Top 30 Ugly Duckling Transformations in Movies

[@MsMojo]

Which of these makeovers do YOU remember the most? Let us know below, and check out our video of the Top 10 Most Ridiculous Makeover Tropes - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYWpiKKlq5yUmrc

[@williambilyeu9801]

I prefer Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle in "Pygmalion" which was the basis for the musical "My Fair Lady." I also like the transformation of Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka" which was remade as the musical "Silk Stockings." 🤔😊👍

[@mariannewestrope3888]

So glad you included Now, Voyageur. One of my all time favourite movies.

[@gabrielavonwald]

Barbara Streisand

[@mousemd]

The one that floored me the most was Anne Hathaway. When she played the Princess, but she wasn't told until she was a teen. That was clever to use a newcomer. At least, I had never heard of her

[@mousemd]

I am not surprised at your number one pick. I would have been surprised if she wasn't. I held my breath at your #1

[@trinaq]

"I don't remember Frump Girl", but I remember you." That line is so romantic, I love that Ian was emotionally connected to Toula's spirit, before her big transformation.

[@Michelle-DiPalo]

I liked this one the most because she was doing it for herself, where a lot of these makeovers were for other people.

[@trinaq]

I personally never found Allison's makeover to be a big deal, as it meant that she was bonding with Claire, who was giving her the affection that her own parents never had. Also, Andy clearly liked her long before the makeover even happened, since he stated that he liked seeing her face.

[@leiamims3633]

I agree!

[@nixeleth]

Exactly. Andrew had already approached her several times and shared plenty of bonding moments with her prior to the makeover. I think you hit the nail right on the head by saying that it was a bonding moment for Allison and Claire, seeing as how most of the interactions between them up until then had been more caustic than sympathetic (mostly on Claire's part), so "why are you being so nice to me?" "Because you're letting me" becomes much more significant/meaningful.

[@leiamims3633]

All of these so called “ugly ducklings” were already pretty!

[@erikayb]

Agreed!

[@trinaq]

@@leiamims3633 I agree, they were already gorgeous to begin with, but many just needed a confidence boost.

[@leiamims3633]

@@trinaq I agree!

[@melissacooper8724]

The problem I have with these makeover tropes is that the girl ditches her glasses when she gets made over! I mean, couldn't they just give her new frames that are chic on her?

[@leiamims3633]

@@melissacooper8724 I agree!

[@lolcatz88]

I LOVE Strictly Ballroom! 1. Because it’s Australian, 2. Because Fran’s transformation was slow and subtle and she wasn’t plastered with makeup to make her pretty. I could watch that final dance scene over and over! Amazing movie!

[@krsncrs821]

Me too!! ❤❤❤

[@tindomul8977]

❤

[@jenestratoo]

That's the reason I stopped scrolling to watch this... to see where Strictly Ballroom placed 😂

[@ny.l.a]

She was already pretty in “She’s all that” she just had glasses on 😂

[@mayahigginbotham9873]

And a wig. A bad wig.

[@sweetandsourdish3723]

These characters have always been beautiful. They just needed someone to show them. ❤️❤️❤️

[@yellowcatmonkey]

show them how to be uncomfortable and conforming. anything but themselves..

[@cocoaorange1]

Not necessarily, that is nothing wrong in looking better, but stay the same personality wise.

[@lianel664]

From a beautiful girl or women, to a male Gaze objekt.

[@marjorieking2290]

Barbra Streisand in “The Mirror has 2 Faces.” That and “Moonstruck” are 2 of my favorites!

[@MrMousley]

I was hoping that Barbra Streisand (The Mirror has 2 Faces) would be on the list.

[@cindycarmichael9768]

​@@MrMousleythat was an excellent movie, Barbara looked amazing!!!

[@competitionglen]

"Tell me about it, stud". RIP Olivia. It was the new attitude as well as hair/make-up/wardrobe update.

