View-Master Toy-Based Movie In The Works From Mattel After Barbie’s Runaway Success

Mattel is now developing a movie based on View-Master. Mattel is the toy company behind Barbie, which famously got a 2023 film adaptation that made over $1 billion and became the highest grossing movie of its release year. The View-Master is another Mattel toy, whose first models were released in 1939. With the classic toy, users can hold their eyes up to the device and click through a series of images that they can view through tiny stereoscopes.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Mattel is now planning on making a film based on View-Master. This film will be a live action movie, whose title has not yet been revealed. The story is said to be a “four-quadrant family adventure film,” though there have been no further plot details revealed other than this statement. Mattel Films will develop this with Escape Artists, who are run by Todd Black. Black serves as a producer on the film alongside Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Tony Shaw, Kevin McKeon, and Arturo Thur de Koos. Black released the following statement about the View-Master film:

View-Master has long been a window to the wonders of the world, sparking imagination in kids and adults alike. Teaming up with Robbie Brenner and Mattel Films gives us the chance to honor that legacy while creating an entirely new adventure for today’s audience.

In addition to Black’s statement, Mattel Films president Robbie Brenner also released a statement about the film:

View-Master has inspired generations to embark on boundless adventures, offering a treasure trove of storytelling possibilities for this film. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Escape Artists’ Todd Black to bring this Mattel franchise to life. Their creative and filmmaking expertise sets the stage to introduce a modern take on this beloved toy to audiences everywhere.”

What The View-Master Movie Development Means For Mattel’s Toy Movie Plans

Mattel Is Making Many Toy-Based Films

Following the success of Barbie, Mattel has come out to reveal multiple plans for a toy-based film adaptation. Some felt this meant that Hollywood was taking the wrong lesson from Barbie‘s success. Instead of thinking that Barbie was a win for films by and about women, some felt, Mattel took it as a win for toys. While Mattel has not confirmed this as their takeaway, the development of yet another toy-based film by View-Master seems to confirm Mattel’s prioritization of toy-based content.

Related

Mattel’s American Girl Doll Movie: Everything We Know

After the whirlwind success of their Barbie movie, Mattel has begun work on a cinematic adaptation of their beloved American Girl dolls.

View-Master will in fact be released among an onslaught of toy-based content. This includes films based on Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, The Magic 8 Ball, and a Matchbox movie. One of their other upcoming projects, Masters of the Universe, is also set to be a collaboration with Escape Artists, who are working on the View-Master movie. As these movies get released in the upcoming years, it will be interesting to see whether Mattel is right to mass produce toy movies, or whether this turns out to be a failed Hollywood experiment.

Our Take On The View-Master Movie

View-Master Seems Hard To Adapt

While seeing news of another Mattel Films toy movie does not surprise me in the slightest, I have to say a View-Master movie is somewhat unexpected. While a View-Master movie has been floated before by MGM in 2019, it seems like one of the less inherently adaptable toys. Dolls, or even robots, can clearly be made into anthropomorphized characters, but a View-Master provides a much greater challenge. This just makes the eventual View-Master adaptation even more intriguing as development continues on the project.

Source: THR