Philippines censors approve Barbie movie – if ‘childlike’ eight-dash line blurred

Dashed lines appear in several locations on a map in the film. But the censors said they found only eight dashes around the landmass labelled ‘Asia’

The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are not even visible, they told a senator – yet they still want distributor Warner Bros to blur the map out

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A “world map” is seen in a still from a trailer for the “Barbie” movie. The map portrays “the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the ‘real world’, as an integral part of the story”, the Philippines’ censor board said. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Published: 2:34pm, 12 Jul 2023Updated: 2:38pm, 12 Jul 2023

Philippine censors said Wednesday they have allowed the Barbie film to be shown in cinemas, after asking its Hollywood distributor to blur a map allegedly showing China’s claims to the disputed South China Sea.

The fantasy comedy film about the famous doll, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is set to open in the Southeast Asian nation on July 19.

After reviewing the film twice and consulting foreign affairs officials and legal experts, the government’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board said it would allow it to be screened.

The censors began examining Barbie last week after Vietnam reportedly banned the film over scenes featuring a map showing the so-called nine-dash line, which China uses to justify its maritime claims.

A Philippine vessel faces off with a Chinese coastguard ship in the South China Sea last month. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite rival claims from other Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

But after “meticulous” scrutiny of the film, Philippine censors were convinced that the “cartoonish map” did not depict the nine-dash line.