[@JoanneRVG]

I absolutely love “Working Girl” and “The Devil Wears Prada”

[@glorialoreto]

Toula was my favorite because she did it for herself, not for a men

[@hd-xc2lz]

Except that the new look required make up, loss of glasses, change of hair style, i.e. conventional "improvements" intended to attract men.

[@gregjaro-mk7zs]

YES! MIA THERMOPOLIS' MAKEOVER FROM "THE PRINCESS DIARIES" FRANCHISE WAS ICONIC & I LOVED IT! 👸🏻💄👠🎞️🎬🎥🥰

[@Achdujeh]

I liked the makeovers of all the girls in 'House Bunny' :)

[@johnanderson9765]

Agreed, I expected to see that movie on this list.

[@angorachic]

Yes! I thought that would be here.

[@talesyuki]

Omgggg St Trinian!! I never see this getting any mention anywhere ever!!! I love it!!!

[@mmogburn]

So great to see Strictly Ballroom on the list.

[@kudrashka9]

Me too. It such a good movie. So underrated!

[@nowaylaowai204]

Remember, if you're gorgeous and you're reading this, if you want to be instantly ugly, just slap on a pair of glasses. This message has been Hollywood-approved.

[@HLPiepgrass]

Or have curly hair, that’s not straightened.

[@jambgsu07]

Muriel from "Muriel's Wedding" should have made the list.

[@allisonheath1156]

Agreed!

[@whimsical_flower]

Sabrina (Hepburn or Ormond version) should have made the list.

[@jemima438]

Completely agree.

[@blaze556922]

It's always funny when they try to hide the hot girl under your glasses and a ponytail when you know full well she is absolutely gorgeous exactly like that and without it

[@steffanieurbano7646]

Ormond in Sabrina changed my brain chemistry, but Sandra Bullock and Anne Hathaway are my transformation idols.

[@Disneygirlie]

Not saying she's not pretty, but Hermione's will always be my favourite ❤

[@trinaq]

I agree, though it's obvious that Emma Watson was always cute, even at a young age, it was when Harry and Ron started to realise that she was, in fact, a girl, especially Ron.

[@LadyVoldemort]

I thought she would be in the top 3... 😅

[@Klaus-em3ix]

In the book it is different: her nose get operated.

[@pierre-paulmarcil8850]

No DUFF? Not only did they not made her ugly by adding fake glasses or anything, but also, she's the one who took charge of her own make-over and stayed true to herself while doing so. Can't believe she's not here.

[@JP_Wu]

isn't Hilary Duff at # 18?

[@taniasimcox860]

Yes she is 😂

[@BabyBlueBAI]

​@@JP_WuThey mean the movie The DUFF

[@Neilfrozn]

Animated entries on this list, really?!?! Anyway, my favorite has always been Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club.

[@Klaus-em3ix]

Ally Sheedy was much hotter in black! It's not only my opinion, all the other guys around agreed.

[@lansesteiner3563]

To Wong Fu, Thank For Everything. Julie Newmar: After the strawberry festival

[@zamyafields6513]

*MY FAVORITES:* Mia Thermopolis - The Princess Diaries Edna Turnblad - Hairspray Andy Sachs - The Devil Wears Prada Selina Kyle - Batman Returns Laney Boggs - She's All That Cinderella - Cinderella Bridget - Trolls Eliza Doolittle - My Fair Lady Marisa Ventura - Maid in Manhattan Fran - Strictly Ballroom Allison Reynolds - The Breakfast Club Olive Penderghast - Easy A Cady Heron - Mean Girls Charlotte Vale - Now, Voyager Jo Stockton - Funny Face Sam Montgomery - A Cinderella Story Fern Mayo - Jawbreaker Helen Tasker - True Lies Sandy Olsson - Grease Anya - Anastasia Vivian Ward - Pretty Woman Danielle de Barbarac - Ever After Josie Geller - Never Been Kissed Loretta Castorini - Moonstruck Tai Frasier - Clueless Zeta Alpha Zeta Girls - The House Bunny Toula Portokalos - My Big Fat Greek Wedding Gracie Hart - Miss Congeniality Katie Simpson - She's Out of Control

[@isabellep.461]

Amazing Bette Davis! Sandra Bullock made me laugh so hard!

