Here, Moxy, the most cheerful doll in Uglyville, wakes each morning just knowing there’s a child for her in “the big world.” Moxy and some of her misfit pals set out to find said big world, only to be obstructed by the Institute of Perfection, a land of pretty dolls presided over by a pert-nosed, golden-haired paragon, creatively named Lou. He and some mean-girl dolls in his thrall will stop at nothing to thwart Moxy and her dream.
These characters are voiced by some of the most prominent names in pop music: Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton, Charli XCX, Pitbull and Nick Jonas, to name but a few. Comic talents such as Wanda Sykes and Gabriel Iglesias also feature. Yet 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.
The neon colors bring to mind what a “Candy Crush” movie might look like, while the never-ending songs are cute, flavorless paeans to self-love. Individual scenes evoking “The Lego Movie” and “Toy Story 3” feel like lifts rather than homages, and are blatant to the extent that your older kids might even notice.
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‘UglyDolls’
Rated PG. Edgy as a box of Peeps. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.