Trolls (franchise)

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Trolls
Trolls Logo 3.svg
Created byDreamWorks Animation
Original workTrolls
OwnerDreamWorks Animation
(Universal Pictures)
Films and television
Film(s)Trolls (2016)
Trolls World Tour (2020)
Television seriesTrolls: The Beat Goes On! (2018–2019)
Trolls: TrollsTopia (2020-2021)
Television special(s)Trolls Holiday (2017)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)Trolls (soundtrack)
Trolls World Tour (soundtrack)

Trolls is an American animated media franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, inspired by the successful line of Troll doll toys created by Thomas Dam. The franchise consists of two feature films, Trolls, released in 2016, and Trolls World Tour released in 2020, a television special titled Trolls Holiday and two animated series: Trolls: The Beat Goes On! on Netflix, and Trolls: TrollsTopia on Hulu and Peacock.

Films[]

Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Trolls November 4, 2016 Mike Mitchell
Co-Director:
Walt Dohrn 		Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger Erica Rivinoja Gina Shay
Trolls World Tour April 10, 2020 Walt Dohrn
Co-Director:
David P. Smith 		Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Elizabeth Tippet, Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger

Trolls (2016)[]

Main article: Trolls (film)

Trolls is a 2016 American computer-animated musical[1] comedy film[2] based on the Troll dolls created by Thomas Dam. Mike Mitchell directed the film, with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger serving as the writers. The film is based on a story by Erica Rivinoja. The film features the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski, Russell Brand, James Corden, Ron Funches, Jeffrey Tambor, John Cleese and Gwen Stefani. The film follows two trolls who go on a quest to save their village from destruction by the Bergens, creatures who eat Trolls to be happy.

DreamWorks announced plans for a film based on the Troll toyline as early as 2010. This version was to be written by Adam Wilson and Melanie Wilson LaBracio.[3] By 2012, Chloë Grace Moretz had already been cast in the female lead role and Jason Schwartzman was reported to have been offered the male lead.[4] In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced that the film with the working title Trolls would be released on June 5, 2015, with Anand Tucker set to direct the film, written by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes.[5]

By April 2013, DreamWorks Animation had acquired the intellectual property for the Trolls franchise from the Dam Family and Dam Things. Having "big plans for the franchise," DreamWorks Animation became the exclusive worldwide licensor of the merchandise rights, except for Scandinavia, where Dam Things remains the licensor.[6] In May 2013, the film was pushed back for a year to November 4, 2016.[7] The same month, DreamWorks Animation announced that Mike Mitchell and Erica Rivinoja has been hired as a director and screenplay writer to "reimagine" the film as a musical comedy, which would present the origin of the Trolls' colorful hair.[8] On June 16, 2014, Anna Kendrick joined the cast to voice Poppy, a princess.[9] On September 15, 2015, Deadline Hollywood reported that Justin Timberlake would voice a character named Branch.[10] Timberlake previously worked with DreamWorks Animation as the voice of Arthur "Artie" Pendragon in Shrek the Third in 2007. The full cast announced their respective roles via announcements on Twitter on January 6, 2016.[11]

Trolls premiered on October 8, 2016, at the BFI London Film Festival[12][13] and was theatrically released in the United States on November 4 by 20th Century Fox[10] and received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed $346 million worldwide against its $125 million budget. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Can't Stop the Feeling!".[14]

Trolls World Tour (2020)[]

Main article: Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour is a 2020 American computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is directed by Walt Dohrn, produced by Gina Shay, and written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Elizabeth Tippet, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, from a story by Aibel and Berger. The film stars the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Ron Funches, Kelly Clarkson, Anderson Paak, Sam Rockwell, George Clinton and Mary J. Blige.[15]

On February 28, 2017, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced a sequel to the 2016 film Trolls, with Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake reprising their roles as Poppy and Branch.[16]

In March 2017, podcasters the McElroy brothers began campaigning for roles in the film via a podcast titled "The McElroy Brothers Will Be in Trolls 2".[17] Following the campaign's success, DreamWorks confirmed in September 2018 that the McElroy brothers would make cameo appearances in World Tour.[18]

Sam Rockwell, Chance the Rapper, Anthony Ramos, Jamie Dornan and Flula Borg were added to the cast in May 2018. Corden, Icona Pop, Funches, and Nayyar returned to reprise their roles.[19] On June 12, 2018, the film was retitled as Trolls World Tour.[20][21] In October 2018, it was confirmed that Kelly Clarkson had joined the cast, and will perform an original song.[22] In June 2019, along with promotional posters, new cast members have been announced, which include: J Balvin, Mary J. Blige, Rachel Bloom, George Clinton, Kenan Thompson, Ester Dean, Anderson Paak and Gustavo Dudamel.