[@hawaiiankira]

I remember a majority of these transformations. Love that Strictly Ballroom is on the list.

[@PrinceTraumatizin]

queen latifah in last holiday

[@milesjesu8050]

Yes! And in her case (unlike a lot of these) it wasn't just about a more glamorous appearance--though that was there too and fun to see--it was a real transformation from inside.

[@jessetorres8738]

So, apparently it is on the outside that counts, since in pretty much all of these films/shows, once the female (or in some cases male) character starts to look good, that's when people start to like/pay attention to them, & it has been this way ever since My Fair Lady, & continued in films like Pretty Woman, She's All That, & The Princess Diaries.

[@alyssakoski8651]

Duh, that’s the formula 😂 I don’t know if any of us are proud we like it, and knowing it sends the wrong message doesn’t stop it from being a popular trope all the same - a guilty pleasure

[@evonnemccausland3531]

My favorite transformations were TRUE changes in the character... not just exterior changes...Bette Davis in "Now Voyager" and Olivia DeHavilland in "The Heiress"!

[@justjan147]

Both are excellent movies!

[@lh5670]

Muriel’s Wedding. I would have picked that over Strictly Ballroom.

[@krsncrs821]

I am so so happy to see Strictly Ballroom on your list. One of my all time favorite movies and the first I thought of when I saw the title of this video. Thank you!

[@douglasmijangos3327]

Aaaawwwee Man.. a lot of these scenes got me through my Young Lonely Male Teenage Years 😂

[@pickleballer1729]

These "transitions" would be more interesting if the actors weren't stunningly beautiful already. That said, I'm SO glad you included "Ballroom Dancing" on this list. A fantastic movie. I used to have it on DVD, but lost it somehow. I'd love to see it again.

[@christineheminger7762]

24:59 if you put glasses with thick black frames on Allison now, she’d look like a pre-makeover girl in other films

[@samuelcollantes1175]

Definitely Cinderella (ever since my childhood) happy saturday afternoon, Emily, take care and God bless you. Greetings from Colombia to you as well

[@NoCorpoCerto]

love this channel so much 🥰one more great vid!

[@Caro-Cooper]

Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games did quite a transformation from poor girl to the girl on flames

[@CanadianFuzzy]

Chyler Leigh did the walk down the stairs thing yet again last year in the show The Way Home when going to her daughter's dance to be a chaperone. They even set it to Sixpence's Kiss Me again lol

[@TwilightLink77]

At least she didn’t destroy the staircase this time.

[@richardmeredith6534]

Huge omission here, Stockard Channing in "The girl most likely to"

[@ineslazalde9629]

This is all about the pressure on women. Y'all are beautiful. Don't let the media ever make you think differently.

[@sandiego2380]

women put pressure on themselves and on other women. Don't victimize them, please. Women are just as shallow and sexist as men and also want 'mr charming' rather than average guy.

[@katrin712]

Selina Kyle was changed beyond the catsuit… she looked entirely different for the whole movie… limiting her to her alternate persona is a shame as it passes by her whole crisis around who she is really in the end…

[@wraytew8666]

Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee and Bernadette Peters as the witch in the flimed version of Into The Woods belong on this list.

[@cindystrachan8566]

You should make a part 2 so that a few great makeovers you missed could be included. Like Agnes Gooch (Peggy Cass) in Auntie Mame. Amanda Bynes in What a Girl Wants. And Stockard Channing in The Girl Most Likely To… Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Among others.

[@gripanimal]

Not an intentional transformation, but Adrian Balboa is an entirely different woman by the end of "Rocky".

[@PatrolOfficer161]

The live action "Cinderella" was pretty awesome also. I suppose Lily James was more of a frump, disregarded blossom than an 'Ugly Duckling' but her transformation both physical and psychological was stunning.

[@willsmith75]

I would've added Sandra bullock character from love potion No.9.

