Although it feels as if it were just yesterday, nearly three years have passed since the summer of Barbenheimer. The dual release of Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie and Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer destroyed the box office as viewers flocked to see these two very different, yet forever intertwined movies. For Mattel, the record-breaking over-$1.44 billion box office haul that Margot Robbie‘s pretty-in-pink turn as the iconic every-doll marked the beginning of a cinematic universe, with everything from the recent Masters of the Universe movie to the upcoming Matchbox and even a View-Master film in the works. Of course, Barbie herself will be getting another adventure, though not under Getwig‘s hand.
Last July, news broke that Despicable Me animators Illumination would be in charge of the doll’s next big-screen outing, with Universal distributing. Not much was known at the time of release, but it was a big deal, not just because of the live-action film’s success but because it would be Barbie’s first animated movie to get a theatrical release. Nearly one year later, there’s been nothing but crickets when it comes to the plastic and fantastic new feature. Both sides have had their hands full elsewhere, with the aforementioned Masters of the Universe for Mattel and both The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Minions & Monsters for the animation giant. However, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri has officially confirmed where things are and what challenges the two sides are facing in making the movie happen.
Collider‘s Steve Weintraub sat down for an interview with Meledandri ahead of the release of Minions & Monsters, where he asked if the new animated Barbie collaboration is actually happening. “It is true, and we’re working very closely with Mattel,” the CEO confirmed, though he admitted things aren’t particularly far along yet. One of their goals before really digging deep into the project is figuring out a possible story angle that would exist separately from Gerwig‘s comedy, which took Barbie on a journey of self-discovery into the real world.
“For us and Mattel, the first threshold that we needed to get past was a belief that we could do something that was utterly distinct from the live-action movie, which I really liked a lot, and obviously audiences liked a lot. So, it was really important for us that we found a way in through story that could set us completely apart from that film and in no way make it feel like we were really trying to kind of squeeze into the terrain that they so beautifully establish in that movie. I think we found that way in, and so we’re working hard on that. But until we dig deeper, we won’t know for sure.”
Illumination and Mattel Haven’t Found Barbie’s Next Director Yet
While Illumination and Mattel have an idea to hone in on now, they’re not quite at the phase to look for the right director for Barbie. “We don’t yet have a filmmaker on it that we’re collaborating with outside of just the Illumination and Mattel development ecosystem,” Meledandri continued. “We’ve yet to put on a filmmaker, and we’re still in the story definition phases.” If their current direction works out, though, Barbie and Ken’s next trip to theaters could start coming together more quickly.
The main form of moviemaking Illumination is concerned about right now is the cinematic efforts of Gru’s little yellow henchmen in Minions & Monsters. Pierre Coffin, the longtime voice of the Minions, is flying solo behind the camera for the first time to tell the story of how the goggle-wearing, overall-donning folk conquered Old Hollywood, lost it all, and then nearly ended the world in their efforts to return to stardom. The Minions set out to make their own 1920s monster movie, looking to cast real creatures for their feature. Everything goes terribly wrong, however, when they’re deceived by a little Cthulhu-like monster named Goomi (Trey Parker) into summoning beasts he can use to destroy everything. They’re once again tasked with becoming unlikely heroes in a daring adventure featuring a star-studded ensemble of Allison Janney, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr.
Minions & Monsters premieres in theaters on July 1, 2026.
via Collider