Based on the much loved fairytale The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling and Me tells the story of Ratso, a wheeler dealer city rat, and Ugly, a baby duckling with a most striking appearance. Ratso is a traveling scammer who longs to make it in the profitable world of show business, as he scrapes by a living as the theatrical agent of a hapless, eternally ungrateful worm named Wesley. But when Ratso ends up on a duck farm and becomes the caretaker of a large egg, he is about to find out the true meaning of friendship. As the egg cracks and an unsightly hatchling emerges, Ratso nicknames it "Ugly" and reluctantly finds himself assuming the role of the chick's de facto father. But Ugly isn’t your average baby duckling – he’s an UGLY duckling. Dollar signs flash before Ratso's eyes as he sees Ugly as a potential source of income and he schemes to exploit his ugliness as an attraction at his cousin Ernie’s countryside carnival. Together, the unlikely pair escape the duck yard for the Big Time, embarking on an adventure-filled journey that sees Ugly discovering the truth about his own and Ratso’s identity.
Along the way, even the heartless rodent comes to realise that there is much more to life than making a quick buck.
Filmmakers Michael Hegner and Karsten Kiilerich deliver top-notch 3D animation in this rollicking, lightning-paced story full of visual humour, witticism, and snappy dialogue that will delight the whole family at half term.
The Ugly Duckling and Me is released 8th February.
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