𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝

“The world ran out of pink” has recently become a headline that has caught everyone’s attention. You may be wondering what led to this unthinkable situation.

Well, according to Sarah Greenwood, the production designer of the upcoming ‘Barbie’ movie, the creation of the perfect backdrop for the film required such a significant amount of pink paint that it resulted in a global shortage.

In this Warner Bros.’ live-action adaptation, Margot Robbie portrays the renowned Barbie, with Ryan Gosling playing her plastic boyfriend, Ken. Greta Gerwig, the writer/director of this exciting movie, justified the use of real-world sets and not CGI by stating, “Maintaining the ‘kid-ness’ was paramount. I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost overwhelming.”

However, Lauren Proud, the vice president of marketing and digital experience at Rosco, the paint supplier, clarified that although the production consumed a substantial quantity of the colour, other factors contributed to the shortage. “The sets were being developed during a time when we were still experiencing global supply chain issues due to COVID-19, and the paint supply was particularly affected,” she explained. “We delivered everything we could, and they received it all.”

But that’s not the only fascinating fact about this movie; the attention to detail by the production team is immaculate and here’s why:

The house itself is see-through so that all of the Barbies can see and wave at each other in the morning. Just like a real dreamhouse, there are barely any walls or doors separating the rooms! Furthermore, Barbie’s daily routine involves floating down from her bedroom to get into her car. As Greta instructed Margot, “No one actually walks their Barbie down the steps to get into the car. You simply move them from one thing and plop them into the next.” Barbie’s wardrobe features glass doors, and the clothing and accessories are affixed to the wall to imitate the appearance of being behind the plastic of a Barbie box.

To capture the essence of a Mattel toy, certain parts of Barbie’s dreamhouse contain tangible items that can be picked up, while others are depicted as 2D stickers, resembling real toy sets. For instance, all juice boxes, fruits, and vegetables in the fridge are stickers, creating an intentionally artificial yet satisfying backdrop. Notably, Barbie Land lacks water, fire, or other natural elements. Consequently, all water depicted in the movie is entirely simulated; even the pool at Barbie’s house is made of blue glass. Barbie does not use any water while brushing her teeth, the bubbles are fake, and Margot had to learn how to convincingly imitate a shower without water. Lastly, letters do not exist in Barbie Land, resulting in all of Barbie’s mail being adorned with fancy scribbles and gibberish; this intends to imitate the way kids write endless amounts of nothing, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.

So, while the claim of a pink paint shortage caused by Barbie may not be entirely accurate, one thing is certain: Barbie’s vibrant world is set to captivate audiences when the film premieres in theatres on July 21.

-Niddhi Jain