Trolls

Computer-animated film

The film transports audiences to a colorful, wondrous world populated by the overly optimistic , who have a constant dance in their step and a song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have Trolls in their stomachs. After the Bergens invade , Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try totolerate each other long enough to get the job done.

For the film's overall look, director Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn also pay homage to one of the cinema's most towering figures, Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist whose many acclaimed films include the animated classics Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

For the film's overall look, director Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn also pay homage to one of the cinema's most towering figures, Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist whose many acclaimed films include the animated classics Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

Happiness was foremost in the minds of TROLLS director Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn, even during the earliest stages of story discussions with screenwriters/co-producers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger and producer Gina Shay.

Their research into Troll lore, which sprang from Scandinavian mythology, revealed that Trolls came in myriad shapes and sizes, from monstrous giants to tiny creatures who granted wishes. As DreamWorks had done with Shrek, Mitchell and Dohrn decided to adapt the Trolls mythology to create a new universe and set of characters.

The filmmakers note that they did embrace one aspect of previous Trolls history. “We were fascinated by how these creatures were originally scary-ugly and evolved over time into being cute-ugly,” says Mitchell. “In the they became a symbol for happiness.” As they continued their explorations of all things Troll, Mitchell and Dohrn zeroed in on the motifs of happiness and optimism, and their imaginations ignited.

In many ways, says producer Gina Shay, another of Mitchell and Dohrn's Shrek franchise alumna, TROLLS hearkens back to the 1970s, a time “when there was this feeling of freedom; disco, pop and dance music was everywhere; and everybody seemed to be roller skating. We wanted the Trolls to reflect that joy in their society. They're also very peaceful.

With that through line of happiness in place, Mitchell and Dohrn began mapping out the story, enlisting the help of the screenwriting team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who had been the architects of another animated film universe, having written the three Kung Fu Panda blockbusters for DreamWorks Animation. Berger calls the new assignment “a real creative change of pace, and so much fun.

Kendrick appreciates Poppy's toughness, sassiness, can-do attitude, loyalty and, most of all, her leadership skills. But when she first met with Mitchell and Dohrn to discuss the role, the actress notes she had some concerns. “I hardly felt like the person to play the happiest Troll; sugary sweet isn't really my forte. I warned Mike, Walt and Gina that I might lead Poppy down a feistier path. I think I used the term ‘sparkplug.'” When the filmmakers assured Kendrick that her vision for Poppy was in sync with theirs, she embraced her inner Troll with a vengeance.

Yeah, Branch is obsessed,” says Timberlake, who embraced some of Branch's un-Troll-like attitude. “I thought playing Branch's sarcasm and pessimism would be a lot of fun,” he points out, “even though I'm generally not like that — at least not after I've had my morning coffee.

Just as Kendrick was wary of overdoing Poppy's perpetual peppiness, Timberlake did not want to make Branch too much of a grump. “I was concerned that he was going to be overly cantankerous and that some in the audience weren't going to like him,” he explains. “Fortunately, Mike, Walt and I struck a really nice balance with the character's demeanor. But we never lost sight of the fun that came with Branch and Poppy being polar opposites of one another.

The Bergens are the flip side of the Trolls. These depressed giants believe that menacing Trolls is the only viable path to their happiness. The leader of the Bergens, voiced by , is , Jr.,a surly, twenty-something who has vowed to bring happiness back to Bergen Town by capturing the nearby but well-hidden Trolls. Gristle Jr. is the son of King Gristle, voiced by comedy legend John Cleese.

Gristle's behavior can also be explained by the young royal having “never experienced happiness or love,” says Mintz-Plasse, whose signature comedy role was as McLovin in the hit Superbad. The actor notes that when he first discussed the role with the filmmakers, he saw a picture of Gristle and thought, “‘Oh, okay, he's kind of a gremlin-like guy.' I was prepared for Mike and Walt to ask me to throw on some sort of weird voice. ‘Nope,' they said, ‘we want exactly what you do, straight Christopher Mintz-Plasse.'

Voiced by Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, Elf), Bridget is the sweetest, most kindhearted Bergen in all of Bergen Town; in fact, she may be the only kindhearted Bergen. “She's our Cinderella,” says Mitchell. Screenwriter Jonathan Aibel has a special affection for Bridget, a character he describes as being “a challenge to write, because when we meet her, she's uncommunicative. So to see her grow and learn how to express herself is probably my favorite part of the movie, especially when she goes on her dream date with King Gristle.

A Bergen of true evil intent is Chef (Christine Baranski, making her animated feature debut), who once held a coveted spot in the Royal Bergen Kitchen. Baranski, who has portrayed a string of unforgettable characters, including a high-powered attorney on the acclaimed series The Good Wife, imbues Chef with a skillful balance of menace and fun. And she has no bigger fan than Kendrick, who had worked with the versatile actress in the musical film Into the Woods.

The technology available for animated filmmaking is more sophisticated and photo-realistic than ever before. In many features, for example, grass has never looked grassier and water never more… watery. But the TROLLS filmmakers had a very different kind of vision in mind for these bleeding-edge visual effects tools. They decided to create a world unlike any other experienced on film. “We wanted to transport audiences to a handmade universe,” says Mitchell.

Production designer Kendal Cronkhite-Shaindlin based the film's look on Fiber Art textures, including felts, velvet, macramé, and flocked materials. The filmmakers called it “fuzzy immersion,” a process they say will make audiences want to reach into the film and touch the characters and settings.

TROLLS is the first DreamWorks Animation film to use Willow, the company's proprietary long hair simulation tool. Willow is unique in that it is both efficient and stable in how it solves lots of “bad hair day” problems, such as bending, friction, elasticity, and collisions of hundreds of thousands of hairs on a character's head.

Share this article: Trolls

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Twitter
Email

MORE TOPICS

The 9th Life of Louis Drax

After surviving eight near-death accidents throughout his unlucky life, Louis Drax plunges off a steep cliff on his ninth birthday. While police investigate the cause of Louis’ near-fatal fall, neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal uses unorthodox techniques to try to tap into the boy’s unconscious mind and reveal the truth about the events

Angela Bassett est une embassadrice pour l'UNICEF aux Etats-Unis

Angela Bassett

Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She has become well-known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What’s Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X

Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits is an American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The film features an ensemble cast which includes Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Patricia Clarkson. Screen Gems was given clearance to move forward with the title Friends with Benefits;

Certified Copy is about a middle-aged English writer, while in Tuscany to promote his latest book, meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano.

Certified Copy

Certified Copy (French: Copie conforme) is a film by Iranian writer and director Abbas Kiarostami, starring Juliette Binoche and the British opera singer William Shimell, in his first film role. The film is set in Tuscany, and focuses on a British writer and a French antiques dealer, whose relationship undergoes an odd transformation over the course of a day.

La production de Sortilège commença en décembre 2007, quand CBS Films acquit les droits du roman éponyme d’Alex Flinn sorti la même année.

Beastly

Beastly is a fantasy romance film based on Alex Flinn’s 2007 novel of the same name. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris and Lisa Gay Hamilton.

Eddie The Eagle

Eddie tried his hand at various sports and disciplines, before settling on downhill skiing. Having narrowly failed to make the British team at the Winter Olympics in 1984, he recalibrated and switched to ski jumping.