Chris Meledandri and his Illumination Entertainment banner have acquired the film rights for the cult plush doll line Uglydoll. The label responsible for films like Despicable Me and Hop will team up with Universal Pictures in bringing the line to the big screen. When discussing the acquisition with Deadline, Meledandri said of the Uglydoll franchise (created by the husband and wife team of David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim):

"I remember the immediate appeal and connection that the characters had for me. They are simple in design, expressive in personality, and once I got to know David and Sun-Min, I learned there was a mythology and a world behind this," he said. "The personality and level of wit reminded me of the illustrated work I saw from Matt Groening before he did The Simpsons."

Scribe Larry Stuckey (Little Fockers) will pen the Uglydoll script for Illumination purportedly using the doll's mythology as inspiration for the feature. While I'm sure the Uglydoll brand is unique, I'm going to play the part of skeptic and say that neither Illumination or Universal are quite as interested in its rich characters as they are its already established merchandising base and instant marketability. Nevertheless, if you're interested in learning more about the Uglydoll line, you can click here to check out the official site.