Head on Down to Uglyville in the New Uglydolls Trailer

Get ready for a quick trip to Uglyville. On May 3, STX Films will release Uglydolls, the first motion picture based on the uniquely odd plush characters that have been winning over fans since 2001. The second trailer has arrived, and it’s our best look yet at the colorful feature, which includes the acting and singing voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton, and Pitbull, alongside Charlie XCX, Lizzo, Wanda Sykes, Emma Roberts, Gabriel Iglesias, and Wang Leehom.

Uglydolls Synopsis

“In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special, and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye,” according to STX Films. “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.”

The synopsis continues, “Moxy (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 that 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.”

Finally, according to STX, “In Perfection, Moxy and her crew are subject to the manipulations of Lou (Jonas), the perfect doll in charge of training recruits. Here, 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.”

Uglydolls is directed by Kelly Asbury (Gnomeo and Juliet).

STX Films is betting big on Uglydolls as a franchise, with an animated series on-deck for Hulu and toys from Hasbro launching later this year. An original soundtrack album will be released by Atlantic Records.

Photo: STX Films

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.