[@Pensacolavixen]

I am surprised that "Adrian" in the movie- Rocky- did not make the cut. Talia Shire's transformation was great.

[@PetyrinaJaye]

I wish the magical makeover from 1989’s Teen Witch had made an appearance, but otherwise this was a really great list! Shoutout to Strictly Ballroom!! ❤❤❤

[@poshdelux]

Miss congeniality deserves to be number one

[@NBK1122]

I'm in the middle of watching this. Let's see if Sissy Spacek's Carrie, or Stockard Channing in "The Girl Most Likely To" made the list

[@briannahlabelle2458]

Love all of these but haven’t seen all of the movies

[@fionatsangarides6201]

Mine is she’s all that !! I love that movie !! She is so beautiful !! Both ways !!

[@aynsleyhamilton8840]

Bahaha!! I was watching and kept thinking "Where's Mia?!?! Where's Mia!?!?!" That. That one is my fav. Closely followed by Pretty Woman.

[@mousemd]

What shocked me the most was Anne in that Princess movie. Not sure how well known she was? If she wasn't, that was clever. I didn't know her at the time

[@LadyVoldemort]

I think Mandy Moore was a lot more famous than her back then (I was in uni). At least in my country. So yeah, that was a clever move.

[@C.F-e3j]

Nr 22 will always be my Nr 1 make over classic!

[@anyankachan9884]

No. No. No. Love Potion # 9 is the most ridiculous amazing transformation you’ll ever see on screen.

[@cliffcorson4000]

its movies and shows like these that gave millions of girls/women issues of their self worth and beauty

[@sandiego2380]

tough. My sympathy goes for the poor children and women and MEN dying in war zones, not to women and girls in rich countries being so privileged that their only issue is getting affected by fictional movies.

[@robindeal3650]

Sorry. What about Goldie hawn from death becomes her!! Best transmission EVER

[@jenrig2333]

Sandy in Grease should have been in the top 5. And Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces should have been on there. It's a great movie and realistic glow up to inspire spinsters galore.

[@jhenrigarrote]

RLC as Laney most memorable for me, it’s not the greatest makeover yes, but that scene is too iconic, walking down the stairs with a new hairstyle and a red dress while Sixpence playing “Kiss Me” is overkill, it’s like every boys dream to see their prom date just like that 😂

[@JB-sf5do]

To me Fran (Strictly Ballroom) and Allison Reynolds (Breakfast Club) are the most successful transformations. They seem more realistic because the characters are comfortable with hiding. Their transformations seem to shock even themselves and they step into them cautiously - but the results are magical.

[@judithmartin953]

Shoutout to Aussie actress Gia Carides for being in two of these movies ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Strictly Ballroom" - she's the blonde who pushes past Fran in the clip, so you don't get to see her face)

[@fxboffy]

"Muriel" is missing, certainly one of the best on the theme, if not the best

[@sarazeamer3617]

😂 I loved how it said were not including men then #1 was john Travolta rofl 🤣

[@clarisabartol]

The mirror has two faces!

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

You have two of my favorite films on this list: Now, Voyager and Strictly Ballroom.

[@neleverdonck3078]

where is last holliday? i love that makeover

[@wookinooki9023]

Notice that in the tale of the ugly duckling, there is no sudden transformation. It is just the very slow Progressive evolution Of the central character.

[@Animeguy300]

Beauty come from the inside

[@hd-xc2lz]

Not really. In fact the repeated ad nauseam complaint that these actresses/characters were already beautiful says quite the opposite.

[@ebrut1986]

Eliza Doolittle will always be my number one❤ I adore Audrey Hepburn.

[@hd-xc2lz]

And she stands out as the most harmed or most isolated by the makeover.

[@nataliaalejandravacachacon9295]

You should have included Cantinflas’ “A volar joven” where Miroslava Stern’s character transformation is amazing.

[@kristinjoni]

Only halfway through watching but I hope Sabrina makes this list. Best makeover ever

[@DimitriYar]

I never forget Amy Dolenz in She´s out of control and Anne Hathaway in Princes diary one !