Universal Pictures originally planned to release Trolls World Tour theatrically in the United States on April 10, 2020.[23] It was later pushed back to April 17, 2020. Following the delay of No Time to Die, it was once again pushed up to the original April 10 release date.[24][25] On March 17, Universal announced that the film would be released simultaneously in theaters and through Premium Video on Demand on April 10 in the United States and Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26][27] As the pandemic receded, the film was released back in regular theatres.

Short films[]

Travel Through Troll Village (2017)[]

Travel through Troll Village is a short film included on the home media releases of Trolls. In it, Cloud Guy provides the viewer with a tour of Troll Village while giving insights to its many residents.

Dress Up (2017)[]

A promotional short for Trolls Holiday, Dress Up follows Biggie playing dress-up with Mr. Dinkles only for Poppy to walk in on their playtime.

Together (2017)[]

A promotional short for Trolls Holiday, Together features Satin and Chenile managing being stuck together while having different thoughts on what to do next.

Trolla-Palooza Tour (2017)[]

A promotional short for Trolls Holiday, Trolla-Palooza Tour focuses on Branch as he copes with the idea that his musical talent isn't being noticed while playing on Tour with his friends.

Tiny Diamond Goes Back To School (2020)[]

Tiny Diamond Goes Back To School is a traditionally-animated short film included on the home media releases of Trolls World Tour. Taking place after the events of the film, the short follows Guy Diamond's son, Tiny Diamond as he struggles to find the perfect outfit for his new School year.

Television special[]

Film U.S.

release date

Director Screenwriter Executive Producers
Trolls Holiday November 24, 2017 Joel Crawford Josh Bycel, Jonathan Fener Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn, Gina Shay

Trolls Holiday (2017)[]

Main article: Trolls Holiday

Trolls Holiday is a Christmas special that premiered on NBC. The half-hour Christmas special was directed by Joel Crawford and produced by DreamWorks Animation. The main cast all reprised their roles, as their respective characters, most notably Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, and Zooey Deschanel as Poppy, Branch, and Bridget, respectively.

The special premiered on November 24, 2017 (Black Friday).[28] The premiere of Trolls Holiday attracted 5.36 million viewers, with a 1.5 in the 18-49 demographic. It is the second most watched program of the night, behind How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, with 5.78 million viewers.[29]

Television series[]

Series Seasons Episodes First released Last released Showrunner(s) Network(s)
Trolls: The Beat Goes On! 8 52 January 19, 2018 November 22, 2019 Matthew Beans, Hannah Friedman, Sam Friedman Netflix
Trolls: TrollsTopia 4 32 November 19, 2020 Airing Matthew Beans Hulu/Peacock

Trolls: The Beat Goes On![]

Main article: Trolls: The Beat Goes On!

Trolls: The Beat Goes On! is an American animated web television series based on the film Trolls. The series was released on Netflix on January 19, 2018 exclusively in the United States, Canada, Latin America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Nordics, Benelux, and France.

Amanda Leighton, Skylar Astin, Kari Wahlgren, Sam Lerner, David Kaye, David Fynn, Sean T. Krishnan, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Fryda Wolff provide the new voices for Princess Poppy, Branch, Bridget, King Gristle, King Peppy, Biggie and Mr. Dinkles, Guy Diamond, Smidge, DJ Suki and Satin & Chenille for this series respectively, with Ron Funches, and Walt Dohrn reprising their roles of Cooper, and Cloud Guy from the films, respectively.[30]

Shortly after the release of the first season, it was confirmed that there would be a second season,[31] which was released on March 9 and consists of seven episodes.[32] The third season was released on August 24, 2018,[33] the fourth season on November 2, 2018,[34] the fifth season on January 18, 2019,[35] the sixth season on April 9, 2019,[36] the seventh season on August 27, 2019,[37] and the eighth and final season was released on November 22, 2019.[38]

Trolls: TrollsTopia[]

Main article: Trolls: TrollsTopia

On January 17, 2020, DreamWorks announced a new Trolls TV series, titled Trolls: TrollsTopia, to be distributed exclusively on both Hulu and Peacock. The series was originally scheduled to be released in late 2020.[39]

Due to the effects of COVID-19 on Peacock's original release schedule, many of the planned originals, including this series, have been delayed. Hulu had not announced any delays and would release the series on schedule.[40] The release date for the series on Hulu was confirmed to be November 19, 2020.[41] The series was released on Hulu and Peacock on November 19, 2020. Following the events of Trolls World Tour, the show focuses on Poppy building TrollsTopia, a place where all the Trolls tribes can live in harmony. It features the cast of the previous series reprising their roles, with Kenan Thompson, Ron Funches, and Walt Dohrn reprising their roles of Tiny Diamond, Cooper, and Cloud Guy from the films, respectively.

