Trolls

Family movies based on old properties tend to have less than stellar results in our modern age, whether it's Alvin and the Chipmunks or Smurfs. This can be attributed to a combination of the studios involved, product placement, bland humor, or other factors. However, ever since The Lego Movie, the possibility of the success in the aforementioned genre seems to have sparked some hope with the newest entry, Trolls. When I first saw the trailer, it looked cute and appeared to have it's own unique charm. Considering the fact that this movie looks uplifting and that the election will challenge my spirit, I decided to go watch Trolls and after I came out of the theater from watching it, I felt happy and cheerful at that moment.


Plot: The story follows a community of a small race known as Trolls hiding away from a town of a large beings called Bergens. The former hides from the latter to avoid being eaten by them but then one day through a series of events most of them are captured by the Bergen. From there, two Trolls, Poppy and Branch, embark on an adventure to rescue the captured group from them. During the adventure, they get into some silly shenanigans while the dynamic of the main characters pushes through the plot in a fun enjoyable way as well as finding what it means to find happiness. The story is pretty predictable but the environment and characters help make up for it.

Characters: There are four main characters to focus on: Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick), Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), Bridget (voiced by Zooey Deschanel), and Chef (voiced by Christine Baranski). Poppy is the optimistic princess of the Trolls whose positivity just fills the room with glitter and hugs. Poppy is basically Leslie Knope (from Parks and Recreation) on the happy side of life with wonderful scrapbooking skills. Anna just shines very well with this role in an energetic way. Branch is a grumpy Troll who's more focused on surviving than participating in activities with the rest of his race. Justin does a good job with portraying the nature of Branch with wit and sarcasm. Bridget is a nice scullery maid Bergen the duo encounter in their journey. Zooey portrays the character pretty well in terms of the arc she has in the plot. Chef is a really mean Bergen who plans on cooking and eating Trolls as part of a tradition carried by the Bergens. Christine is very good with this role towards stealing every scene she's in. Overall the casting is done well and the characters make this colorful experience worth watching.

Overall Consensus: While not bringing anything new or game changing to animated family movies, Trolls carries itself with a bright colorful adventure and funny characters. ⭑⭑⭑1/2

Possible reasons to watch it: You are looking for a family movie with feel good elements in it. You like watching a cute animated movie. You like Justin Timberlake and/or Anna Kendrick. You like watching family movies that have fun upbeat songs in it. You want to see a modern movie about the Trolls franchise. You want to see a simple fun family movie that doesn't present massive complex emotions.

Possible reasons to avoid it: You don't like Justin Timberlake and/or Anna Kendrick. You don't like family movies that have fun upbeat songs in it. You don't like the Trolls franchise. You want to see a family movie that presents complex emotions.