Who would’ve thought that film executives could have so many meetings and discussions about the color pink?
Excited about the upcoming Barbie movie? Ahead of the film’s July 21 release, Margot Robbie, who plays the titular role, takes fans on a tour of the Dreamhouse in a video for Architectural Digest.
The actor and producer opened the pink, translucent main door to Barbie’s home and welcomed viewers in. Starting off in the kitchen, everything is (of course) in different shades of pink.
“This is a product of so many discussions, so many references, and I can’t even tell you the meetings we’ve had about pink,” writer and director Greta Gerwig said.
READ ALSO: This Barbie Is Everything: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Promotes Inclusivity And Diversity
“We sat with all these different kinds of pinks and we were like, ‘What is the pink?’ and ‘How do the pinks interact?’ Because I didn’t want it to be so classy. Like when I was a little girl I liked the pinkest, brightest things.”
Even the “white” parts of the set are actually painted in the palest pink from their chosen palette. “It was pretty incredible seeing this set for the first time,” Robbie shared.
According to the actor, her favorite design feature was the slide that led straight into the pool that had fake water in it. The furniture was a mixed influence of modernist 1950s and 1960s style.
The creative crew managed to recreate the look and feel of the Mattel toys and made them life-size. This made it easier for the actors to get into their roles because they didn’t have to imagine the setting, it was just all there, according to Emma Mackey who plays another Barbie.
A lot of the props on the set were actually handmade and one of the keywords Gerwig kept repeating to her team was that it had to be beautiful.
A fun detail they added was that some of the items were made with decals. For example, in reference to the actual toys, the contents of Barbie’s refrigerator were actually just stickers.
Upstairs, Robbie shows off Barbie’s wardrobe, heavily influenced by the film Clueless. The actual closet is designed exactly like the iconic box the doll comes in, and all the character has to do is look at the outfit and it’ll magically appear on her body.
All the Barbies’ homes are open and see-through and so every morning they wake up and they can wave at each other from their bedrooms.
“I want everyone to feel like they can reach into the screen and touch everything,” Gerwig explained, remembering the experience of seeing the doll displays in toy stores.
There are plenty of details that mimicked children’s playfulness while interacting with dolls. These include the Barbies floating down from their homes to their convertibles (because no one uses stairs in Barbie Land) and the letters all written in pretty gibberish.
Just from this sneak peek of the set and the wardrobe, we can already see the amount of dedication the team behind the movie put into creating this world. It’s sure to tap into the viewers’ sense of nostalgia while still offering something new with its story.
Banner image via Instagram @barbiethemovie.
