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I sat down to watch the 2019 animated movie "UglyDolls" with my nine year old son, as he had been wanting to see it for some time.

Now, usually I do like animated movie, but "UglyDolls" just never caught on with me. The storyline was just too bland and unimaginative, and the entire character gallery was just rubbish.

I will say that the animation itself and the CGI was quite good, so the movie does harvest some points there. And it also scores some points for some good voice acting. But the rest of the movie was just less than mediocre.

Even my nine year old son, whom had really been looking forward to watching this animated movie, wasn't particularly thrilled or entertained by the outcome of the movie. It was just not outstanding and it lacked comedy elements to spice it up.

Furthermore, there was just way too much singing in this animated movie for my liking. It felt like you were sitting through another Disney animation.

All in all, "UglyDolls" is a less than mediocre animated movie. However, I am sure that it will find a home with the younger audience perhaps around 6 years old or so.

The message is positive and the songs are catchy. I think some of the ratings given by adults are unfair. I'm not sure where how it's been rated 'severe' for violence. It's a kids cartoon, not The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Any frightening scenes and violence in this film are certainly no worse than some of the scenes in Disney films. My daughter was 4 when she first saw this, she's quite sensitive and didn't show any signs that she was disturbed by what she saw. If your child can handle the gore-fest that is Snow White, then they will be just fine with this film.

I don't know how "UglyDolls" made it to theaters instead of just dropping on Netflix, but then again, I'm not in marketing. What unfolds is ninety minutes of bright colors, lots of noise and tired gags. And it's a long ninety minutes.

But the kids in my theater (my 9 year-old included) really liked it. My daughter enjoyed herself, even being moved at one point. And Kelly Clarkson is impressive in her own right.

Best I can offer is actually wait til it's on Netflix, then the ticket price won't sting. But it's harmless.

Uglyville is where all the discarded defective dolls are gathered. They live a happy life with limited knowledge of the bigger world. Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) dreams of being a little girl's doll. She and other Uglydolls escape to the Institute of Perfection where dolls try to be more perfect in order to be placed with perfect children.

With Chinese financing and some good voice talent, this movie has a chance at being the next Trolls. It's got the bright colors and pop forgettable songs. The problem seems to be that it doesn't the fun energy. It also doesn't have JT pushing it. The bigger problem is moving away from Uglyville. It seems to be a fascinating place and a much more fun place to explore than the Institute of Perfection. While I appreciate the premise of being individuals and accepting your imperfections, that place drains the fun out of the movie. That's the crux of the problem. It's not much fun.

Ugly Dolls may not have done well in Box Office but it has a beautiful story for kinds to learn. It includes great songs and great voice overs for each character, especially ones that children know and can relate to. Go in this movie with a open mind and wonder what the director is trying to betray before judging it so harshly.