Stanley Kubrick's Estate Responds To The Barbie Trailer's 2001: A Space Odyssey Nod

For quite some time now, director Greta Gerwig and her team have been hard at work on one of the most buzz-worthy films of recent memory: "Barbie." The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-led flick does indeed adapt the iconic doll for the big screen in a story that has been kept tightly under wraps. Aside from a handful of stills and sneaky on-set photographs, little has reached the public about this production. That finally changed on December 15, 2022, when the inaugural trailer was unveiled to the world at long last. Suffice to say, it wasn't what anyone expected.

While the over-the-top outfits and vibrant sets were present in the first "Barbie" teaser, it otherwise took an incredibly unique approach. Instead of delving too deeply into the film's plot and characters, the trailer pays homage to director Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Much like the hominins reacted to the enigmatic monolith at the start of the 1968 feature, a group of young girls shifts their way of thinking upon encountering a giant Barbie doll. They throw down their outdated porcelain baby dolls with fervor, signaling the dawn of a new age for girls' toys.

In response to the "Barbie" trailer's homage to "2001: A Space Odyssey," which fans online seem to adore, the estate of the late Stanley Kubrick has come forward with a statement on it.

As the internet has ranted and raved about the first "Barbie" trailer, Stanley Kubrick's estate has come forward to comment on its tribute to "2001: A Space Odyssey." Via Twitter, in response to the Warner Bros. UK account, which posted the teaser for fans on the social media platform to watch, the estate wrote, "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Even Barbie is a Kubrick fan..." With that, it appears that the "Barbie" teaser has earned the stamp of approval from Kubrick's estate, so if anyone was concerned that the homage was disrespectful or against the Kubricks' wishes, fret not.

While this is the first time Barbie, Ken, and the rest of the "Barbie" gang are on their way to the cinema, this is hardly the first "Barbie" movie to release. Since the early 2000s, Barbie has starred in a laundry list of animated direct-to-video flicks, including "Barbie of Swan Lake," "Barbie: The Princess and the Pop Star," "Barbie: Princess Adventure," and many, many more. Sadly for Kubrick fans, none of these entries in the "Barbie" franchise seem to include nods to the famed director's works. Nevertheless, we'll have to wait and see if Greta Gerwig's film makes any references to these VHS and DVD favorites.

The unexpectedly "2001: A Space Odyssey"-inspired "Barbie" will make its grand silver screen introduction on July 21, 2023.