and Magma Films present
Cert: U, Running Time: 88 minutes
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SYNOPSIS
‘The Ugly Duckling And Me’
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.
The Ugly Duckling And Me – story outline
Our story begins somewhere down town with Ratso, a wannabe hit show guy with his latest act Wesley; 'The longest Worm in the World' After another flop, Wesley threatens to leave Ratso for a new manager. While Ratso tries to persuade him to hang on in there and join him on his quest to find success at the carnival, Ratso finds himself suddenly running for his life and away from a nasty gang of rats, Frank, Stan and Phyllis – the leader. There is a frantic a chase through the city streets and rooftops. After a series of close calls, he makes his dramatic escape, leaping on to a passing train from on high. It speeds him away from the immediate dangers of the city and into the countryside. Ratso couldn’t be happier. He has escaped with his life and has managed to bring Wes with him in his matchbox backpack. He's on his way. But Phyllis has not lost sight of him and vows," Your life belongs to me Ratso and I'm gonna find you whatever it takes!"
Things don't stay peaceful for Ratso for long however. Just when Ratso can see the carnival within his grasp, he is rudely ripped from the train roof by an unexpected tree branch and he and Wes end up landing in a nest with a rather lively un-hatched egg for company. As it jolts around, trying to hatch, Ratso takes the disturbance personally and starts fighting with the egg. Wesley, Ratso and the egg are soon snowballing at high speed through the air. Wesley, Ratso's last hope at success ends up getting trapped inside a smelly old bottle. Ratso and the egg finally come to a stop in the centre of an inhospitable duck yard, inhabited by all kinds of suspicious and rather intimidating poultry. Surrounded by angry ducks and chickens, Ratso is faced with the serious charge of stealing the egg. Thinking on his feet, he claims that not only is he not stealing the egg, but he actually fathered it. His story explains how his wife, herself a duck, died tragically leaving him alone with the egg. Her final wish was that her duckling would not be brought up in the city. She wanted him to grow up with the love she had known in this very duck yard.
Esmeralda, Mayor of the yard, isn’t buying a word of his story. But supported by the dizzy chickens, who are heart broken by Ratso’s tale, and Daphne, the one duck who takes pity on him, she agrees to let the egg and Ratso stay.
Ratso’s sigh of relief is short lived as the egg begins to hatch. Everyone holds their breath in anticipation, waiting for the first glimpse of the cute little duckling. But the egg cracks open and the crowd gasp in horror as ‘Ugly’ gets to his feet.
The poor little duckling, hurt and intimidated by the cruel onlookers, runs to Ratso. He looks in his eyes and utters his first word: “Mama.” Ratso brushes Ugly off, telling him he’s home now and the ducks will look after him. Pleased that he’s managed to get himself out of another tight situation, Ratso is ready to leave the duck yard and duckling behind. But Esmeralda isn’t going to let him off that easy. If it’s true that the duckling's mother was a member of the duck yard then Ugly can stay. But Ratso’s going nowhere, he’s a father and with that comes responsibilities. He must stay and raise his child.
Ratso weighs up the options. He can’t go back to the city until things cool down. Those rats don’t give up easily and he could use a safe place to hide out for the summer. With his own best interests at heart, Ratso decides to stay, posing as Ugly’s father. How hard could it be? In the meantime he can tunnel his way out of the yard find Wesley and make it to his cousin Ernie's carnival where he will fulfil his dreams of success.
And so life in the duck yard together begins. Unaccustomed to dealing with infants, Ratso coldly lays down the law for Ugly, telling him to stay out of his way and everything will be fine.
Unable to fight back the tears, Ugly begins to weep. And then wail. Terrified, Ratso does everything he can think of to stop him crying. All his attempts are in vain – what does this kid want from him?!
“A father,” says Daphne as she calms Ugly down and gently breaks the news to Ratso that raising little ones on your own is not easy – and she should know. Ratso has no choice. He’s going to have to try to make go of this father thing.
Although the other ducks won’t accept him and he’s constantly reminded of his unsightly appearance, Ugly manages to salvage a few good times from the summer he spends at the duck yard, like when he would lie with Ratso sleeping or watching the majestic swans fly overhead by the pond.
The summer has come to an end and autumn has crept in. Ratso has tunnelled to the edge of the duck yard and it's time for his great escape. But first, after promising the chickens a great "show"; a cover-up for his digging a large pile of dirt in the yard, he must put Ugly up on stage. The show begins and a very reluctant Ugly, who has been cajoled into thinking he's a star in the making, stands frozen on stage. With no time for goodbyes, Ratso makes a run for it as Ugly, lost, terrified and poked by the other nasty chicks from back stage, is bouncing around on stage to a delighted audience who think he looks..well ridiculous.
Unknown to Ratso the gang of rats has followed him and on hearing the mocking laughter from the duck yard Phyllis knows she has found him " It's one of Ratso's shows alright!" They chase him. Ratso realises he's in trouble again and after finding Wesley in the bottle he hides from Phyllis and her brothers. As he pauses quietly waiting for safety Ratso is spellbound at the sight of the show and Wesley soon joins in the uproarious laughter coming from the yard. Wesley says it all: "That must be the ugliest duckling in the world!!" All Ratso needs to know…
Unceremoniously dumping Wesley, Ratso heads back for Ugly and gets on the road to the carnival with his brand new act, his, "little goldmine".
Life on the road is hard. Winter has set in and if Ugly wants to go on the run with Ratso he’ll have to toughen up. Pestered, by endless questions and a little scared Ugly, Ratso, who is feeling a bit spooked himself but feigning courage tells him that if he's scared out here in the woods he just has to quietly say "Help Me" and "Ratso the Ruthless" will comes to the rescue. He has to eat his words very soon when a fox, fresh from an attack on a flock of geese and carrying an injured girl goose between it's uncompromising jaws discovers the two of them, Ugly charges to the rescue after hearing the girl softly say "Help Me". The girl goose escapes as Ratso and Ugly provide a distraction leaving Ratso to beg the fox for his life explaining that "he's a mother now!" On seeing Ugly close up the fox is put off by his appearance and leaves, disgusted and without a meal.
Meanwhile Phyllis and her gang having literally squeezed the information out of Wesley are following Ratso's trail and they now know he has a little duck for company too.
Soon night falls and Ugly and Ratso take refuge in a old abandoned car in the snow. Realising his appearance and no act of courage was the real reason they escaped the fox, a downcast Ugly searches for a meaning of life as Ratso and he chat about beauty and about growing up.
Ugly laments as he falls asleep "I can't wait til I'm grown up. "
He doesn't have to. When Ratso wakes the following morning he's in for a shock. The little toddler he had reluctantly being playing surrogate father to has turned into a teenager and now towers over him.
They set out over the frozen snow and on their way Ratso suddenly realises what's happened to Ugly. He is bemoaning his lot about having to put up with a moody lazy teenager when things take a turn for the worse as far as Ratso is concerned. Ugly first sets eyes on the beautiful Jesse; the injured girl goose he had rescued. It’s love at first sight. Ratso hates it. Jesse asks them can she hang around for a while, as she is not ready to fly yet with her injured wing. Despite Ugly’ s pleading expression, Ratso refuses point blank; everything’s fine the way it is. The last thing they need is Jesse upsetting things. But Ugly has come of age and now he has an ally too. Ratso is not going to find is so easy getting him to just do everything he asks him to - Jesse comes along "on a trial basis".
Soon they reach a frozen river. They have to cross it to get to the carnival but Ugly and Jesse refuse worried the ice will break. Jesse has another plan but pride gets in the way and Ratso, not wanting to accept Jesse as part of the team, heads off on to the ice on his own. He is almost immediately in trouble when he finds himself trapped on the ice with an enormous pike heading straight for him. He is terrified. Ugly dashes to his father's rescue and somehow they escape. Actually the pike is so totally disgusted at the sight of Ugly as her next meal that she spits them both out. Jesse who is lost in admiration for Ugly's courage likes Ugly even more. With nothing to do but amuse themselves Jesse and Ugly are having the time of their lives. They spend every waking moment together. She is positive and confident; everything Ugly could ever hope to be. And for some reason…she seems to like him.
