Philippines allows 'Barbie' movie to be screened, calls China map 'cartoonish'

The Philippines cleared the "Barbie" movie for merchandise pursuing calls to prohibition the amusement owed to a arguable representation of China's "nine dash line."

The determination came aft the movie reappraisal committee concluded the representation was "cartoonish" and that determination was nary practice of a arguable representation diagnostic that China uses to involvement its claims to ample swarths of the disputed South China Sea.

Warner Bros. "Barbie" is unexpectedly turning retired to beryllium 1 of the astir arguable movie releases this summertime aft Vietnam last week banned Greta Gerwig's comedic phantasy accumulation astir the celebrated doll.

Promotional trailers reportedly featured a country showing the "nine-dash line," a representation diagnostic China uses to warrant its territorial claims to the immense bulk of the South China Sea.

"Considering the discourse by which the cartoonish representation of the quality 'Weird Barbie' was portrayed successful the film, the reappraisal committee is convinced that the contentious country does not picture the 'nine-dash line,'" the Philippines' Movie and Television Review and Classification Board said successful a connection Wednesday.

It said the determination came aft reviewed the movie twice, and consulted some overseas affairs officials and ineligible experts.

The Philippine committee has requested for Warner Bros. "to blur the arguable lines successful bid to debar further misinterpretations," according to media reports.

In 2006, an planetary tribunal successful The Hague ruled against China aft the Philippines raised a ailment implicit the disputed waterway, but tensions persist due to the fact that Beijing continues to cull that verdict.

Other Asian countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei person protested China's continued and persistent operation of assorted onshore installations since past to intensify its onshore grab. The disputed South China Sea is simply a important commercialized way that's affluent successful minerals, wherever trillions of dollars of ship-borne commercialized walk done annually.

"The representation successful Barbie Land is simply a child-like crayon drawing," a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety past week, successful effect to Vietnam's ban. "The doodles picture Barbie's make-believe travel from Barbie Land to the 'real world.' It was not intended to marque immoderate benignant of statement."

Film authorities successful the Philippines whitethorn person accepted this argument, but they besides issued a warning.

"The Board sternly warns each filmmakers, producers, and distributors that it volition not hesitate to authorisation and/or prohibition films that grounds the 'nine-dash enactment for being contrary to the law,'" the reappraisal committee said successful its statement.

The movie stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling arsenic Ken, who are some embarking connected a travel of self-discovery aft their expulsion from the utopian Barbie Land.