By Kendall Spink
We all know that the release of Greta Gerwig’s live action Barbie movie was revolutionary, inspiring, and defined the summer of 2023. The story of Barbie on the big screen begins in 2001, years before Margot Robbie ever graced the acting scene.
There are 44 movies following Barbie and her magical adventures over the past 23 years. These movies are separated into two eras, ones made between 2001 and 2011 with original animation and consistent voice acting by Kelly Sheridan. The other group are movies made between 2011 and the present, with various Barbie voices, and a modern, and continually updated animation style.
Younger generations of Barbie watchers often prefer the newer content. Which makes sense because that is what they have grown up watching on streaming services. Those of us who grew up watching the original Barbie movies lay our loyalty with them.
Netflix, the largest streaming service in the world, does not have any original Barbie content available. It’s not only Netflix. No subscription streaming platform has any of the 2001-2011 Barbie movies.
There are two things I can say confidently as a member of Gen Z, one, the original Barbie movies remind me of my childhood in the best way. And two, I do not own a DVD player. Turning to the media you grew up with for comfort is a natural and shared experience for everyone. This is not something my sister and I can do.
Between my friends and family I have access to all the streaming services you could imagine. This should be all I need in this day and age. Yes, you can rent the Barbie movies, but I thought that as a society, we were past that.
Kids can no longer grow up watching any original Barbie content because it is not easily accessible. This is already resulting in generations not knowing any of the classic characters or plots that have inspired the newer content.
The emphasis that the original movies put on female friendship is something that I have not seen in any other kids movies. Being able to see women saving the world, without any consideration of them being incapable, is inspiring.
These kids are missing out on Barbie as an actress and a storyteller. Movies like Barbie and Repunzel or Barbie of Swan Lake begin with Barbie introducing the story and taking us along on a magical adventure. Those based around classic fairy tales have a predictable structure that allows kids to connect to them without having to “dumb down” the concepts. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper is a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. While the modern Barbie movies follow Barbie as a person with her friends and family, taking on, while often exciting and magical, adventures that are based in reality.
Netflix has a few TV series that follow Barbie with her friends and family, showing the impressive everyday life that Barbie has. Imagine the additional views those would get following the addition of original Barbie movies. Netflix is always adding movies to their platform as a way to entice subscribers to ignore rising prices and ending password sharing. Adding any of the original Barbie movies would only benefit Netflix profit margins.
It’s time that Netflix gives the people what they want, and deserve. Original Barbie movies are the only thing missing from Netflix. We cannot stand by and continue to allow these movies to be missing from children’s lives.
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