I used to own all of the American Girl dolls—they were so cute and sweet. My favorite was always Molly. I used to envision her as the brainiac of the group, and I could relate to that, so she comforted me in a way. Honestly, I think it was the glasses. You can imagine my delight when I heard about the American Girl doll movie.
This year seems to have been the year of the dolls. The success of Barbie proved that people actually do want to see good movies about their favorite childhood toys, as long as they tell a good story. Maybe Toy Story wasn’t an anomaly after all.
Capitalizing on this wave, Paramount Pictures and Mattel are now developing a motion picture that will feature the group of lovely girl dolls that many of us remember with such fond nostalgia. Yes, we are getting an American Girl Doll movie! It may not have been something I ever knew I wanted, but now I am happy that this is happening. Mattel’s American Girl doll movie is being developed alongside several other toy-based features, including Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, and more. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines‘ Lindsey Anderson Beer is set to produce and write the project.
The American Girl dolls were first sold in the 1980s. I had assumed they had been around longer, so this was a surprise to me. The three original dolls—Molly, Samantha, and Kirsten—each represented different eras of American history; Molly lived through World War II, Samantha witnessed the turn of the century, and Kirsten was a pioneer girl in the mid-19th century. I didn’t know any of that, either. As I stated, I just saw Molly as a nerd, and I liked that. But clearly, there’s plenty of narrative material to work with.
My sister and I related so much to these dolls that we were able to create our own little worlds with them. The outfits, books, and everything associated with them really did tell a story. This will make them great characters for a motion picture. These dolls had a lot to say and a lot to teach us. Frankly, it’s a wonder we haven’t gotten an American Girl doll movie before.
I think the disappearance of history is a real threat to us as Americans, and as such, there is no downside to teaching history in an accessible way. These wonderful girls could present various historical periods in a manner that is palatable to a wide-ranging audience. “Palatable” isn’t a word I usually like to use, but I think in this context, these dolls could provide an entry point to a deeper understanding of America’s complex history. It also seems like it could just be a lot of warmhearted fun. And let’s be honest, we all need more wholesome yet historically relevant fun these days. There isn’t a date for the movie’s release yet, but I know I will be buying a ticket!
(via The Hollywood Reporter, featured image: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for American Girl)
Published: Dec 19, 2023 06:18 am