A first season was released on November 19, 2020. A second season was released on March 18, 2021. A third season was released on June 10, 2021. A fourth season will release on September 2, 2021.

Recurring cast and characters[]

Key
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character did not appear in that installment or their presence has not been announced.
  • A Y indicates a younger version of the character.
  • An A indicates an appearance through archived audio.
Characters
Films Short films Television special Television series
Trolls Trolls World Tour Travel Through Troll Village Dress Up Together Trolla-Palooza Tour Tiny Diamond Goes Back To School Trolls Holiday Trolls:
The Beat Goes On! 		Trolls: TrollsTopia
Poppy Anna Kendrick Anna Kendrick Anna KendrickA Anna Kendrick Anna Kendrick Anna Kendrick Amanda Leighton
Iris DohrnY
Branch Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake Archive footage Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake Skylar Astin
Liam HenryY
King Gristle Jr. Christopher Mintz-Plasse Christopher Mintz-Plasse Sam Lerner
Bridget Zooey Deschanel Zooey Deschanel Kari Wahlgren
Biggie James Corden James CordenA James Corden Character is mute James Corden David Fynn
Prince Cooper Ron Funches Ron Funches Ron Funches
Guy Diamond Kunal Nayyar Kunal Nayyar Sean T. Krishnan
Chenille Caroline Hjelt Caroline Hjelt Character is mute Caroline Hjelt Fryda Wolff
Satin Aino Jawo Aino Jawo Aino Jawo
Smidge Walt Dohrn Walt DohrnA Walt Dohrn Kevin Michael Richardson
Mr. Dinkles Walt Dohrn Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson Walt DohrnA Kevin Michael Richardson David Fynn
Walt Dohrn
Cloud Guy Walt Dohrn Walt Dohrn Walt Dohrn
Fuzzbert Walt Dohrn Archive footage Character is mute Walt Dohrn
King Peppy Jeffrey Tambor Walt Dohrn Jeffrey TamborA David Kaye
Creek Russell Brand Matt Lowe
DJ Suki Gwen Stefani Gwen StefaniA Fryda Wolff
Chad Mike Mitchell Mike Mitchell Kevin Michael Ricardson
Todd Curtis Stone Curtis Stone
Tiny Diamond Kenan Thompson Kenan Thompson Kenan Thompson

Additional crew and production details[]

Film Detail
Composer Editor(s) Production
companies 		Distributing
company 		Running time
Trolls Christophe Beck Nick Fletcher DreamWorks Animation 20th Century Fox 1hr 33mins
Trolls World Tour Theodore Shapiro Universal Pictures 1hr 34mins
TV series Detail
Composer Production
companies 		Distributor Network Running time
Trolls: The Beat Goes On! Alexander Geringas, Alana Da Fonseca DreamWorks Animation Television NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, Netflix Netflix 22 minutes per episode
Trolls: TrollsTopia Alexander Geringas NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Hulu/Peacock
TV special Detail
Composer Production
companies 		Distributor Network Running time
Trolls Holiday Jeff Morrow DreamWorks Animation NBCUniversal Television and Streaming NBC 30mins

Reception[]

Box office performance[]

Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide North America Worldwide
Trolls November 4, 2016 $153,707,064 $193,157,398 $346,864,462 #361 #404 $125 million [42][43]
Trolls World Tour April 10, 2020 N/A $4,017,371 $4,017,371 #6,006 #9,532 $110 million[citation needed] [44][45]
Totals $153,707,064 $197,174,769 $350,881,833 $235 million

Critical response[]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Trolls 76% (162 reviews)[46] 55 (32 critics)[47] A[48]
Trolls World Tour 71% (155 reviews)[49] 51 (35 critics)[50] N/A

References[]

