Trolls
Director: Michael Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand, John Cleese., Jeffrey Tambor, Ron Funches
After the Bergens invade her Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and Branch (Justin Timberlake) who is Princess Poppy’s opposite in every way, with his well-guarded heart and cantankerous attitude, set off on a journey together to rescue their troll family. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to rescue their family before they are eaten by the Bergens and ultimately find the true meaning of happiness.
True happiness is a powerful theme in this film, and it is illustrated perfectly in different ways, in the characters of Princess Poppy and Branch.
Branch starts out the film being a cantankerous curmudgeon who doesn't trust anyone. He isolates himself from everyone and everything, hiding away in his bunker and he is literally afraid to sing or be happy because he feels that his singing is what killed his grandmother when he was a child. When Poppy asks him why he won’t sing, Branch tells her that when he was a child, he was singing when a Bergen came. Branch was so lost in the beautiful song that he didn’t hear his grandmother’s warning and she was killed trying to save him. It is in this moment that Branch turns grey and vows never to sing again. That's why he is so gloomy and grey, and he doesn't sing or hug anyone. But there are subtle hints (like him keeping Poppy's homemade glittery cards and him following Poppy and protecting her from the spiders when she goes to rescue their friends and especially when he sings the song “True Colors” to her,) that show us that Branch does desire to be happy again. When he sees Princess Poppy at her lowest point - when all the trolls are trapped in the pot and she feels like she's failed Creek and her Troll family and she literally turns grey and loses hope - if you really watch Branch during this moment, you will see an expression of pain and almost horror on his face as one by one the other trolls lose hope and turn grey as well when they see their Princess so sad. Branch realizes that he can't bear to see Princess Poppy (who is literally known as the happiest Troll ever born,) lose hope and give in to sadness. As he sings the song to Princess Poppy, her hug timer glows pink and you see Branch offer her a hug for the first time – something that (along with singing) he was unwilling to do before this moment. She covers the pink light with her hand and turns away from him, but he won't give up on her. He keeps singing, until finally, we see her joy (and her beautiful colors) return and the two dance together and share a hug. In this moment, Princess Poppy learns that true happiness doesn't come from eating a troll or making music or even hugging. True happiness shines from deep inside your heart.
While not my favorite animated film, Trolls still possesses a unique and effervescent quality that makes it stand out among other Dreamworks films. The animation is as creative and beautiful as it is vibrant, the characters each have their own special quality (particularly Branch and Princess Poppy who are brilliantly voiced by Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, respectively) and the story has a message that is both emotionally heartfelt and charming. I would recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg
Director: Michael Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand, John Cleese., Jeffrey Tambor, Ron Funches
After the Bergens invade her Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and Branch (Justin Timberlake) who is Princess Poppy’s opposite in every way, with his well-guarded heart and cantankerous attitude, set off on a journey together to rescue their troll family. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to rescue their family before they are eaten by the Bergens and ultimately find the true meaning of happiness.
True happiness is a powerful theme in this film, and it is illustrated perfectly in different ways, in the characters of Princess Poppy and Branch.
Branch starts out the film being a cantankerous curmudgeon who doesn't trust anyone. He isolates himself from everyone and everything, hiding away in his bunker and he is literally afraid to sing or be happy because he feels that his singing is what killed his grandmother when he was a child. When Poppy asks him why he won’t sing, Branch tells her that when he was a child, he was singing when a Bergen came. Branch was so lost in the beautiful song that he didn’t hear his grandmother’s warning and she was killed trying to save him. It is in this moment that Branch turns grey and vows never to sing again. That's why he is so gloomy and grey, and he doesn't sing or hug anyone. But there are subtle hints (like him keeping Poppy's homemade glittery cards and him following Poppy and protecting her from the spiders when she goes to rescue their friends and especially when he sings the song “True Colors” to her,) that show us that Branch does desire to be happy again. When he sees Princess Poppy at her lowest point - when all the trolls are trapped in the pot and she feels like she's failed Creek and her Troll family and she literally turns grey and loses hope - if you really watch Branch during this moment, you will see an expression of pain and almost horror on his face as one by one the other trolls lose hope and turn grey as well when they see their Princess so sad. Branch realizes that he can't bear to see Princess Poppy (who is literally known as the happiest Troll ever born,) lose hope and give in to sadness. As he sings the song to Princess Poppy, her hug timer glows pink and you see Branch offer her a hug for the first time – something that (along with singing) he was unwilling to do before this moment. She covers the pink light with her hand and turns away from him, but he won't give up on her. He keeps singing, until finally, we see her joy (and her beautiful colors) return and the two dance together and share a hug. In this moment, Princess Poppy learns that true happiness doesn't come from eating a troll or making music or even hugging. True happiness shines from deep inside your heart.
While not my favorite animated film, Trolls still possesses a unique and effervescent quality that makes it stand out among other Dreamworks films. The animation is as creative and beautiful as it is vibrant, the characters each have their own special quality (particularly Branch and Princess Poppy who are brilliantly voiced by Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, respectively) and the story has a message that is both emotionally heartfelt and charming. I would recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg