Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams

Last updated
Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams
Barbie - Big City, Big Dreams.png
Promotional artwork
Genre
[1]
Based on Barbie's friends and family
by Mattel
Written by(plainlist)
Directed byScott Plydell-Pearce [2]
Voices of
Composers
  • Alice Kenstick
  • Matthew Koma
  • Koman Jila
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Christopher Keenan
  • Adam Bonnet
  • Frederic Soulie
[2]
ProducerEmory Ronald "Ron" Myrick
Production locations
Running time63 minutes [1] [3]
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseAugust 20, 2021 (2021-08-20)
Related
Barbie: It Takes Two

Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams [4] [5] [6] [7] is a 2021 animated musical adventure buddy film directed by Scott Pleydell-Pearce, produced by Emory Ronald "Ron" Myrick and written by Christopher Keenan and Catherine "Kate" Splaine. [2]

Contents

First released in selected cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 20, 2021 [8] [9] before making its debut in the United States on Netflix [3] on September 1, [1] it is the 39th entry in the Barbie film series and the third to feature Barbie's family and/or friends based on Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures after Barbie: Princess Adventure and Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday . [5] The film is accompanied by its eponymous soundtrack which was released on July 1, 2021, on global digital music streaming platforms. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

On 1 February 2022, Mattel Television unveiled a CGI-animated serial adaptation and continuation of the film titled Barbie: It Takes Two . [15] [16] [17] The first half of episodes was released in the U.S. on April 8 and other half on October 1. [18]

Official description

This film plot follows Barbie swapping the sunny shores of Malibu for the bright lights of Broadway to attend an exclusive summer performing arts program and meets... another Barbie! [19] [20] They become fast friends and discover they share more than just a name as they explore New York City and all its good-feeling features. As they compete for a coveted once-in-a-lifetime Spotlight Solo from Times Square, the friends discover that competition isn't all about winning, it's about striving to be your best, bringing the best out of others, overcoming doubts and sharing the spotlight. [21]

Plot

Barbie Roberts dreams of being a Broadway star, so she enrolls in a summer program at a prestigious performing Handler Arts Academy in New York City. Her family and friends back home in Malibu wish her well as she arrives at the academy. As Barbie struggles with her luggage, she gets helped by a flexible female student who is from Brooklyn. The academy's custodian informs them that they have showed up a day early, and tells them where the dormitory rooms are.

When Barbie and the girl from Brooklyn find a door with the name "Barbie Roberts" on it, they discover that they have the same name and will be roommates. They give themselves nicknames based on their location to avert future confusions with the two, respectively Malibu and Brooklyn. They bond over their love for music and become fast friends as they hang out and explore New York City.

On the subway, "Malibu" Barbie sees a poster of a popstar named Emmie and is a big fan, but "Brooklyn" Barbie says Emmie is an old childhood friend that she hasn't seen in a long time. The two "Barbie"-named girls then made a pact to not let stardom ruin their friendship. Meanwhile, at the Handler Arts Academy, Emmie appears in disguise so she can be treated like a normal student. Dean Morrison announces that the annual Spotlight Solo will be livestreamed from Times Square. Malibu and Brooklyn meet a costume student named Rafael (who wants to be known simply as Rafa) and his dog Gato. He gives them sequinned dresses that are supposed to sparkle, but the remote control he uses to light up the dresses malfunctions.

During her first week at the academy, "Malibu" Barbie struggles in all of her classes. Ken calls her to ask how she's doing, but she has mixed feelings. Later, the "Barbie"-named girls and Rafa discover that Emmie is attending the school in disguise. When they confronted her, Emmie explains that she lost contact with "Brooklyn" Barbie because of her strict manager-father. With this, Emmie and "Brooklyn" Barbie rekindle their friendship. The "Barbie"-named girls and Rafa then sworn to keep Emmie's disguise a secret.

The "Barbie"-named girls go to Central Park and donned on the dresses Rafa gave them. "Brooklyn" Barbie tells "Malibu" Barbie that her mother is a pilot and her father is worried about her. "Malibu" Barbie can relate because her father is also uneasy about her being in NYC. They take photos to send to their fathers, then dance and twirl in front of a fountain, making their dresses sparkle. Later, Emmie's father, Mr. Miller, comes to Handler Arts Academy to observe the students. He wants Emmie to have the Spotlight Solo, even though Emmie just wants to learn. Rafa records the class as Mr. Miller observes. While Malibu is dancing, she accidentally knocks "Brooklyn" Barbie into an orchestra pit. "Brooklyn" Barbie lands on a percussionist's drum and sprains her ankle.

"Malibu" Barbie feels guilty about the accident, but she and her friends keep a positive attitude and share their struggles. According to a witness, Dean Morrison calls "Malibu" Barbie into a meeting and expels her from the academy for sabotaging "Brooklyn" Barbie, who would later be called by the dean to explain her expulsion. The two "Barbie"-named girls confront each other, break up their friendship and lament over it. Rafa and Emmie discover that Mr. Miller is behind the hullabaloo, leading the latter to confront her father, with Rafa forwarding his recorded class video to "Brooklyn" Barbie, who in turn shows it to Dean Morrison.

