[1] Intended for a family audience, it is a modern adaptation of the 1843 fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen.

His life changes when an egg falls out of its nest revealing an ugly duckling with brushy grey wings, and he is forced to becomes a father.

While Wesley ends up inside a tequila bottle, Ratso and the egg fall into a farm full of chickens and ducks called the duckyard.

To escape, the latter spends months digging a tunnel to overcome the fence, creating a mound of earth which he passes for a mountain with a stage for the little duckling he has adopted to perform.

Ratso tries to cross a frozen river, failing to notice the bridge, but is attacked by a pike and Ugly saves his father.

Jessie begins to understand Ratso's intentions and tries to dissuade him from humiliating Ugly on stage, but apparently the rat does not listen to her.

Once they reach the carnival, which turns out to be an old abandoned amusement park, they are ambushed by Phillis and her brothers and attacked by a tabby cat.

But after finding out that Ratso has an adopted son, she becomes furious with him and starts brutally hitting him, until Ugly punches her into the wedding cake.

He has always admired the swans, however, when he realises that they are actually conceited animals who put beauty first and care nothing for love, he turns back and stays with his real family.

In order not to ruin the ceremony, Ratso gives Ugly permission to declare himself to Jessie, so the wedding between the two is celebrated and all the characters dance throughout the end-credits.