UglyDolls (2019)

## UglyDolls (2019)

### Produced by

Jane Hartwell
Robert Rodriguez
Oren Aviv

### Starring

Kelly Clarkson
Janelle Monáe
Nick Jonas
Blake Shelton
Wang Leehom
Pitbull
Wanda Sykes
Gabriel Iglesias
Emma Roberts
Bebe Rexha
Charli XCX
Lizzo

### Edited by

Julie Rogers
Nolan Southerland

### Production company

STX Family
Reel FX Animation Studios
Alibaba Pictures

### Budget

$45 million

*UgyDolls* is a 2019 film by STXfilms, created to market the toy brand by the same name. The film focuses on Moxy, a pink Uglydoll who dreams of going to the Big World to find a human to love her.

## Official Description

Unconventionality rules in UGLYDOLLS, STXfilms’ new animated musical adventure starring the acting and singing voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull. The film is inspired by the unique and beloved global plush toy phenomenon launched in 2001.

In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. Here, the free-spirited Moxy and her UglyDoll friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities. The endearingly unique residents of Uglyville occasionally look to the sky above the town, where a new UglyDoll will appear and be embraced by the community.

Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) loves her square-peg life in this round-hole town, but her curiosity about all things leads her to wonder if there’s something – anything – on the other side of the mountain which nestles Uglyville. Moxy gathers a group of her closest friends and sets off to find what’s on the other side. They discover another world – Perfection – a town where more conventional dolls are trained in protocols before they graduate and are sent to the “real” world to find the love of a child.

In Perfection, Moxy and her crew are subject to the manipulations of Lou (Nick Jonas), the perfect doll in charge of training recruits. Here, the UglyDolls will confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most.

Created as a plush toy line by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, the UglyDoll brand quickly gained a cult following around the world and was named Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association in 2006. Beloved by children, teenagers and adults alike, UglyDoll characters are distinct for their endearing “Uglyness,” in a wonderful “Uglyverse” where differences are celebrated and embraced.

Also starring in the voice cast of UGLYDOLLS are Wanda Sykes, Emma Roberts, Gabriel Iglesias, Wang Leehom, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX and Lizzo.

STXfilms will release UGLYDOLLS in theaters on May 3, 2019 as the launch vehicle for STX Entertainment’s UglyDolls franchise. An animated series is also underway with a full series order from premium streaming service Hulu, and Hasbro joined early on as global master toy licensee.

The original motion picture soundtrack will be released by Atlantic Records.

## Plot

In a hidden universe, dolls are anthropomorphized and chosen for a single child, while deformed dolls are dropped into the remote town of Uglyville. Among these dolls is the idealistic Moxy (Kelly Clarkson), who dreams of the 'Big World' and being chosen for a child ("Today's the Day"/"Couldn't Be Better"), despite Uglyville's Mayor Ox (Blake Shelton) assuring her this is a myth.

On advice from the shy village 'wise man' Lucky Bat (Wang Leehom), Moxy enters the hole from which new Uglydolls arrive, hoping to reach the Big World with the help of Lucky Bat and her friends, easy-going Ugly Dog (Pitbull), cynical baker Wage (Wanda Sykes), and strong, soft-spoken Babo (Gabriel Iglesias). Moxy and her friends follow the tunnel to the Institute of Perfection ("Today's the (Perfect) Day") where dolls go through a number of tests, culminating in ‘the Gauntlet’, an obstacle course based on a human house, to be with their perfect child.

The Institute's superficially charming doll leader Lou (Nick Jonas) meets the Uglydolls ("The Ugly Truth"), but states that they do not meet the standards to participate in the Gauntlet. However, after seeing the strength of Moxy’s determination, Lou agrees to let them try, hoping to ruin her optimism.

Lou assigns a Perfect doll, Mandy (Janelle Monáe), to show the Uglydolls to their temporary lodgings in Perfection. While Mandy is more accepting of the Uglydolls — she herself has poor eyesight — she refuses to wear glasses and be labelled 'imperfect.'

The Uglydolls' first days of training ("You Make My Dreams") end in disaster, as they are repeatedly thrown into the washing machine for failing tests aimed at keeping clean. Lou tries to discourage them once more, but Moxy refuses to give up. She convinced her friends to dress up like the Perfect dolls for a better chance at reaching the Big World ("All Dolled Up").

Meanwhile, Lou sends the Spy Girls, a trio of ruthless perfect dolls – Tuesday (Bebe Rexha), Kitty (Charli XCX), and Lydia (Lizzo) – to kidnap Ox. They bring him to Lou, who makes him confess that he and Lou were once friends who trained for the Gauntlet together. When Ox fell short of its standards, he was banished to the dreaded Recycling.

After discovering that his entire existence was a mistake, Ox boarded up the entrance to Recycling and created Uglyville. He took up the role of mayor and kept the Big World a secret from his fellow Uglydolls, wanting to protect them from the terrible truth. Demoralized, Moxy abandons her quest and returns to Uglyville with Ox and their friends. Upon their return, they reveal the truth to the rest of the town, causing the residents of Uglyville to lose their morale. Uglyville transforms into a bleak and depressed town overnight, with homelessness and poverty threatening the dolls’ livelihoods.

