May 3, 2019

STX Entertainment's "UglyDolls" can not get out of ugly reviews

Kelly Asbury's new cg animated feature, Uglydolls, is the first animated venture produced by STX Entertainment's family and animation division, and unfortunately for the studio, reviews have been largely negative. The movie currently holds an alarming 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film opens today in the U.S. on 3,652 screens. Box office pundits are estimating a wide range between $7-15 million for its opening weekend.

Based on the plush toy line created in 2001 by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, Uglydolls follows a pack of misshapen soft toys as they go on a musical journey to discover how their flaws actually make them special and unique. The screenplay was written by Alison Peck from a story by Robert Rodriguez, who is also credited as a producer. The star-studded voice cast is comprised of numerous singers including Kelly Clarkson, Pitbull, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, and Janelle Monáe.

Produced by Reel FX Animation in Montreal and Original Force in China, the movie is a mid-range cg feature with an estimated $45 million budget.

In Cartoon Brew's recent interview with Asbury, the director noted he was impressed and satisfied with how Uglydolls turned out despite the relatively limited resources at their disposal:

Unfortunately, critics haven't fallen for the merchandise-friendly project. One common complaint is that the screenplay appears to rehash elements from other more successful animated films dealing with sentient toys such as the Toy Story franchise, Trolls, and The Lego Movie. Others feel that there is not much going for it in terms of style or visual originality. Reactions range from those who are apathetic to those with much more vitriolic takes.

Still, given that the target demographic skews young for this film, the film could end up beating the poor critical reviews and find a theatrical audience, similar to Paramount Animation's Wonder Park, which has managed over $40 million domestic box office despite poor reviews.

Here are some takes on the film from critics at major publications:

For the New York Times, Glenn Kenny wrote about the previous works that Uglydolls borrows from:

Dismissing the movie as “a disposable piece of children's entertainment,” Indiewire's David Ehrlich said:

Writing for The New York Post, Johnny Oleksinski pointed out the feature appears to have merchandise sales as its only purpose:

Even harsher notes came from The Hollywood Reporter's Keith Uhlich, who described the film as:

On a positive note, Michael O'Sullivan from the Washington Post found the movie and its characters endearing even if the world reminded him too much of other animated classics: