Two years after she painted the summer box office pink, Barbie is heading back to the big screen…and this time, she’ll be animated.

Despicable Me banner Illumination has just signed an agreement with Mattel Studios to develop the first animated theatrical film for the franchise. Universal Pictures will release the pic, thanks to an exclusive financing and distribution partnership it has set up with Illumination.

Mattel, Illumination and Universal declined to comment, but rumors of this collaboration have been swirling since last August, when the project was first reported in a Puck newsletter.

It’s too early to know anything about the storyline or talent on board—but it’s safe to say that this project is well-positioned to succeed, considering that Mattel and Illumination were respectively responsible for the top two-grossing films of 2023: Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. 

Of course, Barbie has starred in plenty of animated movies and specials over the years that have premiered on TV, streaming platforms or gone straight to VHS/DVD. These titles range from originals to loose adaptations of classic novels, fairytales and even Tchaikovsky ballets (2001’s Barbie in the Nutcracker and 2003’s Barbie of Swan Lake).

The 2023 live-action Barbie movie became the highest grossing film of the year, making more than US$1.4 billion in ticket sales.

While Barbie’s toy sales remain consistently strong (it’s estimated that 100 dolls are sold every minute), Mattel did see a massive lift at retail after the 2023 movie came out, to the tune of US$884 million in Q3 global gross billings for its dolls category. And it’s possible that toy sales could spike even higher for an animated feature, which would theoretically hold more appeal for kids & family audiences than the Barbie live-action feature.

Illumination is also busy working on a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie that’s due out in 2026. And Mattel Studios, which consolidated its film and TV divisions just last month under Robbie Brenner, is working on a variety of theatrical features based on its many brands, including American Girl, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, Barney and Matchbox.