Move Over, Barbie – It’s Polly Pocket’s Turn
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1 year ago
That’s right: there’s another plastic doll movie in the works
Which dolls did you play with growing up? Despite the recent rise of the Bratz doll aesthetic, Barbie (via Greta Gerwig) has had the world in her bubblegum pink clutches for over a year now. The film finally hit cinemas last week (Friday 21 July) and, though the dust has barely settled, we think it’s time for another blonde plastic doll to capture our attention: Polly Pocket. And it seems the movie world agrees; here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Polly Pocket movie.
Polly Pocket Movie: Everything We Know So Far
Amid Barbie mania, it might have passed you by, but rumours about the Polly Pocket movie have been floating around since 2021. If you’re unfamiliar with Polly, she is a tiny plastic doll who has been around since 1989. Originally designed by Chris Wiggs for his daughter, she is known for, funnily enough, being pocket-sized; the original Polly Pocket dolls were around an inch tall, folded in half, and came inside a plastic case that would open up and double as a dollhouse. By 1998, Polly had a growth spurt, a gang of friends, and a wardrobe of stretchy rubber garments. She was relaunched in 2010 when American company toy company Mattel took over, but then discontinued in the US in 2012 before a major worldwide relaunch in 2018, along with a TV series.
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Speaking of Mattel (which also owns the Barbie doll), the toy company has a whopping 45 films planned about their toys – including a ‘surreal’ Barney (the purple dinosaur) film by Daniel Kaluuya and a Hot Wheels film – and Polly is just one of them. Though these films capitalise on the continued nostalgia trends, I’m not entirely sure I can sit through 44 more toy dramas. But, if you’d like some insight on Polly, here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming movie.
What Will The Polly Pocket Movie Be About?
It’s safe to say that the direction Greta Gerwig went in with the Barbie movie was pretty unexpected, so we’re tentative to believe Polly Pocket will be a straightforward character in her dedicated movie. When Variety revealed the film was in the works in 2021, the plot was summarised in one small sentence: ‘The film will centre on a young girl and a pocket-sized woman who form a friendship.’
Brits will be glad to remember that Polly Pocket is actually a British native (from Swindon, no less) – so we’re hoping for a British spin on the pink kitsch Barbie movie. That said, we’re expecting less of a meta consideration of the doll than Barbie. No stranger to the screen, you might have previously seen Polly in the Polly Pocket TV series, in which she is a girl with a magical locket that allows her and her friends to shrink down to a tiny size. Whether Polly will be a doll or a pocket-sized human is yet to be determined.
Girls creator and director Lena Dunham will direct the Polly Pocket movie, and commented to Variety: ‘Polly Pocket was responsible for countless hours of childhood escapism for me – Polly gave me a tiny world of magic and autonomy to narrate, so it’s pretty poetic to be tackling these same ideas now as a director.
‘I’m so thrilled to bring to bear both my love of this historic property and also my deep-seated belief that young women need smart playful films that speak to them without condescension,’ Dunham added.
By October 2022, Dunham was finishing up the second draft of the script, and told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘We have a lot of fun with the idea of what happens when a small person encounters a big world.’ Plus, Dunham revealed that Polly will be ‘the original teensy tiny ‘90s size’ – not the bigger version created later to avoid choking hazards. Perhaps it’ll look something like Big Cook, Little Cook – but with better CGI.
Who Will Star?
The headline star is confirmed: Lily Collins, the British-American star of the likes of Emily in Paris, Rules Don’t Apply and Love, Rosie. In the former Netflix series, Collins’ character is famed for her multiple kitsch outfits and can-do attitude – so we’re sure she’ll make the perfect Polly.
In 2021, Collins told Variety: ‘As a child who was obsessed with Polly Pocket, this is a real dream come true and I can’t wait to bring these tiny toys to the big screen.’ As well as starring in the title role, Collins will act as an Executive Producer. The rest of the cast is yet to be revealed.
When Will The Polly Pocket Movie Arrive In Cinemas?
Filming is yet to commence – and probably won’t for a long time due to the ongoing SAG-AFRA strikes in the US. We’re guessing 2025. Watch this space.
