Review of 'Trolls'

trolls.jpg Once upon a time the colourful happy Trolls lived in a tree in the middle of a Bergens village. The Bergens were convinced that the only way they could be truly happy was to eat a Troll which they did every year on Trollstice. One Trollstice the King of the Trolls (voiced by John Cleese) leads his people to freedom via a tunnel. The Bergen Chef (voiced by Christine Baranski) is banished from the town. Now, many years later the Trolls live happily many miles away from the Bergens. Poppy (now played by Anna Kendrick), daughter to Peppy, the king (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor), enjoys life and wants to party all the time despite the pessimistic warnings of Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake). A particularly loud party attracts the attention of Chef who has been seeking them all these years. Chef attacks, grabbing a number of Trolls before the rest disappear into the forest…the Bergens have returned.

A fun and imaginative film that never takes itself too seriously, Trolls is a kaleidoscope of rioutous colour that often leaps out of the screen. The film features original music from Justin Timberlake as well as compilations of various pop hits that add to the sense of fun that fills this film. The story is fairly simple focusing on the importance of belonging and the nature of happiness with a suitably syrupy conclusion. There are a few twists along the way which keep us engaged.

Despite all of the frivolity I found the film quite enjoyable and the humour often surprisingly funny and terribly tongue-in-cheek that will entertain both the young and old though the old may get a bit of a migraine from the high-octane dance numbers and bright colours. A light, fun film from the masters at Dreamworks.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2022-01-02


Directed by: Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Year: 2016

Length: 92 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1679335/


Other reviewed films by Mike Mitchell:

Other reviewed films by Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith: