CRAMMED with candy-coloured characters, groovy tunes and smooth computer animation, Trolls is hard to resist, even for the grown-ups.
The cherubic baby-faced dolls, originally designed by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam as the Good Luck Trolls, are a good watch.
On the surface, Trolls delights us with its fun and easy-going story. But underlaying all that is a story about self-acceptance, inner beauty and happiness that come from within — all with well-timed music like Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours and Lionel Richie’s Hello, to name a few.
With their cotton-candy hair that shoots right out of their heads, big marble eyes and wide grins, the multi-coloured androgynous dolls have that innocent look about them. Although the Trolls are “the happiest creatures that the world has ever known”, the Hobbit-like mythical creatures also live in fear of the Bergens, a tribe of ugly and mostly unhappy ogres. To be happy, they hold an annual festival known as Trollstice Day, during which they feast on the trolls.
After escaping from being eaten by King Gristle (John Cleese), King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor) moves his clan deep into the forest where they live peacefully for 20 years.
To celebrate their victory, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) throws a party and the loud, full-of-sparkle rave attracts the attention of nasty Chef (Christine Baranski), who vows to catch every troll in the forest so that the Bergens can feast on them on Trollstice Day.
Chef kidnaps Poppy’s friends, and she teams up with the grumpy and bunker-dwelling Branch (Justin Timberlake) and goes on a rescue mission in the heart of Bergentown.
On the other hand, Prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) finds himself falling head over heels for his scullery maid Bridget (Zooey Deschanel). However, the romance doesn’t start until the Trolls give Bridget a makeover that consists of synthetic rainbow hair.
There are also weird interludes like Cloud Guy — he’s a walking cloud who looks like a crumpled cotton in gym socks — who appears out of nowhere, asking for high-fives from the characters and his hilarious fist-bump gags. Cloud Guy provides a few strange fun minutes and then he’s gone. Perhaps this is director Mike Mitchell’s approach to telling the audience that bad times too will pass.
Apart from that, the gags are funny such as the “cupcake droppings” from one of the Trolls, in which Poppy offers to the Bergen as a peace offering.
There are some famous voices behind the Trolls as well — Russell Brand’s very spiritual Creek, James Corden’s Biggie whose only line in the film seems to be “I know her! She’s my friend!”, and Gwen Stefani (who voices the Trolls’ resident DJ).
The film’s loud musical pulse gives it an overall ecstatic feeling. Timberlake, besides voicing Branch beautifully, is also executive music producer. The uplifting anthem True Colours which he performs with Kendrick will leave the audience in tears.
Kendrick as Poppy lends a certain groove to her happy-go-lucky and positive character.
There’s the ukulele cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound Of Silence, Kool & The Gang’s Celebration, Earth, Wind & Fire’s September, a mash-up of Move Your Feet, D.A.N.C.E. and It’s A Sunshine Day and Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling — all to get you moving in your seat.
The animation is pretty cool and feels realistic. From the way Poppy’s shocking pink hair rustles in the wind to the smooth transition in between action, Mitchell and his team have painstakingly put in details. Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohm also keep the music and the background in sync, such as when Poppy engages in one of the dance numbers and falls through a chain of giant spiderwebs.
Trolls hardly slows down for unnecessary subplots or over-melodramatic scene. Instead, it chugs along and keeps everything in check. The film is playful and has a vibrant vibe. The film thrives on the idea that being happy isn’t about material wealth. It’s about being contented with who you are and about being surrounded by family and friends.
NOW SHOWING
TROLLS
DIRECTED BY by Mike Mitchell
VOICED BY Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Christine Baranski, Gwen Stefani, Russell Brand
DURATION 92 minutes
RATING P13
