Barbie

Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Will Ferrell, the Barbie movie has received an aptly creative trailer campaign with a teaser that parodies 2001: A Space Odyssey, shot-for-shot. For the main trailer, Barbie opts for a somewhat rare approach in trailer music: rather than take pre-existing music or even leverage a score by a composer, let alone use library music, the Barbie trailer debuts a new song by pop star Dua Lipa.

As you might expect for a song written expressly for the film’s soundtrack, the integration with the on-screen action is tight, if a bit literal, with a glittering dance scene at 0:38 and a synch point at 0:30 involving clapping. It becomes more apparent that the music is diegetic (within the sound world of the film) at 0:34 as the vinyl from which the song is assumedly being played gets scratched and stopped in response to Barbie’s uncharacteristic musing about death (a familiar device to highlight a narrative revelation). Then we hear crickets chirping—a cartoonish sound effect appropriate for Barbie’s world, which is aesthetically and emotionally glossy and plastic-hewn, in contrast to the real world that Barbie will find herself exploring with her partner, Ken.

Next we hear a monologue from Barbie about odd phenomena of realism seeping into her world (such as a cold shower), alongside just the stem tracks of the disco-like strings. Notice the synch point at 0:48 for increased drama as Barbie’s heels touch the ground, she delivers the line, and we get the sound effect of a swooping leg at 0:50—further using sound effects as a means to instil the idea that Barbie lives in a fantastic, cartoonish world. Next we hear Indigo Girls’ seminal folk track “Closer to Fine” (1989). With Barbie singing along, it’s likely meant as a moment to reinforce the idea that this film is meant at least in part for a generation who would be familiar with the tune. Perhaps a similar idea was behind the use of “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by Cass Elliot (1969; originally written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil)—indeed, Barbie has been around since 1959, and so her influence is truly intergenerational. Note the addition of the prolonged cadence at 2:10 along with the additional percussion at the end. Later, at 2:23, Barbie claps in synch with the song while winking—a hint of meta-diegetic self-awareness that the entire film’s conceit rests upon, such as this notion of Barbie’s world, the real world, and whether and how the two can meet.

As if that wasn’t enough, at the very end of the trailer, we hear a short snippet of Aqua’s Barbie Girl. This is likely for no particular reason besides that audience goers of a certain age will invariably recall the tune, if prompted, regarding Barbie-related memories. While it could involve a large sum of money to license a song just for a moment at the end of the trailer, it just might be the element that convinces a prospective theatre-goer. As clever and attention-grabbing as the 2001: A Space Odyssey homage was, this trailer featuring an original Dua Lipa track establishes a distinct identity and fills in the narrative gaps necessarily created by the teaser. Moreover, the musical selections beyond the original track clearly suggest an appeal to multiple generations of Barbie users, with tracks from 1969, 1989, and 1997.

Barbie is out in theatres July 21.

— Curtis Perry