Philippines Allows Barbie Film but Wants Controversial Map Blurred 

Australian actress Margot Robbie meets fans during a pink carpet event to promote her new film "Barbie" in Seoul on July 2, 2023. (AFP)
Australian actress Margot Robbie meets fans during a pink carpet event to promote her new film "Barbie" in Seoul on July 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Philippines Allows Barbie Film but Wants Controversial Map Blurred 

Australian actress Margot Robbie meets fans during a pink carpet event to promote her new film "Barbie" in Seoul on July 2, 2023. (AFP)
Australian actress Margot Robbie meets fans during a pink carpet event to promote her new film "Barbie" in Seoul on July 2, 2023. (AFP)

Philippine censors said Wednesday they have allowed the upcoming 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.

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.

"Instead, the map portrayed the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the 'real world,' as an integral part of the story," the censorship board said in a statement.

"Rest assured that the Board has exhausted all possible resources in arriving at this decision as we have not hesitated in the past to sanction filmmakers/ producers/ distributors for exhibiting the fictitious 'nine-dash line' in their materials."

In a separate letter to Philippine Senator Francis Tolentino, who had criticized the film for "violating Filipino fisherfolks' rights", the censors said they had asked Hollywood studio Warner Bros to "blur" the controversial lines on the map.

Dashed lines drawn in a "child-like manner" appeared in several locations on the map around land masses identified as Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia, the censors said.

But it found only eight dashes around the landmass labelled "Asia".

"Moreover, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia are not visible on the map," the board said in the letter dated July 11 and shared with reporters.

"This is in stark contrast to the maps found in the banned films 'Abominable (2019)' and 'Uncharted (2022)'," it said.

Warner Bros did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

But a Warner Bros spokesperson was quoted by Variety as saying the map was a "child-like crayon drawing" and "not intended to make any type of statement".

The Philippines' approval of "Barbie" coincided with the seventh anniversary of an international ruling that China's historical claims to the South China Sea have no legal basis.



Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio Join Martial Arts Forces in 'Karate Kid: Legends' 

Jackie Chan speaks onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, in Santa Monica, California, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters) 
Jackie Chan speaks onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, in Santa Monica, California, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters) 
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Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio Join Martial Arts Forces in 'Karate Kid: Legends' 

Jackie Chan speaks onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, in Santa Monica, California, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters) 
Jackie Chan speaks onstage during the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, in Santa Monica, California, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters) 

Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio blend fighting techniques to train a new karate kid in the latest instalment of the martial arts movie franchise.

"Karate Kid: Legends", released this week, stars Ben Wang as Beijing kung fu whizz Li Fong who moves with his mother to New York, where he befriends pizza restaurant owner and retired boxer Victor and his daughter Mia.

When that friendship irks a local karate champion, Li enters a karate tournament and begins training with his old kung fu teacher Mr. Han, played by Chan, and Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, the protagonist of the original 1984 film "The Karate Kid" who learned karate from mentor Mr. Miyagi.

"They presented the concept to me ... connecting the Miyagi to the Han family and how that made sense ... I was like 'That's kind of clever. Okay, so how do we maintain this connective tissue into Li Fong's story that is organic and truthful'," Macchio told Reuters in a joint interview with Chan and Wang.

"That was the challenge at first and figuring that out. Working with Jackie was like, 'Woohoo sign me up - when, where?' And then who's the kid? If we don't love this kid, then you have no movie. So all those, like it happens with 'The Karate Kid' universe, is magic dust that comes down and somehow it continues to resonate. So I'm excited for the next generation version."

The movie is Macchio's fourth "Karate Kid" film playing LaRusso, a character he also portrayed in the "Cobra Kai" television series.

Chan reprises the role of Mr. Han, a character he first played in the 2010 film "The Karate Kid" opposite Jaden Smith.

"Now we've both become a Miyagi," Chan said, referring to both his and Macchio's characters becoming mentors.

"I remember when I saw the first one. Why him (Macchio)? Why not me? ... I want to be 'The Karate Kid'. (Now) We work together."

Wang, 25, said Chan's 2010 film introduced him to the franchise.

"Stepping into it, it's a terrifying thing in a certain way because it's a beloved franchise and ... the fans love it so much, so I want to do right by them," he said. "But it's also a great honor because a lot of people auditioned for this part, so I know how special and lucky it is that I get to do this with the two of them."