Mattel Films is the film production division of

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

originally formed on October 16, 2013, as Mattel Playground Productions as part of Mattel Global Brands, a unified media structural and strategy unit. On March 31, 2016, Mattel placed the division within a newly-created division at the time,

Mattel Creations Mattel Television is the television production division of American toy and entertainment company Mattel, originally founded under the name Mattel Creations on March 31, 2016. It is headed by general manager and senior vice president, Frederic So ...

, absorbed its operations into it and, seven months later, made it defunct due to the box office reception of the live-action film release of ''Max Steel''. On September 6, 2018, the division was revived and reformed as Mattel Films.

History

Since the 1970s, Mattel has teamed up with numerous producers and studios to adapt its portfolio into feature-length films. This includes a joint venture in 1970 with producer

Robert B. Radnitz Robert Bonoff Radnitz (August 9, 1924 – June 6, 2010) was an American film producer best known for his production of the family films '' Sounder'' and ''Where the Lilies Bloom''. He produced several movies, many of which were adapted from child ...

, which produced family films including '' Sounder'', ''

Where the Lilies Bloom ''Where the Lilies Bloom'' is a 1974 American drama film adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Bill and Vera Cleaver. The film was produced by Robert B. Radnitz and directed by William A. Graham in Watauga County (towns of Boon ...

'', and '' A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich''. Mattel Playground Productions

In 2013, Mattel launched Playground Productions (shortened as Mattel PGP or just PGP) as its in-house film studio to handle multimedia productions and foster creative storytelling for its brands for global multi-platform distribution. Its first animated project was ''Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome!''. Mattel had been developing a live-action Hot Wheels film at

Legendary Entertainment Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC ( doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...

and

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, films featuring the ''Masters of the Universe'' and ''Barbie'' brands at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, a ''Monster High'' film with Universal and a ''

Max Steel Max Steel is a line of action figures produced and owned by the toy company Mattel since 1999. The original figures based on the first TV series were similar to the original 12-inch G.I. Joe toys, consisting almost entirely of different versi ...

'' film with

Dolphin Entertainment Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. is an American entertainment marketing and production company that is located in Coral Gables, Florida. It was founded in 1996 by CEO Bill O’Dowd. Dolphin produces children and young adult-targeted television shows and ...

. PGP was planned to set up three-year storytelling plans that incorporate every part of the company's core operations, from toy designers to consumer products and marketing. David Voss, an acclaimed 20-year veteran in the toy and entertainment business, was appointed as the division's head and Senior Vice President. With

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

on March 17, 2014, Mattel PGP launched an online short form series, ''

WWE Slam City ''WWE Slam City'' is an American animated show that was produced by WWE, which aired on the WWE Network and Wednesday evenings on Nicktoons (TV channel), Nicktoons. WWE Slam City was based on the Mattel action figure series starring toyetic versio ...

'', to go along with its dedicated toy line. The series was picked up by

Nicktoons Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Viacom, now known as Paramount Global) in their ...

' NickSports programming block from October 22, 2014. After Voss left the division in January 2016 for subscription service,

Loot Crate Loot Crate was a subscription box service established in 2012 which provided monthly boxes of geek- and gaming-related merchandise. History Loot Crate was founded in 2012 by Wes Hartman (Founder and honorary president for life with 57% of the c ...

, Mattel placed PGP within

upon its formation along with its other two content production units:

HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...

and the content creation team of American Girl at

Middleton, Wisconsin Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, and a suburb of the state capital, Madison. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census. In 2007, Middleton was chosen as the best pl ...

. After the critical and commercial failure of the live-action ''Max Steel'' film on October 20, 2016, Mattel Playground Productions was absorbed into Mattel Creations.

Reformation as Mattel Films

On September 6, 2018, Mattel announced the launch of a film division, Mattel Films, that will make films based on the company's toy brands. Outside Mattel, the division is widely recognized as the revival and replacement of Mattel PGP. Acclaimed film producer Robbie Brenner was appointed to head the division as executive producer and will report directly to Mattel's CEO,

Ynon Kreiz Ynon Kreiz (Hebrew: ינון קרייז; born 1965). is an Israeli-American businessman and current Chairman and CEO of Mattel.. He served as Chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe from 1997–2002, Chairman and CEO of television and digital produc ...

. The revived division's first two projects will be the ''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

'' and ''Masters of the Universe'' live-action films. On January 7, 2019, it was announced that

Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...

was going to star in the ''Barbie'' film to be co-produced with

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...

and Robbie's production company,

LuckyChap Entertainment LuckyChap Entertainment is an American production company based in Los Angeles, founded in 2014 by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr. The company describes their focal point as female-focused film and television producti ...

. With the '' Hot Wheels'' films rights option with

expired and reverted back to Mattel, Mattel Films shopped the property to Warner Bros. for a partnership on a film for the first time on January 29, 2019. The company teamed up with

for the first time on July 16, 2020, on adaptation of '' Wishbone'' to film. On April 19, 2021, Mattel Films teamed up with

and

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began auditio ...

One Race Films One Race Films (also simply known as One Race Productions) is an American film and multimedia production company. It is based in Studio City, California, and primarily produces feature films. Through its subsidiaries Tigon Studios and Racetrack ...

for a live-action film adaptation of the 1966-launched toy, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, starring Diesel himself. On June 24, 2021, Mattel Films and

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

agreed to work on a live-action film for

Polly Pocket Polly Pocket is a toy line of dolls and accessories first founded and designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 and licensed by Bluebird Toys from 1989 until both entities/properties were acquired by Mattel in 1998. History Polly Pocket was first designe ...

. On December 16, 2021, Mattel Films announced its first project based on outside intellectual property: ''Christmas Balloon'', which is written by Gabriela Revilla Lugo. The film is intended to be based on the true story of a young girl who tried to send her Christmas message to Santa via a balloon. In July 2022, Mattel Films and

Skydance Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American production company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with ...

announced the development of a live-action movie based on the

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...

die-cast toy vehicles.

Filmography

References

{{Film studios Mattel Films based on Mattel toys 2013 establishments in California American companies established in 2013 Companies based in El Segundo, California Mass media companies established in 2013 Film production companies of the United States