A glitter-fest with Kendrick in full conTroll S
UPER-CUTE and filled with sparkly glitter, Trolls drips with positivity, singing and dancing. There is even a troll that farts glitter. I kid you not. Guy Diamond (voiced by Kunal Nayyar) is the only naked troll in a sea of clothed halflings, a super-confident glitterbomb on the move. And he turns into a disco ball at the appropriate moment.
The film is really colourful, to the point of psychedelic, and on a totally geek note, the animation features a fantastic range of textures which are especially noticeable in 3D. Fuzzy, furry, smooth, shiny, scaly, spangly. It’s all here. Some of the scenes look like felt cut-outs for scrapbooking, while in others, the trolls are in 3D, wearing a variety of materials and featuring some extreme hair.
If pink, furry pom poms amuse you, this will work. But, pity the poor adults who have to take super-excited little people to see this, because all that supershiny happiness will set grown-up teeth on edge. The singing and dancing trolls aims young and will appeal to little ones who still appreciate throwing glitter at things to make them look better, but older than that and the eyes will start rolling.
The story teeters just on this side of saccharine, with an important life lesson about not only how we can change the world through positive thinking and actions, but also how important it is to do the right thing, even – or especially – when faced with difficult challenges.
These lessons come courtesy of Troll Princess Poppy (Kendrick) who loves hugs, smiles and a good party. When her friends are kidnapped by a Bergen – a depressed grey-skinned character which appears giant next to the inches-short troll – Poppy enlists the help of the only unhappy troll she knows, Branch (Timberlake).
In addition to never breaking out into song, Branch is also the only troll who has thought the Bergens would find them, so he is a prepared doomsayer who only helps Poppy to avoid having to hug the rest of the clan.
They set off for the Bergen village where… well, you can see what is coming if you are an adult, so let’s leave you at least a little surprise to keep you awake.
The trolls drop into song at a drop of a hat, but the Poppy role is a great chance for Kendrick to show off her pipes and we know sooner or later Branch will break character and wow everyone with the bestest singing ever.
Not for these little guys the huge dramatic beats of Studio Ghibli movies nor the complexity of 9, not the innovation of the original Toy Story or the subversive fun of the first Shrek. Like the Tale of Despereaux, the striking visuals make up for the very familiar storyline. It is peppy, the colours pop and it really is all about cute.
If you liked Pete’s Dragon or Secret Life of Pets, you will like this.