The animated movie, UglyDolls, had an important, powerful message that influenced top artists like Janelle Monae to join the star-studded cast. The message of the film, tells the story about dolls and the concept of a “doll cast system” where “ugly” dolls are sent to an island because of their flaws while the pretty ones get paired with a kid. But, the main character, Molly, who is played by Kelly Clarkson, goes against the idea, despite being named an “ugly doll” and prepares to compete for kid’s love along with the pretty dolls, according to the StarTribune.
When Monae first heard about the film, she found the concept “intriguing.” She plays the character of Mandy, who is a doll that is considered to be “pretty” but has hidden insecurity of having glasses.
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“I love my character Mandy. I love the Uglydolls and what they represent. We’re the weirdos. We’re the outcasts. We’re the cool ones because of that, but we see it and we discover it because of each other,” Monae said. “The story itself is something I have preached since the beginning of my career.”
In the movie, Monae’s and Clarkson’s character perform an inspirational duet, called “Unbreakable” that Monae personally finds to be “poignant.” Clarkson said she was also amused about the story of the film when it was pitched to her.
“People are always going to say you’re not good enough, you don’t look good enough, you’ll never be good enough because of maybe who you love or where you come from, but you have to remember your power and your worth and understand that the feeling of being bullied won’t last forever,” she said. “You will have allies. You will have your community of folks. And things will get better.”
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Both Monae and Clarkson hope the message of Uglydolls resonates with people of all ages.
Nick Jonas, Lizzo, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX are among the diverse, talented artists who joined the cast in Uglydolls.
Make sure to check it out on Friday. The trailer is below:
