Barbie is shaping up to be one of the biggest movies this summer, but the steady build-up of anticipation hit a bump when Vietnam banned the film ahead of its release. At first glance, it’s difficult to tell what could be controversial about Barbie. It’s not a kids’ movie, but the wild, pink-hued adventure is based on the popular toy line by Mattel. While plot details are still a little unclear, trailers have depicted a light-hearted and eccentric comedy with Barbie (Margot Robbie) panicking over flat feet, living an idealistic life in the hot pink Barbieland, having all the Kens tussle for her attention, and traveling to the real world where she’s confronted by the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell).
For the most part, Barbie’s marketing campaign has been very well-received. It sparks the perfect amount of curiosity and nostalgia. Additionally, the Barbie marketing team has been going all out, debuting Barbie selfie-generators and a real-life Barbie DreamHouse in Malibu. Barbie also received a boost when viewers realized the film will premiere on the same date as Oppenheimer. The idea of “Barbenheimer” captivated fans and inspired countless internet memes.
However, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment from one of Barbie‘s trailers resulted in Vietnam officials banning the film, which would otherwise have premiered on July 21 in the country.
Why is Barbie banned in Vietnam?
The controversy stems from the third Barbie trailer, which Warner Bros. dropped on May 25. The National Film Evaluation Council in Vietnam found a scene that takes place at roughly 1:01 in the trailer to be controversial. In the scene, Barbie visits Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie to try and understand some strange things happening in Barbieland. Weird Barbie tells Barbie that she has to go to the Real World to learn the truth about humans. Additionally, it seems Weird Barbie has constructed a rough map of the Real World that viewers can glimpse behind Barbie. It’s clear that it’s a very messy and inaccurate map, but viewers will be able to make out Africa and Asia if they look closely.
What’s controversial about the map is that it appears to include the highly disputed nine-dash-line. Although this line is only eight dashes and extends from a poorly drawn Asia, it does seem to be a representation of the nine-dash-line.
The nine-dash-line first made its appearance on Chinese maps in the late 1940s and seemingly represents China’s and Taiwan’s claims to the South China Sea. Since its inception, the line has been ambiguous, as China has never explicitly stated what it means. It can be argued that the line is a representation of China’s sovereign rights over fishing and natural resources of the area, which is within the parameters of the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, other Asian nations in the region are concerned that it is China’s attempt to claim total maritime control of the area, which would be against the UNCLOS.
China’s potential maritime claims have caused concerns because of the economic and geographical importance of the disputed area. It is one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world, as it links the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. In 2016 alone, an estimated $3.4 trillion in trade passed through the South China Sea. Due to the area’s importance and the fact that the nine-dash-line conflicts with exclusive economic zone claims from countries like Vietnam, it isn’t surprising that the line has caused much tension. Vietnam has long challenged China’s claims, as has the Philippines, which had an international tribunal of arbitrators rule in its favor in 2016 and declare that China had no legal or historical rights to the area within the nine-dash-line.
Barbie isn’t the first film banned for the nine-dash-line
Vietnam’s Film Council announced that Barbie would be banned in the country due to featuring an “illegal image” of the nine-dash-line. Following this news, the Philippines also threatened to ban the film for its inclusion of the nine-dash-line, though officials say the country may change its stance if the controversial scene is edited out. The reactions of Vietnam and the Philippines aren’t actually surprising, as both countries have censored films for this exact reason in the past.
Most recently, Vietnam banned the action-adventure film Uncharted due to the inclusion of a map with the nine-dash-line, prompting the Philippines to follow suit. Vietnam has also had Pine Gap and Put Your Head on My Shoulder pulled from its country by Netflix and Tencent Video for this reason. Additionally, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia all banned the 2019 animated children’s film Abominable after Dreamworks opted not to cut the controversial scene.
Some question if Barbie‘s depiction of the nine-dash-line is different from the aforementioned films, though, because the map is clearly inaccurate and could be seen as supporting the idea that the line is also inaccurate. Warner Bros. has not publicly commented on Vietnam’s Barbie ban or the film’s usage of the nine-dash-line. Over the years, many Asian countries have made it clear that they believe the line is illegal, invalid, and potentially dangerous, and won’t tolerate Hollywood acknowledging or validating China’s claims in any manner.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
