A “millennial angst” film about Barney (the purple dinosaur) is in the works
We can guarantee that the announcement of Barney the dinosaur being turned into a surrealistic movie was not on your 2023 bucket list. However, it seems that this year is continuing on the trajectory of bringing our childhoods back to life, following the Barbie and The Little Mermaid releases.
Mattel (who owns Barney’s Fisher-Price parent company) is getting started on the next project already, revealing to The New Yorker they are excited about doing a movie about the purple dinosaur with more grown-up themes. The Vice President of Mattel Films told the publication that they were “leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning for kids”. He said that the film will be “surrealistic”, comparing the vibe to that of the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Charlie Kaufman. “It’ll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, growing up with Barney – just the level of disenchantment within the generation,” he has revealed.
It is said to be produced by Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya who co-owns 59% Productions, with him announcing that it will be told as a “heartbreaking” story. It’s quite difficult to predict what the film will be about, what with the happy-go-lucky dino and his colourful friends framing much of our preschool memories.
Kaluuya told Entertainment Weekly that he became obsessed with the theme song for Barney and Friends which ran from the 90s until 2009. “Barney taught us, ‘I love you, you love me. Won’t you say you love me too?’ That’s one of the first songs I remember, and what happens when that isn’t true? I thought that was really heartbreaking,” he said.
He continued to say that he felt the movie “just made sense”, and will explore themes that are “poignant yet optimistic”. He felt that “especially at this time now, I think that’s really, really needed.” It won’t be laden with adult themes, but will definitely not be for children like it was originally produced, giving the sense the target audience is those that grew up with Barney and have now reached an age where these ideas will resonate with them.
The plot line is very much being kept hidden, but rumours are swirling around one of the writers being It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Lee Sung Jin. Does Barney have a hard time in adulthood? Will he become a lighthearted childhood-healing figment of the imagination? Or are we going as dark Black Mirror and Inside No.9’s cartoon-based episodes? Place your bets now.