It All Started with a Love Letter
When it comes to animated characters, you never know what may inspire a brand or how long it may take to bring these characters to life. It has taken almost two decades for the popular plush toys UglyDolls to make it to the big screen in their own CG-animated movie. I remember back in 2001 writing about the origins of the dolls, which came about after creator David Horvath wrote a love letter to his then-girlfriend Sun-Min Kim when her student visa expired and she had to return to Korea. In the letter, he drew a cartoon of an ugly doll named Wage and in the bottom, he wrote,Working hard to make our dreams come true so we can be together again soon.
To surprise Horvath, Kim sewed a doll based on that drawing of Wage and sent it to Horvath, who showed it to Eric Nakamura, owner of the Giant Robot magazine and store. Nakamura thought that Horvath was pitching him a product, so he ordered 20 more for his shop immediately. He dropped off the first batch of the dolls at the store, and by the time he got back home, he got a message from Nakamura that they toys had all sold out. In the next 18 months, Kim made 1,800 more dolls. Horvath and Kim got married soon after, and in 2003, they finally took their creations to Toy Fair in New York
To us, ugly means unique and different. Its about celebrating what makes you, you, Horvath told Inc. a few years ago. I think thats an important message for everyone. Its crazy to think that now there are people that have grown up with our dolls, says Horvath. Its been so meaningful for us to know that the original idea has endured and made an impact.
Their ideas and message of acceptance take flight in a big way this month as the new animated movie, directed by Kelly Asbury and featuring stars such as Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Wanda Sykes and Pitbull, is released by STX Entertainment. You can find out all about the making of this colorful musical in this months cover story by Tom McLean.
You can also find out how celebrated French director Denis Dos family history shaped his poignant and powerful first feature Funan in this issue. Inspired by his own mothers experiences of life under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, Do has crafted a beautiful and instructive look at how different events in a countrys history can shape so many personal stories and experiences.
As this is our annual Cannes Festival and market issue, we also tried to collect as much information as we could about some of the international animated movies poised to make a splash on the Croisette this year at the star-studded event. After all, its our job to make sure you are the first to know about all the cool animated movies in the pipeline so you can tell all your friends and family members to keep an eye out for them! Dont forget to pick up our big summer blockbuster Annecy issue next month. We have a feeling that one is going to make you real proud to be an animation aficionado!