Mattel Films

"Playground Productions" redirects here. Not to be confused with American video game publisher Playground Productions, the current publisher of the Backyard Sports series.

Mattel Films is the film production division of Mattel originally formed on October 16, 2013, as Mattel Playground Productions as part of Mattel Global Brands, a unified media structural and strategy unit.^[1]

Mattel Films

Logo used since 2023
Formerly	Mattel Playground Productions (2013–2016)
Company type	Division
Industry	Film production
Predecessors	Radnitz-Mattel Productions HIT Movies
Founded	October 16, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-10-16) (as Mattel Playground Productions) September 6, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-09-06) (as Mattel Films)
Defunct	October 20, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-10-20) (as Mattel Playground Productions)
Fate	Absorbed into Mattel Creations (as Mattel Playground Productions)
Successor	Mattel Television (television production)
Headquarters	El Segundo, California , U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Robbie Brenner (executive producer) Ivan Sanchez (executive producer, creativity) Kevin McKeon (vice president)
Parent	Mattel

On March 31, 2016, Mattel placed the division within a newly created division at the time, Mattel Creations, absorbed its operations into it and, seven months later, made it defunct due to poor box office reception of the release of the live action film Max Steel.^[2] On September 6, 2018, the division was revived and reformed as Mattel Films.^[3]

History

A joint venture with Mattel and producer Robert B. Radnitz was launched in May 1970, which produced family films including Sounder, Where the Lilies Bloom,^[4] and A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich.^[5]

In March 2009, HIT Entertainment, prior to being acquired by Mattel in 2012, launched its HIT Movies division in Los Angeles with Julia Pistor as division head, to create films based on the company's franchises.^[6] The division's first planned film adaptation was a live-action Thomas & Friends film, scheduled for late 2010.^[7]

Former logo as Mattel Playground Productions

On October 26, 2013, Mattel launched Playground Productions (shortened as Mattel PGP or just PGP) as its in-house film studio to handle multimedia productions for its brands for global multi-platform distribution.^[8][9] Its first animated project was Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome!. Mattel had been developing a live-action Hot Wheels film at Legendary Entertainment and Universal Pictures, films featuring the Masters of the Universe and Barbie brands at Columbia Pictures, a Monster High film with Universal and a Max Steel film with Dolphin Entertainment. PGP was planned to set up three-year storytelling plans that incorporate every part of the company's core operations, from toy designers to consumer products and marketing.^[8] David Voss, a veteran in the toy and entertainment business, was appointed as the division's head and Senior Vice President.^[8][10]

With WWE on March 17, 2014, Mattel PGP launched an online short form series, WWE Slam City, to go along with its dedicated toy line.^[11] The series was picked up by Nicktoons' NickSports programming block from October 22, 2014.^[12]

After Voss left the division in January 2016 for subscription service, Loot Crate,^[13] Mattel placed PGP within Mattel Creations upon its formation along with its other two content production units: HIT Entertainment and the content creation team of American Girl at Middleton, Wisconsin.^[14] After the critical and commercial failure of the live action Max Steel film on October 20, 2016, Mattel Playground Productions was absorbed into Mattel Creations.^[2]

Reformation as Mattel Films

On September 6, 2018, Mattel announced the launch of a film division, Mattel Films, that will make films based on the company's toy brands.^[15] Outside Mattel, the division is widely recognized as the revival and replacement of Mattel PGP. Mattel Films with Academy Award-nominated film producer Robbie Brenner was appointed to head the division as executive producer and will report directly to Mattel's CEO, Ynon Kreiz.^[3][16]

The division's first two projects were the Barbie and Masters of the Universe live-action films.^[17] On January 7, 2019, it was announced that Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling would star in the Barbie film to be co-produced with Warner Bros. Pictures and Robbie's production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.^[18] Barbie was released in theaters worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 21, 2023, and to date has made over $1.4 billion at the global box office and became the #1 highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. Pictures' 100-year history.^[19]

With the Hot Wheels film rights option with Legendary Entertainment expired and reverted to Mattel, its film division shopped the property to Warner Bros. for a partnership on a film for the first time on January 29, 2019.^[20][21] The company teamed up with Universal Pictures for the first time on July 16, 2020, on adaptation of Wishbone to film.^[22]

In October 2020, Mattel Films announced that a live-action animated Thomas & Friends film was in development, to be directed by Marc Forster and developed by his production company 2Dux².^[23]

