Film and album review: Ugly Dolls film and soundtrack

This week I am doing a double review, the film Ugly Dolls and the accompanying soundtrack, this was my wife's suggestion, I said I was going to do the soundtrack and she said why don't you do the film too. This meant we got to watch it again and introduce our toddler to it, safe to say he definitely loved it.

Film

I will start with the film, Ugly Dolls is based on the toys of the same name, directed by Kelly Asbury and starring Kelly Clarkson as Moxy, Nick Jonas as Lou, Blake Shelton as Ox, Janelle Monáe as Mandy, Pitbull as Ugly Dog, Wang Leehom as Lucky Bat, Wanda Sykes as Wage, Gabriel Iglesias as Babo, Bebe Rexha as Tuesday, Charli XCX Kitty and Lizzo as Lydia.

Before I go further I will say that there will be spoilers, so if you intend to watch the film and don't like spoilers wait to see the film first.

Ugly Dolls opens in Uglyville where all deformed dolls go. The lead character is Moxy who dreams of going to the big world and having a child to love her, she decides to find her way to the big world with her friends Ugly Dog, Lucky Bat, Wage and Babo. They find the Institute of perfection run by Lou, the perfect doll, he says that they do not meet the standards to pass the gauntlet but lets them participate to humiliate them. The ugly dolls befriend Mandy, who needs glasses and therefore is also imperfect. Lou send the spy girls (Tuesday, Kitty and Lydia) to kidnap Ox and gets him to reveal the truth to the other ugly dolls, Ox and Lou were once friends but Ox fell short of the standards and was banished so created Uglyville to save others from the rejection he faced. The ugly dolls spirits are broken and they return to Uglyville, until Mandy convinces Moxy to try again. The ugly dolls and Lou compete in the gauntlet, after Lou makes a baby robot cry Moxy and the ugly dolls make the baby happy therefore passing as that is a dolls ultimate goal. Lou is revealed as a prototype and tries to destroy the portal to the big world, he succeeds, however the ugly dolls and perfect dolls unite to fix the portal. They merge towns to create the town of imperfection and all the dolls have their own special child.

I absolutely love this film and am sure it is now a new addition to my favourites aswell as a family favourite. I love the characters and the story line aswell as the music, it just oozes positivity and fun. The overall take away from the film is that no matter what you look like everyone is perfect in their own unique way, I am aware this isn't a new concept but i feel it has been done really well.

The character of Moxy is definitely the most uplifting as she manages to stay positive and believe she can win for the majority of the film. Even after Ox's revelation it doesn't take too much for Mandy to convince her that she should show everyone what can be achieved when you believe and she certainly does.

The character of Mandy is an interesting one, she has an imperfection but hides it trying to be perfect like the spy girls, but she is also too nice to be perfect. She bonds with the ugly dolls due to her imperfection but also she believes in them. I feel that without the character of Mandy this story would have been very different, so I am glad of it as I really like her.

The bad guy is obviously Lou and while he is a brilliant bad guy, definitely making you not like him for most of the film. However I couldn't help but feel sorry for him in the end, he was the original and all dolls are meant to meet the same expectations he does and yet he can never leave, it may not be the right way of thinking but you can understand why he did what he did.

My favourite character is Ugly Dog, I just found him so funny and almost as upbeat as Moxy, he brings a different energy. He doesn't really care what others say about him and likes to call himself Slick Dog on account of his confidence and DJing skills, I just found him really fun and another character the film would be incomplete without.

My rating for the Ugly Dolls film is 10/10

Album

Now to talk about the music and unsurprisingly I love the music too, It fits perfectly with the film and gets across the message even more so in combination with the film. All the singers that are in the film perform songs in the film that are on the soundtrack with a few extras. Unfortunately the album was not very successful, only charting in the US at number 182. I really enjoy the variety of artists on this album, it helps that I liked them all anyway and the mixture works perfectly.

My favourite song on the album is The Big Finale which is obviously at the end of the film and has the whole cast, except Nick Jonas, singing it making it the only song that does. I love this song because it is so joyous, positive and wraps the film up really well, especially as the perfect dolls are accepting their flaws in the song. There are some bits sung by specific people, Kelly Clarkson, Pitbull and Blake Shelton all have their own verses, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX and Lizzo (the spy girls) even have their own verse. It's just overall a super enjoyable song that really lifts the spirits.

The honourable mentions go to Unbreakable by Janelle Monáe and Kelly Clarkson, Girl In The Mirror by Bebe Rexha and The Ugly Truth by Nick Jonas. I shall start with Unbreakable, it is a brilliant duet with Janelle and Kelly's voices blending perfectly and the message being about the unbreakable spirit they have, this is especially powerful as their two characters are the ones who keep the hope alive the most. Next Girl In The Mirror, partly I love this because I love everything Bebe Rexha has done but also it is an amazing song all about being tired of hating what she sees in the mirror and comparing it to everyone else, but ultimately wanting to see beauty in herself. This definitely fits with the theme of the film even though it is not actually in the film and shows of Bebe's vocal skills perfectly. I am doing a third simply because it deserves it, The Ugly truth is a brilliant and a perfect bad guy song. It is the ultimate 'i'm perfect and your are not' song and the way Nick sings it gives it a bit more of a sinister edge making it even more cutting towards the ugly dolls.

To end then it is time for the ratings for each song;

1. Kelly Clarkson - Broken & Beautiful 9.5/10

2. Kelly Clarkson - Couldn't Be Better (pop version) 9/10

3. Kelly Clarkson - Today's The Day 8.5/10

4. Kelly Clarkson & The Ugly Dolls - Couldn't Be Better 9/10

5. The Ugly Dolls - Today's The (Perfect) Day 9/10

6. Nick Jonas - The Ugly Truth 9.5/10

7. Pentatonix - You Make My Dreams 8/10

8. Nick Jonas - The Uglier Truth (Interlude) 8.5/10

9. Janelle Monáe ft Kelly Clarkson & The Ugly Dolls - All Dolled Up 9.5/10

10. Janelle Monáe & Kelly Clarkson - Unbreakable 10/10

11. Ugly Dolls Cast - The Big Finale 10/10

12. Bebe Rexha - The Girl In The Mirror 10/10

13. Anitta - Ugly 8/10

14. Why Don't We - Don't Change 9.5/10

15. Blake Shelton - Wallflowers And Weeds 8.5/10

16. Anitta - Ugly (Spanish Version) 8/10

I would love to know what you think of the film and the soundtrack, do you love them as much as me?

If you don't have your own copy of the Ugly Dolls film or soundtrack here is a link to find them

*affiliate link