Barbie's dreamworld is home to many iterations of its title character, including Mermaid Barbie. There are also a number of Kens. They are coupled, but they aren't having sex.

Barbie, based on the Mattel doll that launched in 1959, leads the way for recent toy-centric titles — and the season’s theatrical features in general, having topped $1.1 billion globally.

Inevitably, Barbie’s embrace of feminism and inclusiveness (including a trans character) has triggered a “Barbie” backlash from the expected sources who feast on cultural outrage, although ...

People might go to the movies to escape reality. Yet Barbie and Ariel choose to live in the world their audiences inhabit − and, in doing so, decide to die.