Trolls are an overbearing, sickly saccharine, mawkish (fictional) species that only sing, dance and cuddle. Naturally the idea of being in the company of such beings for the entirety of a feature length film is nauseating, but Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn’s irreverent animation works because we adopt the perspective of the one cynical troll, allowing the viewer to take a vital step back and witness the sheer absurdity of the protagonist’s lifestyle, ridiculing them accordingly as our entry point views them in much of the same, disparaging way.
That very troll is Branch (Justin Timberlake) who cares little for singing and dancing, and more for surviving, working on his own, personal bunker to live in if their feared adversaries the Bergens ever reemerge. The glum species used to eat trolls one day a year for it was the only way they could experience a semblance of happiness, but after the King troll inspired an ambitious escape, they found a new home.
His daughter Poppy (Anna Kendrick) is now in charge, blissfully unaware that her extravagant parties could alert the Bergens of their whereabouts – which is exactly what happens, when the banished chef (Christine Baranski) finds them, and steals a handful to take back to Prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Poppy manages to persuade Branch to help her attempt a rescue mission, to save the captive trolls before it’s too late – requiring the help of the only member of the pessimistic species who seems to have any actual soul, the Prince’s dishwasher Bridget (Zooey Deschanel).
Trolls, on the surface, is a playful, vibrant animation aimed at a younger demographic, but there’s far more to this than meets the eye. It’s been intelligently devised in such a way that it’s completely tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, managing to be both self-deprecating and self-referential throughout, and yet will be a huge hit amongst children who lap up the sparkly elements. Those aware of its cynicism will appreciate it for that just that, while those blissfully unaware will still find so much to take away, which is a tough balance to get right. Needless to say, however, kids and adults alike are likely to agree on one thing – which is that the Bergens are just brilliant, and to be honest, preferential. The grumpy bastards mope around all day, and their cantankerous, slothful ways are somewhat endearing.
The narrative does suffer a little, mind, for you can kinda appreciate why they eat trolls if it makes them feel happy. It does feel like some sort of metaphor too, as taking trolls creates a sort of artificial happiness, a little like ecstasy – and this film thrives on the notion that we can be happy without the assistance of such substances, if we just look within ourselves. In effect, this is the first family animation that could be rather useful to recovering drug users. Your move, Pixar.
