Following the release of Black Barbie on Netflix, many viewers want to know if the documentary is connected to Margot Robbie’s Barbie movie. The latter came out in the theaters in July 2023 and was massively successful. It earned well over a billion dollars at the global box office and became a global phenomenon. So, many fans of the movie are curious if there’s any connection to Black Barbie.
Here’s everything fans and viewers need to know about any connection between the two.
Is Netflix’s Black Barbie: A Documentary connected to Margot Robbie’s movie?
No, Netflix’s Black Barbie: A Documentary is not connected to Margot Robbie’s Barbie.
Robbie’s film is a fantasy feature directed by Greta Gerwig from a script Gerwig penned with Noah Baumbach. Based on the fashion doll of the same name from Mattel, Barbie follows the eponymous character as she travels from Barbieland to the real world and discovers a sense of self. Besides being a box-office success, Barbie garnered widespread acclaim. It also won the Best Original Song award for “What Was I Made For?” at the 96th Academy Awards.
Black Barbie: A Documentary is a Shondaland project. It candidly chronicles the development of the first Black Barbie fashion doll and its impact on Black America and the United States overall. Lagueria Davis is the writer and director of the film and serves as its narrator. She built the project around the experiences of her aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, an erstwhile Mattel employee who played an important role in the development of the Black Barbie doll.
The documentary had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11, 2023. It debuted on Netflix on June 19, 2024. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a perfect 100% fresh approval rating after 18 reviews.
