Trolls is a 3d computer-animated musical fantasy film directed by Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn. Bergens are wretched creatures that attain a glimmer of happiness when they eat trolls. Trolls are tiny critters who love to sing, dance and hug all day to stay in a state of happiness. The Bergens would eat the captured Trolls once a year, that is until they made their escape. Enjoying their freedom too loudly, a group of Trolls get captured. Now it’s up to Princess Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) to save their people from the Bergens.
I’ll just start with the only positive thing; the animation is lovely. The film has vibrant colors in one scene and dark in the next when it fits the tone. DreamWorks is a great animation studio so, it’s no surprise. What I don’t understand is, who asked for a Trolls movie? This property is worse than Transformers which was turned into an animation then a franchise of films. At least I knew what to expect with Transformers they are robots that transform and fight. Trolls are toy dolls with colorful bright hair. That’s it. Yet, in this film they are re-imagined and given a backstory that Trolls love to sing a bunch of popular songs. The movie feels like it was just created solely to sell to kids more than most movies I’ve ever seen. It looked like a marketing team was in on the creation of this film as they went off a check list on things that sell. Cute bright creatures, Check. Lots of singing, Check. Super silly moments like farting glitter, Check. This film is empty on story and has a bad message underneath all the colorful garbage. The trolls seem cultish in their beliefs of happiness and selfish to impose their lifestyle. They are jerkier than the Bergens who don’t know better. Bergens have only known happiness one way. Animated movies always have a lesson or message to learn. Trolls message was for people to not accept other people’s difference, but to change them into thinking like you.They should have been telling the Bergens it’s wrong to eat Trolls and that they should find a nicer way to be happy. Instead they assimilate the Bergens so they behave exactly like Trolls.
The film has a sloppy story and horrible themes. The music is too much, with moments of singing that don’t feel organic. It feels like I’m watching a film created only to sell a soundtrack and other merchandise. Trolls shouldn’t even be a movie. It just goes to show, Hollywood truly has run out of ideas when its creating a movie based on dolls that had long bright hair. This film will appeal to children because its manufactured to trick them into liking it. When there are numerous of better animated films to watch, why settle for Trolls.
MPAA Rating: PG
Running time: 1 hr 32 min
Director: Mike Mitchell
Screenplay: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, James Corden
Producers: Gina Shay
Music: Christophe Beck
Cinematography: Yong Duk Jhun