News broke this week that Barbie, of all people, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been hit with a ban. In Vietnam, the outwardly harmless pink fun is not allowed to be shown this summer. The reason seems bizarre at first. And the feature film Uncharted was banned for the same reason. Here it is simple explanation of barbie ban.
That’s why Barbie was banned in Vietnam
Who Banned Barbie? The film cannot be shown in Vietnam. This was reported by the Vietnamese site Tuoi Tre News on Monday. The Central Council for the Evaluation and Classification of Feature Films issued the ban.
Why was the film banned? The reason given was the representation of the so-called “nine-dash line” on a map in the film. It’s about this scene from the trailer, which contains a childish map with hints of a dash line in Asia:
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However, a resemblance to the nine-dash line can only be seen with a lot of imagination. Below in the article is an example where it’s more obvious.
What is the nine-dash line? The marker has represented the territorial claims of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the South China Sea since 1946, encompassing several island groups including the Paracel Islands. These claims are not recognized by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.
Therefore, drawing the nine-dash line on a map in these regions is considered an attack on territorial sovereignty and illegal. At the time of this article, Barbie’s handling in the Philippines is still under investigation (via Twitter).
Which films are affected? The video game adaptation Uncharted, starring Tom Holland, was also banned in Vietnam last year for containing a map with the nine-dash line. The same applies to the Chinese-American animated film Everest (2019). Here you can see a picture from the children’s film with a much more realistic version of the marking:
Universal
Everest – A yeti aims high with the nine-dash line
Why do the movies show the line? In the case of Barbie, the accusation seems far-fetched. If the mark appears in films, it may be to ensure smooth release in the People’s Republic of China. Alongside the USA, China is now one of the largest film markets in the world and is more important in terms of income than a comparatively smaller country like Vietnam.
What does the film studio say about this? The studio responsible, Warner, has rejected the accusation. In a statement to Variety, it said:
The map in Barbie Land is a child’s colored pencil drawing. The Doodles represent Barbie’s fictional journey from Barbieland to the ‘real world’. It was not intended to make any kind of statement. What is the Barbie movie about?
Barbie and Ken enjoy a near-perfect existence in Barbieland until they are banished from their homeland to the real world. When Barbieland is in danger, Barbie returns and realizes that the reasons for her expulsion from the pink world are an important part of her individuality.
The home of the plastic dolls is inhabited by various versions of the iconic toy, including Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), Doctor Barbie (Hari Nef) and President Barbie (Issa Rae). Less individual are the various Kens, played by Marvel star Simu Liu, Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa and wrestling movie star John Cena (as Merman-Ken!), among others.
Barbie starts in German cinemas on July 20th. Directed by Greta Gerwig, who rose to fame as an actress in independent films and has garnered praise behind the camera for Lady Bird and Little Women.