The cloying, colorful positivity of ‘Trolls’

Scene from “Trolls”

In the colorful world of “Trolls,” the animated musical-comedy film codirected by Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn, an exceedingly optimistic bunch of forest creatures spreads their positivity via hit-and-miss song numbers and situations that you’ve seen way too many times before.

Despite that, “Trolls,” inspired by the quirky toys of the same name from decades back, has its visuals going for it—the Dreamworks film reimagines them as colorful and sparkly iterations with shape-shifting and prehensile hair.

And they’ve got their own lore from the outset, although the characters often look and feel like a cross between “Smurfs” and “Care Bears.”

That said, “Trolls” isn’t like the first “Smurfs” film at all, as this is about them, and not some inconsequential humans. It tells of the great escape of the Troll community 20 years ago from the land of Bergens—giant monsters who eat them to attain “happiness.”

Once led by the brave King Peppy (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor), the relocated Troll community is now a worry-free group guided by Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick), who has gotten complacent with their haven’s security.
An exiled Bergen, the Chef (Christine Baranski), discovers the forest hideout, its location practically announced by the diminutive creatures’ loud and flashy partying. She leaves with a number of them, to Poppy’s horror.

The young princess enlists the aid of the paranoid, doomsday-prepping Troll, Branch (Justin Timberlake) who, despite being a killjoy, is a competent and realistic companion. They covertly enter the kingdom of young Bergen king Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who is served by the long-smitten Bridget (Zooey Deschanel)—so there’s a Cinderella story in there, too, apart from a rescue mission!

Music-wise, the disco-era songs and corresponding numbers feel forced—those, plus a cover of Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet,” feel like a rehash of “Happy Feet” and “Shrek’s” soundtracks. But, the song choices get better—and funnier.

Poppy, for instance, whips out a guitar and sings Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” to the perpetually irritated Branch. In another scene, Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” aptly accompanies a quick glimpse of the happiness-devoid Bergen kingdom.

The best song is a duet between Timberlake and Kendrick, a sweet cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” perfectly encapsulating the characters’ struggles in the span of a few moving minutes.

“Trolls” successfully manages to relay its message that happiness isn’t anything that one might ingest—a reaffirming idea that gets reiterated from time to time, in almost-hypnotic splashes of cartoon magic.