If the Barbie movie has proven anything, it's that we all have some unfinished business with our childhood toys. There's something pretty special about being able to re-experience the things we loved when we were children in a totally new way as adults, and if the hype around Barbie is anything to go by, our craving for nostalgia has only just begun. Fortunately, for anyone weighing up whether a kid-free visit to Toys 'R' Us is appropriate, there's another doll-inspired film on the way. That's right, a Polly Pocket movie is coming and, like Barbie, it's also backed by toy giant Mattel.
The movie has actually been in the works since 2021 and with Lena Dunham, who created the TV show Girls, confirmed as the director, it will likely be offering up a feminist take on the very tiny doll. Here's everything we know so far…
What is the Polly Pocket movie about?
It's unclear exactly what ground the Polly Pocket movie will cover at this point but Lena has said that she wants it to offer intelligent ideas for the women watching it, telling Variety that she has a 'deep-seated belief that young women need smart playful films that speak to them without condescension.'
A clever, fun film about a doll designed to speak to the female experience - we have a sneaky feeling this is something we might enjoy…
Much like Greta Gerwig and Barbie, Lena also expressed a personal connection to the Polly Pocket toys: '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,' she told Variety.
In terms of plot, all we know is that it's based around a young girl and a pocket-sized woman who become friends and that Lena wants to explore 'the idea of what happens when a small person encounters a big world,' as she told The Hollywood Reporter. So it certainly sounds like those fish-out-of-water - or should we say doll-out-of-dream-house - movies are here to stay.
Who is in the Polly Pocket movie cast?
The only actor currently attached to the movie is Lily Collins, of Emily In Paris fame, who will play the title role as well as producing the film. '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,' she said in an interview with Variety.
And tiny the toys will be, according to Dunham, who said that Lily's character will be 'the original teensy tiny ’90s size'.
What is the Polly Pocket movie release date?
Lena revealed that she completed a second draft for the script of the Polly Pocket movie in October 2022 but we don't know just yet when exactly the film will be released. And with members of the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and the SAG-AFTRA (The Screen Actors Guild) currently on strike, many upcoming movies are on hold right now.
Robbie Brenner, the Oscar-nominated producer who runs Mattel Films, recently confirmed that there is a 'great' script for the film, however, telling Variety that: 'Lena is so collaborative and rolls up her sleeves and really likes to roll around in notes and listen', while describing Lily as 'so smart and so specific and so productorial'.
'It’s just been an incredible collaboration, so we are thrilled about it. Hopefully, we’ll be making that at some point in the future,' she added.