Is UglyDolls Appropriate for Young Children?
*My family and I were invited to an advance screening of Uglydolls by The Moms Network. While our screening was complimentary, all opinions in this post are my own*
It’s been almost 2 weeks since the boys and I screened UglyDolls but the movie is still crystal clear in my head. I fell in love with UglyDolls from the moment I saw the first trailer. I knew it was going to be good. Then I realized that Janelle Monae was the voice of Mandi, one of the dolls. So I REALLY knew it was going to be good. The cast of UglyDolls is filled with some amazing musical voices, and if you don’t know we LOVE a good musical movie. So when we were invited to an advanced screening of the movie I was IN. After all, I wasn’t going to turn down a chance to witness the movie musical event of the year.
What is UglyDolls about?
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 UglyDolls friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities, occasionally looking to the sky, 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.
How long is UglyDolls?
UglyDolls run time is listed as 1 hour and 30 minutes. The great thing about screenings is that they don’t show previews. We didn’t have to worry about a long wait before the movie started and the hour and a half went by REALLY fast. The run time for the movie was perfect.
Are there any parts of the movie I should worry about?
Some of the dolls in Perfection are pretty mean. If you have a child that is super sensitive to bullying then it may be triggering for them. There were moments of the movie where even I was like gee, Lou is a jerk! RJ is still young so I think most of the bullying themes went over his head, but I felt bad. Aside from being repeatedly reminded they’re ugly, I do remember the words “weird” and “freak” being used a few times.
My overall opinion of the movie?
UglyDolls is the super fun musical movie that it promises to be. My boys danced along the entire time. It has amazing lessons about embracing what makes you unique, flaws and all. It teaches that being “weird” should be celebrated and that friendship is important no matter how different you may be. When the movie was over and I asked RJ what his favorite part was, he said the music without hesitation. UglyDolls is definitely worth the watch, kids young and old will get something out of it.
UglyDolls is now playing in theaters everywhere! #PerfectionCanStuffIt