"Malibu" Barbie goes back home to California devastated about the thought of "Brooklyn" Barbie sabotaging her. With the truth and guilt feeling dawned on her after seeing it all for herself, Barbie decides to give up music. However, "Brooklyn" Barbie and her mother follows her home route to California so that the former can apologize to "Malibu" Barbie and bring her back to the academy. They reconciled and when they return to the academy, they find out they had obtained the Spotlight Solo. On the big night, the MC Emmie reveals her identity during the livestream and introduces the "Barbie"-named girls, who appear in their now-lit-up sequinned outfits Rafa gave them earlier and perform a song about their friendship journey (known as "See You at the Finish Line") while their family and friends watch live in Times Square. After their performance, Barbie "Malibu" and Barbie "Brooklyn" held each other's opposite hand high to signal their unison whiles fireworks go off above the Times Square's skyscrapers.

Voice cast

The voice cast are follows: [22]

Other characters include the parents of Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts and Rafael's dog Gato.

Soundtrack

Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Barbie - Big City, Big Dreams.png
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedAugust 28, 2021 (2021-08-28)
Genre Children's music
Length14:21
Label Mattel–Arts Music
Producer

As already mentioned, the film is accompanied by its eponymous soundtrack which was released on global digital music streaming platforms on July 1, 2021. [10] [12] [11] [13] [14]

All tracks are written by Matthew Tishler, Andrew Underberg and Allison McDonald, except when noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Before Us" 1:45
2."Work It" 2:06
3."Good Vibes" 2:11
4."Playground Of Our Dreams" 2:47
5."See You at the Finish Line" 2:51
6."Big City, Big Dreams"Underberg, McDonald2:41
Total length:14:21

Promotion

An all-round marketing programme supported the launch of the film in the UK and Ireland where it was released in cinemas on August 20, 2021. [8] Before the film's release, the official Barbie shop section of the Mattel website displayed a countdown banner towards the US Netflix release. [23] [24] British pop singer and DJ Fleur East hosted a virtual party to celebrate the film's debut on Pop in the UK & Ireland on October 22. [25]

Release

Aside the British and Irish theatrical and television release as well as the American Netflix debut, the film was also debuted on global kids' television channels on sperate dates and times including Cartoonito in Italy, 9Go! in Australia, Neox Kids in Spain, Super RTL in Germany and Carousel in Russia and on streaming services via iQIYI in China. [2] [5]

Television adaptation

On 1 February 2022, Mattel Television unveiled a CGI-animated television adaptation of the film titled Barbie: It Takes Two . [15] Executives of Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams as well as Mainframe Studios reprise their roles in the series with the inclusion of Marsha Griffin (who previously wrote scripts for 3 Barbie films between 2015 and 2016 in Barbie in Princess Power, Barbie in Rock 'N Royals and Barbie: Spy Squad) as a creative producer. [16]

The series debuted on television in Australia via 9Go! on March 4 [26] and on Pop in the UK and Ireland on April 2 [27] before launching on Netflix in the United States on April 8. [28] The series also aired on YTV in Canada on April 10 [29] and on Canal Panda in Portugal on April 17. [30]

The American Netflix launch revealed two voice acting replacements; Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts is voiced by Tatiana Varria instead of Amber May and Rafael/Rafa is voiced by Nicolas Roye instead of Alejandro Saab. [3]

See also

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 Keenan, Christopher (13 July 2021). "Mattel™ Television to Premiere New Barbie® Musical Event, "Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams™"" (Press release). Mattel Television. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Watch Barbie Big City Big Dreams | Netflix". Netflix . 1 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Kinney, Jamie (30 August 2021). "Get An Exclusive Look At Barbie's New Movie Musical Heading To Netflix". Romper . Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Marquardt, Danit; Karaca, Kristine (18 February 2021). "Mattel Television Announces Two New Barbie® Specials Premiering in 2021". Business Wire . Retrieved 3 September 2021. The second special, which follows the success of last year's " Barbie: Princess Adventure ", will be a musical that follows Barbie and her friends to New York City.
  6. ↑ Reynolds, Sydney (13 July 2021). "Mattel Reveals First Look at 'Barbie: Big City Big Dreams' • The Toy Book". The Toy Book. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  7. ↑ House, Random (9 July 2021). "Big City, Big Dreams (Barbie) | Paperback". Barnes & Noble . Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams to hit cinemas in August". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams". Barbie UK . 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Barbie Big City Big Dreams (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP by Barbie". Apple Music . 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Barbie Big City Big Dreams (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify . 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams | Album by Barbie". Shazam . 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Barbie Big City Big Dreams (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Barbie". Amazon Music Unlimited . 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Barbie Big City Big Dreams (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) MP3 Songs by Barbie". Gaana . 3 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  15. 1 2 Karaca, Kristine; Kazakos, Niki (1 February 2022). "Mattel Television Doubles Down On 2022 Barbie® Content Slate". Mattel Television (Press release). Mattel Corporate . Retrieved 6 February 2022. Building on the massive success of Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams, Mattel Television announces an all-new series, Barbie: It Takes Two, launching on broadcasters and streaming services globally this spring.
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  17. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (5 April 2022). "Drumroll Please: Bright Lights & Big City Dreams Await in 'Barbie: It Takes Two'". Animation Magazine . Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  18. ↑ Lash, Jolie (30 August 2022). "'Barbie Mermaid Power' Trailer Promises Underwater Fun & Friendship in Netflix Movie Musical (Exclusive Video)". TheWrap . Retrieved 3 October 2022. A third project in the works is "Barbie: It Takes Two Part 2," which TheWrap can reveal will premiere Oct. 1 on Netflix. It will once again follow Brooklyn and Malibu Barbies as they engage in "city hijinks and aspirations of musical stardom."
  19. ↑ "Watch 'Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams' Teaser Trailer". Animation World Network . 13 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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  30. ↑ "BARBIE: IT TAKES TWO". Canal Panda (in European Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
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