DreamWorks and the creators of ‘Shrek’ have delivered another tasty morsel. And this one is wacky, witty and wonderful – a cheeky 3D computer-animated musical comedy about some overly optimistic trolls who sing, dance and party like there’s no tomorrow.
They share their world with the eternally-depressed Bergens, whose only idea of fun is having a troll for lunch.
And their glass-half-full and glass-half-empty worlds exist just fine until one day the careless trolls party too hard and a bunch of them are kidnapped by their nefarious neighbours.
Trolls to the rescue
The happiest of the trolls, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick), seeks help from the grumpiest of them all, the colourless troll Branch (Justin Timberlake), and the pair of them head off to try and save their friends.
Matching the bad-tempered and annoyingly enthusiastic has proved to be a winning formula in countless films, and ‘Trolls’ is no exception.
The rescue mission is an adventure on which both Poppy and Branch’s outlook on life is severely tested. It is a magical journey full of challenges and compromises as well as – if it wasn’t obvious enough, as this is a cartoon – singing flowers and talking clouds.
Those who enjoyed ‘Shrek’ will have a blast watching ‘Trolls’ (some characters even look familiar). However, it is for a much younger audience, less weighted in all-out comedy with more moments that will either lead to tears or philosophically dwelling on the meaning of life and the neverending pursuit of happiness.
Can’t Stop the Feeling
The film was powered by a decent soundtrack, consisting of classics such as ‘Clint Eastwood’ by Gorillaz, ‘True Colours’ by Cyndi Lauper and ‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel, along with original songs like Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ (which you have probably heard way too much this summer).
‘Trolls’ is inspired by the dolls created by Thomas Dam, a Danish woodcarver, who made his first troll as a birthday gift for his daughter in the 1950s. The Dam Toys products and other imitations were extremely popular during the 1960s and 1990s and ‘Trolls’ will most likely lead to another mega-trend.
For more background information, check out the printed edition of CPH POST, which hits the streets today, October 13.