Ratso is feeling it. He's actually a bit jealous and even though his motivation is to bring Ugly to the carnival and put him on stage like a freak, he's missing the time when it was just the two of them. He tells Ugly he was getting used to the father thing and well…. Ugly is not even listening. He's sitting, laughing and talking by the campfire with Jesse. As they talk Jesse persuades Ugly to do this dance thing he's being going on about and show her this act they are bringing to the carnival, He shyly agrees and to Jesse's amusement does the most ridiculous goofy dance she has ever seen, She laughs loudly. Ugly is wounded. She has really upset him.
Next morning Ratso is whistlin' a happy tune. He knows Jesse has put her foot in it and she on the other hand is so furious with Ratso she decides to take him on. Out of earshot she accuses him of betrayal and of planning all along to use and humiliate Ugly. They argue. They fight. Ratso demands Ugly goes with him. Jesse tries to stop him. Ugly loses it runs off crying only to smack straight into a tall fence, He is flat out.
As he comes to he realises they've made it. They have finally reached the magical world of the carnival! It's a wondrous sight. Full of delights and childhood dreams, games, train rides, a hurdy gurdy, and filled with an array of eccentric seagulls who seem to be its only inhabitants.
Ratso inquires after his cousin Ernie and everything falls silent. Phyllis and her brothers are there already. There is no escape. Just then a large and fearsome cat appears directly behind Phyllis. Her brothers Stan and Frank try to warn her but she 's too busy enjoying the moment seeing Ratso squirm. A chase ensues. It's havoc. The cat chases all of the rats now including Ratso. It's life or death, it’s a roller coaster and literally a ghost train ride.
Ugly yells out in desperation for his dad who is facing certain death just as he is swallowed by the huge cat. "Ratso!!" The cat stops "Ratso, cousin Ratso"!? Phyllis and company escape back to the duck yard She has other plans.
It's happy days. Ernie and his ventriloquist hand puppet psychotic other half William chat about the reunion and the big show they can plan with Ratso and his new act. Things have been going down hill at the carnival and this new act is going to be fantastic. What is the new act anyway? Jesse is still sore at Ratso. Ugly is still sore at Jesse. Ratso is guilty about the whole thing putting Ugly out on stage like a freak. He doesn't even want to say what the act is when Ugly pipes up "I'm the act!"
There's now no going back and despite his original motives Ratso is really guilty now. He just needs to find a way to stop this train and find the words to explain to Ugly about everything but Ugly is so confident and even when Jesse makes an attempt to persuade him - what Ratso is up to it's no use. Having fallen out with Jesse, Ugly is having none of it and has all his faith in Ratso.
When the show collapses Ugly is broken and leaves the stage in tears to reunite with Jesse.
Phyllis appears on board a captured seagull and kidnaps Ugly. If she can't get to Ratso with his crazy cat cousin for protection around, she'll get Ratso to come to her. She flies off to the duck yard with the captured Ugly. Ratso is alone with his bad conscious. He has really let Ugly down. There is only one thing to do.
At the duck yard all the poultry including Daphne are imprisoned. Phyllis has taken over and is preparing for Ratso' s demise once he shows up. There is lots of activity and now hundreds of other rats to be seen. Ugly is thrown into a coop He is tied up and feeling afraid but mostly bitter at his father's betrayal. He is all alone.
After an attempt at being the hero and the Dad Ugly needed, Ratso too is imprisoned by Phyllis and her gang. Ernie, William and Jesse also are all locked up and unable to help. Ratso spends his last night with Ugly. But the hardest thing he has to do is tell Ugly that he’s not his real father. He was just a stray egg that Ratso adopted to get out of another sticky situation. He asks Ugly if he can ever forgive him? Ugly’s reaction is unexpected. He really doesn’t care. In his own way, Ratso was always the one who was there for him when nobody else was. What more could you want from a father?
Next morning Phyllis is ready and waiting. Ratso is escorted through a line of rats to face his doom. He says goodbye to Ugly. More rats are arriving and a gallows is being constructed. Soon life as Ratso knows it will be over. Ratso is led, struggling in vain, to the newly constructed gallows. Ratso is lowered to his knees on the platform and the priest steps around in front of him and speaks: “We are gathered here today…”