ReviewUglyDolls film review: animated feature inspired by plush toys lacks personality to truly stand out

2.5/5 stars

Even before Moxy, our Kelly Clarkson-voiced heroine, begins belting out the opening number of UglyDolls, an animated feature film inspired by a line of plush toys, audiences will have a pretty clear idea of where the movie is headed.

Through heavy-handed storytelling and a procession of not particularly catchy songs, UglyDolls teaches us to appreciate ourselves and others, not for the way we look on the outside, but for who we are on the inside.

It brings home the message that our self-worth is not determined by earning the validation of other people, but by seeking out our own truth, while recognising our faults and imperfections as defining characteristics we should be proud of, rather than be insecure about. All perfectly valid life lessons, to be sure, and all previously covered with greater subtlety and nuance in myriad other children’s films before this one, not least Pixar’s hugely successful Toy Story franchise.

Set in the fictional town of Uglyville, where misshapen toys, tossed from the great assembly lines in the sky, have forged a life to call their own, Moxy, Lucky Bat, Ox and the rest of the UglyDolls dream that one day, they too will be chosen by a child, who will whisk them off to “The Big World”, and love them unconditionally.

Of course, for the residents of Uglyville, that day never comes; nobody outside their private sanctuary even knows they exist. That is, until Moxy and her friends venture beyond their realm, and into “Perfection”, where beautifully sculpted dolls are being put through their final paces by their angelic leader, Lou (Nick Jonas), before being sent out into the world.