Stop the internet! A brand new Barbie trailer has dropped, ready to consume all online discourse for the next 24-plus hours – and giving us our best look yet at what’s to come from Greta Gerwig’s film. The answer? Well, lots of pink, as you’re likely already aware – but also a LEGO Movie-esque tale of a toy questioning their own existence (and facing the wrath of Will Ferrell), blurring the line between an imaginary world of play and the real world. And it’s packed with gags, wildly playful images, and what look to be pitch-perfect performances from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as lovable plastic airheads getting a dose of reality. Watch the trailer here:
Your move, Oppenheimer. There’s much to discuss here – not least, that it looks visually impeccable. Place your bets for the Production Design category at the Oscars (and Hair And Makeup and Costume Design) right now. And those shots of Barbie and Ken venturing to the real world in theatrical tableaus? Stunning! Plus, we finally get to see the non-paparazzi version of Robbie and Gosling in their neon rollerblading gear on Venice Beach; Kate McKinnon looking hilarious as a hair-chopped-off, scribbled-on doll; Barbie running amok in the Mattel offices; Ken’s outstanding mugshot; and a spine-tingling final line of voice-over (“Humans only have one ending; ideas live forever”) attributed to a ‘Ruth’ – we’d imagine, someone playing Barbie creator Ruth Handler.
And what about that final shot, of a single tear running down Barbie’s cheek? Not only were Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women both emotionally powerful films, but there’s a clear existential thread here in the Barbie trailer. Get ready, because there’s a solid chance the Barbie movie might… make us cry? We’ll find out on 21 July.