With David Horvath and Sun-min Kim’s characters brought to life in a screenplay written by Allison Peck, Kelly Asbury directing, and Robert Rodriguez and Jane Hartwell producing, “Uglydolls” could be the Underdoll story of the year.
I think this is a story we can all identify with: you wake up every day knowing today is going to be THE DAY your purpose in the world will happen (like Kelly Clarkson’s Moxy). Everyone you know is happy with the life they are living, and each of you accepts one another as you are, and on a day like that, you decide you need to give fate a hand and chase down your purpose. Maybe even a few of your friends agree to go with you on your journey (like Pitbull as Uglydog, Wanda Sykes as Wage, Gabriel Iglesias as Babo, and Leehom Wang as Lucky Bat), which takes all of you to a place you only thought possible in your imagination on your way to that place that can lead you to meeting that one individual; that one shot (here in the Institute of Perfection) that could lead you to change the way you think, behave, even look to try and fit in. Only to learn you never had a chance to meet the image of perfection according to one person (like Nick Jonas as Lou). Do you simply accept defeat, or do you press on for what your passions drive you for?
The voices are provided by a list of who’s who that will be familiar to a wide range of audience, adding Blake Sheldon, Ice-T, Gabriel Iglesias, Janelle Money, and Emma Roberts to list a few.
Although this story starts off for a much younger audience and develops into a tale for an elementary school age child, there is still something for everyone if you pay attention to the point of the shouting out of “Freebird” at the start of a scene that looks to be a concert. These hidden gems are what made this an even more enjoyable experience for me by hearing the laughter of the children in the theater during the viewing have me suggesting this film for a family outing. Don’t let “UglyDolls” get lost in the shuffle this summer!