Like a ’90s toy store packed with tiny beanbag dogs, this fact-based dramedy about one of pop culture’s cuddliest crazes boasts some seriously hot commodities. “We are so psyched we got this cast,” says Kristin Gore, who codirected The Beanie Bubble with husband Damian Kulash, of the A-list ensemble led by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), Sarah Snook (Succession), and Geraldine Viswanathan (Miracle Workers).
Apple TV+
Each of the immensely gifted actresses portrays a woman who played a key role in helping eccentric entrepreneur Ty Warner (a wonderfully odd Zach Galifianakis) develop the company behind — and frenzy for — Beanie Babies during the internet’s infancy. Using Zac Bissonnette’s book The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute as their source material, the duo set about to honor the unsung Beanie team. So aside from Ty himself, “the characters are fictional,” says Kulash. “Renderings that are totally inspired by these real stories of those women in the book.”
Infused with a candy-coated tone that deftly combines smart comedy with all-too-timely social commentary, Bubble bounces between the leading ladies’ three points of view to reveal how Warner’s ego and refusal to share the spotlight led to wild inequities for the trio. “We hope people get that this journey that these women are going on happens over and over again across decades and across centuries,” offers Kulash. “We wanted to highlight themes of what and who America values [against] this super-fun backdrop of stuffed animals.”
Apple TV+
And speaking of the stuffed animals, the film is packed to the rafters with the once-coveted collectibles. So how exactly did Gore and Kulash get their hands on so many classic Babies? They made them!
“Our production department was really, really, really incredible,” raves Gore. “As we were casting the film, our producer was going, ‘How are we going to get 10,000 stuffed animals made?!’ And it turns out, that’s not easy.” Maybe not, but the presence of so many miniature animals allowed for a balance of fuzzy fun and the well-documented Ty-ranny of their overlord. “We had cuddly things all throughout,” Gore continues with a laugh. “Every day, it was just joy and stuffed animals…and darkness and dysfunction.”
The Beanie Bubble, Friday, July 28, Apple TV+
