Will Barbie Be Banned in the Philippines? Breaking Down the Nine-Dash Line Controversy

Who would have thought that, of all movies, Barbie would be embroiled in a geopolitical drama? The highly-anticipated film by Greta Gerwig has caused quite a stir in Southeast Asia over its controversial map of the South China Sea depicting the nine-dash line. Vietnam was the first Southeast Asian country to take action by banning Barbie from its cinemas.

And the Philippines could potentially be the next.

At present, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) is deliberating on Warner Bros’ request to show the film in the Philippines. The outcome could go either way, but it’s important to note that there is precedent for banning big Hollywood films over the nine-dash line. Pixar’s Abominable and Sony’s Uncharted were banned for the same reasons in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

But there’s also a slim chance that Barbie will be approved based on the nine-dash line’s ambiguous placement in the film.

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Where does the nine-dash line show up in Barbie?

The movie’s nine-dash line appears when Margot Robbie’s Barbie is directed to go to the Real World. Quick context: Robbie’s Barbie exists in Barbie Land and ventures into the Real World for some self-discovery. In her quest, she conjures up a map with child-like drawings, but it’s the map of Asia that has everyone in an uproar. In the shot, a giant piece of land, which we assume is China, is attached to a meandering line of dashes.

Photo by Warner Bros..

This is where things get complicated. The nine-dash line in Barbie Land only has eight dashes, and China isn’t mentioned anywhere. The eight-dash line appears to jut into the ocean instead of the Southeast Asian corner of the world, and Southeast Asia doesn’t appear to exist on this map at all.

Of course, viewers—especially those from countries affected by China’s nine-dash line—aren’t obtuse. It’s easy enough to infer what this eight-dash line is meant to represent. But its placement is ambiguous enough that it could potentially pass the standards of national review boards.

Why is the nine-dash line controversial?

China’s nine-dash line claims territories that belong to Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia for the People’s Republic of China. However, the Hague Tribunal of 2016 ruled that China’s nine-dash line holds no legal basis. The tribunal was a result of an arbitration case filed by the Philippine government in 2013 to protect Philippine sovereignty over its waters. Despite this, China has refused to recognize this ruling, causing tensions in the region and highlighting China’s disregard for international law.

A handful of Philippine lawmakers have already made their opinions clear: protecting Philippine sovereignty trumps Barbie.

Senator Francis Tolentino questioned the importance of screening Barbie in the Philippines: “What the effect would be? Something that would dilute our sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros was a little more frank: “The movie is fiction, and so is the nine-dash line.”

@senrisahontiveros The movie Barbie is fiction, and so is the nine-dash line. #Barbie #BarbieMovie ##China #ninedashline #RisaHontiveros ? original sound - Risa Hontiveros

Although, instead of banning the film altogether, Hontiveros suggests a compromise: “At the minimum, our cinemas should include an explicit disclaimer that the nine-dash line is a figment of China’s imagination.”

In a surprising turn of events, it looks like among the summer blockbusters, Oppenheimer—Christopher Nolan’s film about the catastrophic atomic bombs America dropped on Japan—might be the less controversial film of the two.