‘UglyDolls’ Film Review: You’ve Seen This Toy Story Before
Doubling as both a colorful recycling bin for tropes and ideas from a variety of preexisting children animated features and a casting session for “The Voice”‘s next batch of hosts, Kelly Asbury’s plush-inspired film “UglyDolls” is underscored by a well-intentioned message of self-acceptance, even if the delivery vehicle is unremarkable.
Developed from a story by Robert Rodriguez and written by newcomer Alison Peck, this musical adventure about misshapen plush dolls that were rejected by quality control in a toy factory is as energetic as its mechanics are perplexing. Sure, one must give in to the fantastical elements in films of this kind, but some of the plot details in this mashup production (“Toy Story” + “Monsters Inc.” + a generic stage show) are as visibly defective as its heroes but much less huggable.