The Animated Addict: "Trolls" (2016)

Growing up as a teenager in the 1980's, did you ever think to yourself, "You know what would be cool, dude? If 30 years from now, Hollywood would take an ugly looking doll popular right now and turn it into a movie! Awesoooooome!"

Well... it happened. It's a thing.

Bergens eat trolls to be happy. After a tribe of trolls are captured, it's up to Princess Poppy to rescue them... unless the surrounding flora and fauna eat her... which would make the flora and fauna happy, I guess?

I'm not often puzzled by an animated movie... but "Trolls" by Dreamworks managed with this premise. The story is pretty simplistic- like, Saturday Morning Cartoon simplistic. But... there are some elements that break that mode- such as dealing with grief in the case of Branch, and the use of self-medication/addiction to combat depression in the case of the Bergens. Too bad those elements are ultimately hand waved away with simplistic solutions and platitudes. The messages themselves aren't negative, but the delivery doesn't do those topics justice.

Other than the two protagonists- Princess Poppy and Branch, the others (including the antagonist, Chef) are bland, shallow, and simplistic to the point of not being at all memorable. I honestly didn't care for any of them very much. Princess Poppy and Branch weren't bad characters- they certainly had more depth and nuance than everybody else, but it wasn't enough to make me invest emotionally in the fate of the survival of the village.

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake did great jobs in the roles of Princess Poppy and Branch. The rest? Meh. I enjoyed the songs they did as well. But sadly, the Disney formula for musical cartoons didn't quite carry this film.

I will say though that I loved the art direction. The use of felt-like textures gave the movie a unique, interesting scrap booky feel that I really enjoyed. The Bergen town also was a visual treat with it's crooked, almost-gothic appearance. The odd creatures that existed in this world though were a bit off-putting.

Ultimately, while it had potential in terms of it's art direction, and the deeper story elements I mentioned above, "Trolls" fell flat and made me wonder if a movie based on an ugly 1980's figurine was really the best idea for a franchise. I'm going to have to put it in "The Ugly".

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