UglyDolls
20th Century Fox | Release Date: May 3, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
39
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
12
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanMay 1, 2019
UglyDolls is “Trolls Lite,” and the way things work I have no doubt we’ll be seeing a movie in the next few years that’s “UglyDolls Lite.” Yet this is still a winsomely appealing and joke-happy bauble for kiddies. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 2, 2019
Yes, UglyDolls is a musical, and the peppy songs, while devoid of any subtlety, help tell the story, and are delivered with sincerity. Such ditties as Clarkson’s “Broken and Beautiful” celebrate body positivity and self-acceptance. Read full review
60
Film ThreatAlan NgJun 4, 2019
UglyDolls is good for the kids and a great way to occupy their attention for almost 90 minutes. For the adults, it’s just another uninspired children’s film to hold us over until the next one comes along. Read full review
58
Original-CinKaren GordonMay 1, 2019
Ultimately, it’s a standard formula for a kid’s movie (and standard formulas are standard for movies that are also toy ads). UglyDolls isn’t particularly inventive or outstanding. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNell MinowMay 3, 2019
It’s not bad. It’s just not very good. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 2, 2019
For a protracted toy commercial, UglyDolls is surprisingly charming, not least because it is that rarest of films that is genuinely aimed at small children. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 2, 2019
So there’s every reason to expect this to suck, completely and utterly. But the tunes become a sort of saving grace, the animation’s not bad and the there’s enough slapstick to keep tiny tykes distracted. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshMay 1, 2019
For a film about outlandishly kooky dolls, the film sure is flat, listless and narratively bland. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMay 1, 2019
The UglyDolls film makes the most obvious choice at every conceivable opportunity, and is all the more tolerable for that. Read full review
45
TheWrapCarlos AguilarMay 1, 2019
Doubling as both a colorful recycling bin for tropes and ideas from a variety of preexisting children animated features and a casting session for “The Voice”‘s next batch of hosts, Kelly Asbury’s plush-inspired film UglyDolls is underscored by a well-intentioned message of self-acceptance, even if the delivery vehicle is unremarkable. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerMay 1, 2019
Adults in charge might want to take a cue from the movie’s penny-pinching, and save some money on movie tickets. Read full review
40
The GuardianCath ClarkeAug 16, 2019
The film is constantly defining what ugly is: freckles, crooked teeth, excess weight, glasses, clumsiness. At times it feels like an unintentional crib sheet for under-sevens bullying. Read full review
40
EmpireIan FreerAug 15, 2019
In the Insta age, this paean to body positivity and living your own truth is more than welcome, but you just wish UglyDolls’ message could be more charmingly argued, adroitly assembled and just plain funny. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshMay 1, 2019
For anyone over 5, it’s best as mild, inoffensive background noise, but no more thrilling or satisfying than that. It turns out to be nothing more than a merchandising opportunity after all. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 1, 2019
The new animated film UglyDolls is a lazy flip, its main intention to foster the toy-aisle bond between kids and its quasi-hideous title characters. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMay 1, 2019
What’s self-worth in the 21st century without a dollar amount attached to it, and what value does UglyDolls have if kids aren’t walking out of the theater nagging their parents for toys of their favorite characters? Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonMay 2, 2019
UglyDolls is a mind-numbing, low-rent version of “Toy Story,” with saccharine songs and a plot with echoes of, no kidding, the Holocaust. If you’re under 10, you might like it. Read full review
25
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiMay 2, 2019
The script is garbage, the voice acting is wooden and the songs are as infectious — and deadly — as the Mister Softee jingle. Read full review
20
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 1, 2019
Every aspect of this computer-animated movie directed by Kelly Asbury seems equally overdetermined and tossed-off, as if it were a caffeinated weekend project for everyone involved. Read full review
0
The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichMay 1, 2019
Nearly eight years on from the signing of all the brand extension contracts, here is the primarily pop-star-voiced animated musical UglyDolls, an imbecilic eyesore that could lay claim to being one of the worst movies ever made if it was worth such hyperbole. Read full review
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