[@EbbyGebby]

How is Sandy not #1?

[@Rascool69]

The devil wears Prada was not the duckling movie. It was the princess diaries when Mia became princess of genovia

[@ineslazalde9629]

Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman should make JD Vance scared.

[@leiamims3633]

@@ineslazalde9629 😂😅

[@What_Makes_Climate_Tick]

Some of these aren't really ugly duckling transformations, but moves to conform to a different sector of society. Grease and Working Girl are in this category, and My Fair Lady, Cinderella, and Pretty Woman sort of are. I had forgotten about this part of the plot of Strictly Ballroom, which was a good choice for near the top of the list.

[@rickbazan4205]

Another moral of many of these movies is that it takes lots of money to look good.

[@cocoaorange1]

Sad, but true.

[@loveolicity4542]

Okay. Clearly watchmojo/msmojo hasn’t watched Ever After. Only one of Danielle’s stepsisters mistreated her. In top of that, Danielle’s stepmother/sister also mistreated her own daughter/sister. Please do your research

[@leiamims3633]

@@loveolicity4542 Ever After is my favorite!

[@nixeleth]

Allison didn't need a confidence boost. Most of her interactions were already with Andrew to begin with, and he was very clearly interested in her before she pulled her hair back and put on some different eye shadow.

[@cocoaorange1]

Yes she did, she was sloppy and tacky.

[@peteroscarson1188]

Even Mojo gets it right sometimes.

[@SpiderMonkey20s]

I always preferred Velma, Laney, Fern, and Allison before the makeovers. I guess I've got a type.

[@kphedges707]

HELLLLLOOOOOOOO! You didn't even mention The Duff!

[@kellybarnett1461]

I haven't watch the whole thing but I hope the main girl of off teenage witch is on here love that movie

[@JamieVideoGamer]

calling someone an ugly duckling says more about the person who has the nerve to call others ugly. This sort thing is part of the problem going on in society.

[@hd-xc2lz]

Really? So you consider yourself incapable of seeing physical unattractiveness? Lovely.

[@leiamims3633]

@@JamieVideoGamer I agree, but I think it is going on how others in the movies were treating said characters. Like I said the actresses were already pretty before their makeovers!

[@jamielancaster01]

@8:54 I disagree with the movie Greece. Sandy Olson (Olivia Newton-John) looked way finer in the beginning, her makeover was horrible.

[@Cinderella72291]

I knew princess diaires would be number 1. Part of me would have loved to be a part of the movie.

[@scriptmaker]

Can't believe you skipped Queen Latifa in Just Wright.

[@rubysalvosa1293]

You should include Emma Watson in Harry Potter in the ball dance scene

[@sandiego2380]

ugh no? Hermione was never an 'ugly duckling'

[@DeltaElites]

Most of these ladies already looked beautiful, especially Sandra Dee. They simply dressed up.

[@erikayb]

Laney Boggs ❤❤

[@Luvd007]

25:02 I thought we all agreed that was an anti-makeover

[@glorialoreto]

I remember "The Nanny" with My Fair Lady

[@SAHMamang]

I almost clicked away in disgust when Princess Diaries wasn’t on the list and then 😂 there it was at #1

[@Scarter63]

Julie Walters, in Educating Rita was another Pygmalion type transformation, though over time, and not over night.

[@Harmonywolfred]

My mommy? 😂I laughed at that one when I was younger. I think the clothes were more of the make over more then the girl

[@newbeginnings2056]

Afraid to admit this but saw a few of the films including Clueless recently and some like Pretty Woman, The Devil Wears Prada & Grease (more than once - know the script in some films by heart). BUT my favourite has to be the original of Cinderella - not becuase of the transformation because of the story & song which has stood the test of time. 🔔🌹❤🥁🍀👍

[@kierradyson8418]

Of course I was wondering who could possibly be number one

[@luckyluck8843]

Did maid in Manhattan dirty didn't even show the finished look