Just when Moxy resigns herself to a lifetime of sadness, Mandy visits and convinces her to return to Perfection and run the Gauntlet. Mandy says that Lou’s opinions don’t matter, only Moxy’s belief that there is a child for her in the Big World ("Unbreakable"). Her confidence is renewed, and Moxy decides to go back to face the Gauntlet.

Moxy and Mandy prepare to leave when they are kidnapped by the Spy Girls, acting on the orders of Lou. He was afraid that if Moxy was left with her friends, she would eventually rally their spirits and return to Perfection; to prevent Moxy from reigniting the hopes of Uglyville, Lou throws Moxy and Mandy in Recycling.

Lou and the Spy Girls go to prepare the Gauntlet, leaving Moxy and Mandy with no way of escaping. However, right before they can be torn apart in Reycling, everyone from Uglyville arrives to save them. Moxy inspires the Uglydolls with an impassioned speech and they rush to Perfection, arriving around the Gauntlet just before the start of the test.

The Perfect dolls are horrified when the Uglydolls arrive, and Lou is enraged, though he tries to hide it. He allows the Uglydolls to run the Gauntlet, expecting them to fail and prove him right once and for all. As the Uglydolls advance through the challenges, Ugly Dog distracts a robotic dog by putting on a disguise and dancing to help the other Uglydolls, ("Bon Bon") prompting Lou to try to sabotage Moxy. Nearing the finish line, Lou makes a robotic baby cry after kicking it in the face, prompting the Perfect dolls, including the Spy Girls, to turn against him. Moxy garners support from the crowd when she stops to comfort the crying baby, even if it means she won’t complete the Gauntlet in time.

Lou crosses the finish line, but Moxy and her friends are awarded the victory for making a child happy – a doll's true purpose. Lou reveals himself to be a prototype, the original standard that the factory set for the Perfect dolls. While he is the most perfect of them all, unlike them, he is not allowed to leave the factory, and as a result will “fail” the Gauntlet challenge no matter how well he performs.

In a last-ditch attempt to keep the Uglydolls from leaving, Lou takes a giant knitting needle to destroy the portal to the Big World. Overcome with anger and resentment, he decides that if he can't leave Perfection, then no one can. After a brief fight at the portal, Lou’s plan is foiled by the Uglydolls, and Lou is thrown into the washing machine by an imperfect Perfect doll named Nolan.

The Uglydolls and the Perfect dolls fix the portal, make peace, and merge their towns to create the town of Imperfection ("The Big Finale"). Moxy finally goes through the portal, where she is put into the arms of her special kid, a little girl named Maizy who is revealed to have imperfect teeth like Moxy.

During the credits ("Broken & Beautiful"), the Uglydolls, Mandy, and the Spy Girls are each shown to have found their own special kid with similar characteristics, while Lou is demoted to janitorial duty and overseen by the robotic dog.

## Cast

Kelly Clarkson as Moxy, the leader of the group. She has insatiable curiosity, limitless confidence and the ability to make others feel great about exactly who they are, but she's also looking for something more. Her design is based on that of Gorgeous.

Nick Jonas as Louis "Lou”, the mean, conceited, and preppy leader from the town of Perfection, a bully towards the Uglydolls and the other imperfect dolls, a prototype model that can't go to the real world, and a former friend of Ox.

Janelle Monáe as Mandy, a lonely perfect doll who wears glasses for eyesight problems and befriends the Uglydolls.

Blake Shelton as Ox, the unofficial Mayor of Uglyville, mentor to all of the other Uglydolls and childhood friend of Lou.

Pitbull as Ugly Dog, a one-eyed dog and Moxy's closest and best friend. Pitbull also serves as an executive producer of the film.

Wanda Sykes as Wage, a cynical baker who can be frequently found cooking up some amazing and inventive culinary concoctions.

Wang Leehom as Lucky Bat, a wise and thoughtful bat-like adviser, but he's a little insecure about his abilities. He is loosely based on a variant of Ice-Bat.

Gabriel Iglesias as Babo, the largest, soft-spoken and handiest of the Uglydolls.

Emma Roberts as Wedgehead, the newest citizen of Uglyville.

Bebe Rexha as Tuesday, a blue-haired perfect doll and one of the Spy Girls.

Charli XCX as Kitty, a pink-haired perfect doll and one of the Spy Girls.

Lizzo as Lydia, a purple-haired perfect doll and one of the Spy Girls.

Ice-T as Peggy, a small one-eyed flying unicorn.

Laura Nicole Harrison as Jumbotron

Jane Lynch as Scanner, Electronic Voice

Kelly Asbury as Gibberish Cat, Oliver, Chef, Buttons

Natalie Martinez as Meghan

Stephen Zimpel as Michael

Enrique Santos as Nolan, a not-so-perfect doll that Lou called Ugly in "The Ugly Truth”

Rob Riggle as Exposition Robot

Steven Schweickart as New Arrival

Afi Ekulona as Tray

Jacques Colimon as Sporko