Yay or Nay: Should the Barbie Movie Be Banned in the Philippines?

(SPOT.ph) The Barbie movie will screen in the Philippines. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board confirmed the news via a letter to Senator Francis Tolentino, who pushed to ban the film in a similar move to Vietnam. 

"The Board believes that all things considered, it has no basis to ban the film 'Barbie' as there is no clear nor outright depiction of the nine-dash line in the subject film," stated the letter, as quoted by ABS-CBN on July 11. 

The question on its release in the Philippines followed news early in July of the movie being banned from screening in Vietnam for containing an "illegal image" of China's disputed nine-dash line.

The board released a statement on July 4 stating that they have seen the movie and are yet to decide. "We confirm that the Board has reviewed the film “Barbie” today, 04 July 2023. At this time, the assigned Committee on First Review is deliberating on the request of Warner Brothers F.E. Inc. for a Permit to Exhibit," said MTRCB. 

Also read: 10 Notable Movies We Almost Didn't See Because of the MTRCB

Why was the Barbie movie banned in Vietnam?

Vietnam banned the movie over the appearance of the nine-dash line, a disputed map that shows China's claims over the South China Sea—or to us, the West Philippine Sea. It uses a series of dashes in the shape of a "U" to claim their territory over the waters, a move that infringes on Vietnam's sovereignty. 

For the Philippines, you might remember the 2016 ruling from The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration—an arbitral tribunal—that said "The Tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line.'" 

While it is unclear which specific scene earned the ire of Vietnam, you can spot several maps in the movie. Vietnamese entertainment writer Nguyên Lê posted on Twitter one scene from the movie that depicts a rather cartoon-ish looking map that did indeed have dashes over what it marked as Asia. 

Here's what Warner Bros. has to say about the controversial map that pops up in Barbie

In an exclusive for Variety, a spokesperson explains has this to say about the now-controversial drawing: "The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing." According to the studio, "The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement."

The illustration, based on the trailers where you can see it for a split-second, pops up during a scene between Margot Robbie's Barbie and Kate McKinnon's character. In a red-pill-blue-pill moment, the childish map references what would be Barbie's journey in Barbie Land's understanding of the "real" world—the dashes, of which there are eight, supposedly representing that path. 

Also read: 10 Classic Barbie Movies From the 2000s Ranked by How Badly We Want to Rewatch Them

If the nine-dash line is indeed in the Barbie movie, "then it is incumbent upon the MTRCB to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty," Senator Francis Tolentino was quoted as saying by the Philippine Inquirer. 

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros stated, "The movie is fiction, and so is the nine-dash line. At the minimum, our cinemas should include an explicit disclaimer that the nine-dash line is a figment of China’s imagination." 

The Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as the titular character, is one of the most awaited movies of the year. As of writing, it is scheduled to drop in Philippine cinemas on July 19. 

UPDATED (July 10, 2023): This article was updated to include Warner Bros. statements regarding the map scene. 

UPDATED (July 11, 2023): This article was updated after the MTRCB cleared the movie for screening.