We are a family that loves to move and groove and as soon as we heard Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’ we knew the DreamWorks blockbuster movie, Trolls, from the creators of Shrek, would be a top choice for a family movie night.
We expected to laugh and do some dancing in our seats, and that did happen. But our family also came away with some great reminders about the power of empathy and the gift of friendship.
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake (a dream singing duo) play Poppy and Branch, two polar-opposite trolls living in the vibrant and happy Troll Village. Poppy is the happiest troll there is, while Branch is an overly cautious grump. Despite Poppy’s repeated attempts to help Branch release his inner happiness, he’s not having any of it.
When the village is invaded by Bergens, and several of the trolls are taken captive, Poppy (the optimist) and Branch (the pessimist) must find a way to join forces and save their friends from becoming the main dish at the Bergens’ next feast.
True to their personalities, Poppy is convinced they can do it, while Branch is convinced they can’t. This is where we see the true message of the movie coming through. Each of us has an optimist and pessimist inside of us. How do we see the best in others and ourselves instead of the worst?
In our family’s favourite scene, we watch Poppy and Branch switch roles. Poppy feels defeated and loses her optimism when they’re unable to triumph over the villains, and it’s up to Branch to give it back to her. But first, he must find it in himself.
The film’s beautiful use of colour in this scene adds an extra layer of emotion, but it’s the tender rendition of ‘True Colors’ by Timberlake and Kendrick that got the tears flowing for all us.
We cried (okay, we bawled) because it was beautiful and moving to see Branch showing compassion and love to his friend when she needed it most. There couldn’t be a more perfect time for families to be reminded of that message.
The Blu-Ray version of Trolls has just been released with several bonus features that make it a perfect choice for an at-home family movie night. There are behind-the-scenes features, previously unreleased deleted scenes, a Troll 2 Troll debate between Poppy and Branch, a tour of the movie’s most colourful locations, and an interactive Party Mode that lets you sing and dance with the trolls with on-screen lyrics for every song (watch out, Justin, here we come!).
This movie has all the ingredients of a new family favourite worth playing on repeat. The animation and use of colour are visual eye candy. There are several well-known stars lending their voices to the characters (including: James Corden, Gwen Stefani, Russell Brand and Zooey Deschanel). The soundtrack is fantastic (and in heavy rotation at our house and in the minivan). And, perhaps most importantly, there’s a beautiful message at the heart of the story.
This post is brought to you by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment but the opinions are our own.
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Category: Entertainment
