I walked in expecting a loud, shiny toy commercial. I walked out surprised by how much heart the thing had.
Yeah, it’s bright. Almost too bright. Everything sparkles, everything sings, and the pace never lets up. But that’s the point. The Troll world runs on hair and happiness, and the movie commits to it completely.
Anna Kendrick is perfect as Poppy. Endlessly upbeat but never annoying, which is a harder trick than it sounds. Justin Timberlake as Branch is the real surprise. He’s the grumpy one, convinced the world is going to eat them all. But his arc is where the movie earns its heart.
There’s a moment near the end, just a small smile, that got me. Branch has been grey the whole film, cut off from the joy that colors every other Troll. When he finally lets himself feel something again, the payoff sneaks up on you. It could have been a throwaway gag. Instead the whole emotional core is built around it.
The soundtrack is stacked, and I braced for a string of one annoying song after another. It never plays that way. The songs fit the story and keep things moving.
If you want a bright, big-hearted movie that never pretends to be anything else, this one delivers. Sometimes happy is exactly what you need.
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