HOLLYWOOD—Man, this movie was a ton of fun, I’m taking about the animated flick “Trolls” starring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. There are many characters in this movie, but its Princess Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) who exceed to absolute adoration for kids who will be glued to the screen.
I will admit when I was first introduced to the movie I was concerned slightly by the opening, which puts into perspective the battle between the Trolls and their biggest threat, the Bergens. The Bergens are not the greatest looking creatures to say the least; they were almost spooky looking in my opinion, but if the kiddies can realize that looks aren’t everything, the movie’s theme makes that much more sense. The Trolls are loveable entities who indulge in all things happiness, song and dance.
They live life seeing the positive and not indulging on the negative, and that is quite problematic when looking at their foe: the Bergens. The Bergens have been brainwashed to believe that the ONLY way to achieve happiness is by eating a troll. As a result, the trolls are on constant edge about their livelihood coming to an end at any given moment. After years of living in safe seclusion, Princess Poppy who has taken over as the leader of the troll community is planning to throw an epic bash to celebrate years of safety from the treacherous Bergens.
However, Princess Poppy didn’t realize that Chef, a Bergen who found herself banished when the trolls managed to escape certain death 20 years ago, is looking for a bit of redemption. When Poppy disregards the warnings from the notoriously cautious and negative Branch, she soon discovers her pals are in terrible danger. With Branch’s help, Poppy travels to Bergen town unaware of the danger that lurks in the shadows.
The rest of the narrative highlights an issue of extreme importance: happiness and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While it’s not completely stated, its apparent with the constant shun of Bridget (voice of Zooey Deschanel), who is a Bergen that works in the shadows and gets treated like Cinderella. When she encounters Poppy and her gang, they transform Bridget to a beauty that captures the heart of Prince Gristle Jr. (voice of Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who starts to realize what has been engrained into his brain at an early age is not all true.
Wow, wow, that’s all I can say, because it resonates with the minds of the young today; what we teach them, they will take as being truthful, especially as they age. “Trolls” really finds a way to make it clear that perception is impacted by what someone knows, not what they are told. Happiness is not some trait that requires something of materialistic value to be accomplished; it’s something we all have inside of us, we just have to find a way to retrieve it.
Not only does “Trolls” provide plenty of heart, the music accompanied with the film and its epic dance sequences will leave adults and kids alike in a spirited state of mind, one that should be more prevalent all the time!
