[2] The film series were released direct-to-video from 2001 and aired regularly on Nickelodeon as television specials in the United States from 2002, with both running until early 2017.

Since mid-2017, beginning with Barbie Dolphin Magic, Mattel revamped them into streaming television films, branded or marketed them as animated "specials" with a reduced 1-hour video length as opposed to the feature films beforehand and move them to streaming media services, predominantly Netflix, but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+.

[5][6] Mattel therefore attempted to overhaul the Barbie brand to keep the toy relevant to consumers in the modern age by bringing in consultants and conducting research on key market groups.

Mattel consultants initially considered reducing the Barbie's breast size, but later claimed that the doll's figure could not be changed because "being consistent is one of her biggest strengths".

[7] Mattel's team also considered targeting market audiences of career women and their daughters by introducing lines of Doctor or Lawyer Barbies.

In response, Mattel began adapting Barbie into various facets of media and entertainment beyond the television advertisement of its dolls and related accessories (which was a prolific marketing strategy in the past).

For the first 16 entries in the film series, Barbie is featured as a virtual actress playing the main character, and often being portrayed as a modern girl telling the story to one of her sisters or a younger friend – as a parable to present affairs.

[11][12] Another planned series for the fall of 1987 by the newly-formed Mattel division MTS Entertainment was, unusually, a newsmagazine aimed at kids and teenagers, intended to feature both live-action and animated segments.

[4] Tim Kilpin, then-senior vice-president for girls marketing at Mattel, stated: "What you see now are several different Barbie worlds anchored by content and storytelling.

Through the short video bundles on YouTube, Mattel also provided a platform for Barbie to give its audience a look into her fictional life while trying to educate them along the way.

Julia Pistor, who worked on the series as an executive producer and writer, stated: "Barbie is conscious of language and words; she talks about intention and she's self-reflective.

[27][28][29] The agreement began taking effect a week later when the soundtrack albums tied to their related productions are made available through WMG's distribution label, ADA Worldwide.

Mattel would extend its partnership with Netflix on October 21, 2022, 4 days before the American debut of the franchise's inaugural interactive "special", Barbie: Epic Road Trip, which would also see the pre-2017 film catalogue previously held by Universal made available occasionally through the streaming service.

[30][31][32] After the broadcast syndication of 2 television specials in 1987, numerous video game releases in the 1990s and the rise of home video marketing, Mattel partnered with Canadian company, Mainframe Entertainment (currently Mainframe Studios) to produce its first computer-animated feature-length film, Barbie in the Nutcracker, based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's classic tale and Tchaikovsky's accompanying ballet music, for a 2001 release through Family Home Entertainment.

The first decade was dominated by films based on pre-existing stories/tales, including Brothers Grimm's fairy tales: Rapunzel and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina and Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers.

For home video formats, the release of the series on VHS ceased in 2006 after Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia following a general gradual decline in the use of the format and the transfer of distribution duties for the series to Universal (taking over from Lionsgate, which had absorbed FHE and Artisan Entertainment in 2003, in part because of a breakdown in negotiations over rights fees[34][35][36]) in favor of DVD releases only.

[90][91][92] The film was directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach, and stars an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.

After the success of the first film, multiple Barbie dolls had small roles in Toy Story 2, before the debut of the franchise's definitive iteration in the second sequel.

[115] Although the reason behind the cancellation is closely linked to The Walt Disney Company being granted to trademark the name "Princess Aurora" and included the acquisition of some of the music (also based on the ballet) for its film.

[30][31] Barbie began her mainstream non-advertised media appearances character is her role in the 1987 TV specials where she was voiced by Sharon Lewis.