Universal developing Uglydoll toys into feature film

Univeral Pictures and Illumination Entertainment is developing a feature film based on the Uglydoll toys created by husband and wife artists David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Deadline reports that the studio that brought us Hop and Despicable Me has purchased the rights to the franchise and plans to "branch into a wider range of media opportunities."

Here is what Illumination chief Chris Meledandri had to say about the project:

"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. The personality and level of wit reminded me of the illustrated work I saw from Matt Groening before he did The Simpsons. The characters have a cult following, and they've been very restrictive in where and how they've sold them. It has been a small cottage industry, but it seems just right for us in terms of the potential for a growth curve. Most importantly, the strength cuts to the heart of our strategy, which is, to start from the perspective of characters we feel have unique appeal to audiences, regardless of age."

The fact that there is some mythology and an entire world that these Uglydoll toys live in could end up being cool. The studio has been successful with creating some family-friendly films recently. I like this idea better than I do creating a film based on a board game (yes I am referring to Candyland and Battleship).

What are your thoughts on this news?