So, you want to bring a giant ’90s fad to the big screen, eh DreamWorks? Let’s be perfectly honest, the only bigger indication of DreamWorks Animation running on fumes would be a giant sign outside their building reading, “Please drop off your childhood toys and memories at our studios for future film development. Pretty please? We’re desperate here.” While it would be fair to give DreamWorks the benefit of the doubt, thanks to their award-winning pieces such as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda, it would also be canny to point out their recent shortcomings — we’re looking at the two of you Home and Turbo.
Most of Trolls is still shrouded in secrecy, thanks to a November 4 release date. However, there is a brief summary on the official Trolls Facebook page that reads as such:
“DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls is an irreverent comedy extravaganza with incredible music! From the genius creators of Shrek, Trolls stars Anna Kendrick as Poppy, the optimistic leader of the Trolls, and her polar opposite, Branch, played by Justin Timberlake. Together, this unlikely pair of Trolls must embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the only world they’ve ever known.”
Okay, first of all “genius creators” is a bit egotistical, don’t you think DreamWorks? Second, while it’s understandable that a studio shouldn’t reveal too much about a project early on, we can all agree that this is the most bland kind of story arc you can create. That last sentence, the “fish out of water adventure,” has been done by every studio a zillion times. Take this for example. Remove the words “pair of Trolls,” and replace them with “group of Smurfs,” and you have the exact same story arc to Sony’s recent Smurf atrocities. Still not convinced? How about replacing it with “pair of Lego characters.” Bam, The Lego Movie.
To be fair, many would have probably guessed that The Lego Movie would just be a soulless, giant product placement. Yet, where The Lego Movie teaser shrouded enough of itself in secrecy to deliver the product, but also gave a lot of humor and character for viewers to grab onto, what exactly do we get out of the Trolls teaser? We get bright colors, awkwardly unfunny dancing to modern music, no character to latch upon and Justin Timberlake. Absolutely destined to be the next Frozen, sarcastically speaking.
Either way, watch the teaser trailer below to see for yourself how you feel about DreamWorks’ upcoming flick. Perhaps you’ll be ecstatic for the return of another ’90s fad, or perhaps you’ll wish to be crushed by a giant troll’s foot. If you’re still interested, you can visit Troll’s official Facebook page.
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