On April 19, 2021, Mattel Films teamed up with Universal Pictures and Vin Diesel's One Race Films for a live-action film adaptation of the 1966-launched toy, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, starring Vin Diesel, a Barney film with Daniel Kaluuya, a Polly Pocket film with Lena Dunham and Lily Collins.^[24][25][26]

On June 24, 2021, Mattel Films and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agreed to work on a live-action film for Polly Pocket.^[27][28]

On December 16, 2021, Mattel Films announced its first project based on outside intellectual property: Christmas Balloon, which is written by Gabriela Revilla Lugo. The film is intended to be based on the true story of a young girl who tried to send her Christmas message to Santa via a balloon.^{[29][30][31][32]}

In July 2022, Mattel Films and Skydance announced the development of a live-action movie based on the Matchbox die-cast toy vehicles.^[33][34]

Filmography

As Mattel Playground Productions
Title	Release date(s)	Type	Production partner(s)	Distributor	Notes
Monster High	October 20, 2013 – April 3, 2016 [citation needed]	2D-animated shorts and web series	Nerd Corps Entertainment	YouTube
Monster High	2013–2016	CGI-animated films	DHX Media Vancouver Nerd Corps Entertainment	Television: Cartoon Network (Latin America) Nickelodeon (U.S.; international) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (Home video release)	61–75 minutes[citation needed]
Barbie and the Secret Door	October 16, 2014	CGI-animated film	Rainmaker Entertainment	Television: Cartoon Network (Latin America) Nickelodeon (U.S.; international) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (Home video release)[35]
Team Hot Wheels	June 7, 2014	Animated	Mercury Filmworks Titmouse, Inc.	Digital platforms YouTube	22-minute origin story (Spring)[10] 11 2-minute shorts (Summer) 74-minute direct-to-video film (Autumn/Fall)
WWE Slam City	March 17, 2014	Stop motion	Stoopid Buddy Stoodios[12]	Digital platforms[11] Nicktoons[12]	26-episode 2-minute shorts series[11]
Ever After High[36]	May 30, 2013 – June 20, 2016	"Legacy Day" 15-minute special	Guru Studio	Netflix	Web series
		"True Hearts Day" 22-minute webisode special		Nickelodeon (U.S.; international) YouTube EverAfterHigh.com
		"Thronecoming" 44-minute television special
		66 3-minute webisodes
Barbie in Princess Power	March 3, 2015[37]	CGI-animated film	Rainmaker Entertainment	Nickelodeon (U.S. broadcast) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (Home video release)[38][39][40][41]
Barbie in Rock 'N Royals	August 13, 2015[42]
Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure	October 8, 2015[43]
Barbie: Spy Squad	January 15, 2016[44]
Max Steel	October 26, 2016[45]	Live-action film	Dolphin Films Ingenious Media	Open Road Films[10]	Final production before the absorption of Mattel PGP into Mattel Creations.
As Mattel Films
Barbie	July 21, 2023	Live-action film	Heyday Films LuckyChap Entertainment NB/GG Pictures	Warner Bros. Pictures	First movie from the division to receive a PG-13 rating.
Masters of the Universe	June 5, 2026		Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Escape Artists	Amazon MGM Studios[46]
Matchbox	TBA		Skydance Media[47]	Apple Studios[48]	Set to star John Cena[48]
Thomas & Friends: The Movie[49]	TBA		2Dux2[23]	TBA
Barney	TBA		Valparaiso Pictures 59% Productions[50]	TBA
American Girl	TBA		Temple Hill Entertainment, Apple Original Films	Apple TV+[51]
Bob the Builder	TBA	Animated film	ShadowMachine Nuyorican Productions	Amazon MGM Studios	Set to star Anthony Ramos[52]
Christmas Balloon	TBA	Live-action film	Vital Pictures[53]	TBA
Hot Wheels	TBA		Bad Robot[54]	Warner Bros. Pictures[21]
Magic 8 Ball[55][56]	TBA		TBA	TBA
Major Matt Mason	TBA		Playtone Weed Road Pictures, Paramount Players	Paramount+[57]	Set to star Tom Hanks[58]
Monster High[59]	TBA		Weed Road Pictures	Universal Pictures
Polly Pocket[49]	TBA		Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Good Thing Going[60]	Amazon MGM Studios
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots	TBA		One Race Films	Universal Pictures	Set to star Vin Diesel
Uno	TBA		Quality Films[61]	TBA
View-Master	TBA		Escape Artists	Sony Pictures Releasing[62]
Wishbone	TBA		TBA	Universal Pictures[63]

See also

• Barbenheimer

References

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