It should be of no surprise that more companies are turning to kids’ toys for movies. Various companies have seen success over recent years, whether it’s linked to the toys themselves or video games. So, something that isn’t surprising is to find out that Illumination and Mattel Studios are teaming up to bring another Barbie movie.
Yes, another Barbie movie is in the works, just two years after the live-action movie set records and became a cultural phenomenon. This time, the movie will be an animated release, making it clear that it’s aimed more at children rather than the teens and adults in the house.
Few details about Barbie so far
Deadline didn’t have many details when announcing the details of the animated movie. We know that Illumination and Mattel are working together. Illumination with the animated side of Universal, which would likely mean the release goes to Peacock after theaters.
No creatives are attached to the project just yet, and that means there is no word on the plot. It’s no unusual for big studios to get the initial idea of the characters or the toy that it wants to focus on and then figure things out from there.
This will mark the first time that Barbie will head to theaters in animation. There have been multiple TV shows and movies, mostly on Netflix, but she has never made it to the big screen in animated form. In fact, the 2023 Warner Bros. release was the first time she hit the big screen at all.
Mattel Studios has 2 movies currently in the works
Just back in June 2025, Mattel Studios combined its film and television units. The film side has confirmed a live-action Masters of the Universe with Amazon MGM Studios, and a live-action Matchbox with Skydance and Apple for 2026. On top of that, there’s a Hot Wheels movie in the works with Warner Bros, with Jon M. Chu to direct.
It’s likely that this animated Barbie movie will be set for a 2027 date at the earliest, just to help spread out all of the releases. While there will be some competition with a couple of live-action releases, there are no big animated releases planned for 2027 just yet. After all, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Minions 3 are the ones coming up, and both are for 2026.
We’ll be sure to keep an eye on everything animated Barbie related, as there are so many great ideaes for this one.
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