movie will center on a doll, presumably Robbie’s character, who's banished from the saturated colorful society due to her so-called imperfections and must embark on an adventure in the horrific real world.
The trailer teases just this, ending with Barbie leaving Barbieland with Ken and his rollerblades in tow.
Warner Bros. also released character posters on Tuesday, revealing there will be numerous Kens and Barbies in the film who (surprisingly) have more careers combined than Rep. George Santos.
The cast of Barbies includes Issa Rae (President Barbie), Dua Lipa (Mermaid Barbie), Emma Mackey (Physicist Barbie), Hari Nef (Dr. Barbie), Nicola Coughlan (Diplomat Barbie), Alexandra Shipp (Author Barbie), Ritu Arya (Reporter Barbie), Ana Cruz Kayne (Supreme Court Justice Barbie), Sharon Rooney (Lawyer Barbie), and Kate McKinnon (as Splits Barbie aka the final Barbie whose hair is a mess, wardrobe is mismatched, and forehead now features crayon or marker drawings).
Gosling, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Scott Evans all play Kens, though their careers — if any — are unclear. Based on the trailer’s witty, homoerotic “beach off” scene, Gosling’s and Simu Liu’s Kens may just be rivals.
The film’s remaining cast is equally star-studded. Michael Cera is the one and “only” Alan doll, who apparently was a discontinued Barbie character known to be Ken’s best friend. Emerald Fennell plays Barbie's best friend, the doll Midge.
Helen Mirren narrates, as was revealed in the film’s December teaser trailer, while America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt play humans — not dolls — in the film. Rounding out the cast are Will Ferrell as the Mattel CEO, Connor Swindells as a business intern, and Jamie Demetriou as a “suit.”
So that’s what’s known about the Barbie movie right now. More information is certain to arrive ahead of the film’s release. Grab your rollerblades, because come July, it’ll be time to put on your most vibrant and perfectly pink fit and go party with Barbie.