Have always loved 'The Ugly Duckling'. It has always not only been one of my favourite Hans Christian Andersen's (speaking as someone who loves his stories/fairy-tales and will never stop doing so) stories but also one of my favourite stories full stop. It is such a touching story that has always struck a chord with me and have always related totally to the titular character, having been there myself. Trust me, what he goes through in the story is not a nice thing to feel at all.
'The Ugly Duckling' has proven more than once than it can lend itself well to animation. Wonderfully so in the case of the 1939 cartoon from Disney, which has one of the most heart-wrenching moments (towards the end) of anything Disney. The same can be said in Rabbit Ears Production's version, which is another gem of theirs. Really hope that more people can see their output because their best work is as good as the best work as more major animation studios.
Animation is lovely, with some truly beautiful and atmospheric pastel colours. The style may seem "limited" to some but to me it is truly elegant in its simplicity. 'The Ugly Duckling' is a simple story and doesn't need anything too fancy or show-stopping, instead having visuals complementing the storytelling which this version does and extremely well indeed. The music is beautifully orchestrated and understated, perfect for the type of story 'The Ugly Duckling', which to me should have an intimate approach.
It is a beautifully written adaptation too. Very sincere without being over-sentimental and it doesn't get over-serious. There is nothing here that comes over as cheesy and it was clearly written with respect for its audience of a wide range. The story has the neccessary charm and is incredibly touching, did find myself feeling the necessary anger seeing the duckling's treatment (it did mirror my own bullying a bit) and the ending was both heart-wrenching and heart-wrenching.
Found the titular character to be very relatable and so easy to get behind, then again to me the Ugly Duckling is rootable in any adaptation of 'The Ugly Duckling'. Namely because when watching him, it was like seeing myself in him when ostracised for my own differences. Cher was an interesting choice as narrator and she did strike me as a strange one on paper, but actually her sympathetic and maternal-like approach suited the story beautifully, was pleasantly surprised.
Concluding, beautiful and far from ugly. 10/10
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