  1. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 8, 2016). "Film Review: 'Trolls'". Variety. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Film Review: Trolls (USA 2016) ***". festivalreviews.org.
  3. ^ Lesnick, Silas. "DreamWorks Animation Plans Good Luck Trolls Film". Coming Soon.net. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike (June 20, 2012). "Jason Schwartzman In 'Trolls' Mode?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  5. ^ "New Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Unveils DreamWorks Animation's Release Slate Through 2016" (Press release). DreamWorks Animation. PR Newswire. September 9, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  6. ^ "DreamWorks Animation Acquires IP For Trolls With Plans To Take Iconic Dolls' Brand (And Hair) To New Heights". DreamWorks Animation. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on May 6, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  7. ^ Chitwood, Adam (May 16, 2013). "DreamWorks Animation Moves B.O.O. Release Up to June 5, 2015 and TROLLS to November 4, 2016; Fox Dates ANUBIS and FERDINAND". Collider.com. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  8. ^ "Acclaimed Comedy Director Mike Mitchell And Emmy Award Winning Writer Erica Rivinoja Bring DreamWorks' Trolls to the Big Screen". DreamWorks Animation. May 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  9. ^ "Anna Kendrick to Voice DreamWorks Animation's Trolls". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Lieberman, David (September 15, 2015). "Justin Timberlake To Add His Voice To DreamWorks Animation's 'Trolls'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "DreamWorks Announces a Cast of Trolls". BCDB Blog. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (October 8, 2016). "'Trolls': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  13. ^ "Trolls". London Film Festival, British Film Institute. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  14. ^ "American certifications – Trolls". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 28, 2017). "Universal DreamWorks Animation Announces 'Trolls 2'; Sets for April 10, 2020". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 28, 2017). "Universal DreamWorks Animation Announces 'Trolls 2'; Sets for April 10, 2020". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  17. ^ "The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls 2: Chapter 1 | Maximum Fun". www.maximumfun.org. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Bradley, Laura (September 11, 2018). "The Unbelievable True Story of How Three Podcasters Trolled Their Way into Trolls 2". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  19. ^ "Chance the Rapper Joins the Cast of 'Trolls 2'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. ^ Zahed, Ramin (June 12, 2018). "New Details Revealed About DreamWorks' 'Trolls' Sequel".
  21. ^ McNary, Dave (June 13, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Laverne Cox Boards 'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen' Documentary".
  22. ^ N'Duka, Amanda; D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 4, 2018). "Kelly Clarkson Joins 'Trolls 2' & Will Perform Original Song". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 6, 2017). "'Fast & Furious 9' Drives To Easter Weekend 2020; 'Trolls 2' Moves To Spring 2020 – Update".
  24. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 28, 2017). "Universal DreamWorks Animation Announces 'Trolls 2'; Sets for April 10, 2020". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 4, 2020). "'Trolls World Tour' Fills Easter Void Left By 'No Time To Die'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  26. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (March 16, 2020). "Universal to Release 'Trolls World Tour' for Digital Rental on Same Day as Theatrical Release". TheWrap. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  27. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 9, 2020). "'Trolls World Tour' Straight to Streaming — Sign of the Times or the New Normal?". Variety. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 322. ISBN 9781476672939.
  29. ^ Porter, Rick (November 28, 2017) "‘Trolls Holiday’ adjusts up, ‘Grammys Greatest Stories’ adjusts down: Friday final ratings" TV by The Numbers.
  30. ^ "'DreamWorks Trolls Holiday' Musical Special Set for NBC". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  31. ^ Zahn, James (January 19, 2018). "Trolls: The Beat Goes On! The Toys of Troll Village and a New Behind-the-Scenes Featurette!". The Rock Father. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  32. ^ McLean, Tom (February 23, 2018). "'DreamWorks Trolls' Returns March 9 with 7 New Episodes". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  33. ^ Patches, Matt (July 25, 2018). "Every movie and show coming to Netflix in August". Polygon.
  34. ^ "DreamWorks Trolls on Instagram: "That feeling when there's only one month to go until new episodes of #DreamWorksTrolls: The Beat Goes On! stream on Netflix!"". Instagram.
  35. ^ "DreamWorks Trolls on Instagram: "It's FRIYAY and @Netflix has all-new episodes of Trolls: The Beat Goes On!"". Instagram.
  36. ^ "DreamWorks Trolls on Instagram: "Head to @Netflix now to discover all-new episodes of Trolls: The Beat Goes On!"". Instagram.
  37. ^ "DreamWorks Trolls on Instagram: "Grab your friends, and head over to Netflix to stream all-new episodes of Trolls: The Beat Goes On!"". Instagram.
  38. ^ "TROLLS: THE BEAT GOES ON! | British Board of Film Classification". bbfc.co.uk.
  39. ^ Petski, Denise (January 17, 2020). "Hulu Orders Kids Series 'Madagascar: A Little Wild', 'TrollsTopia' & 'The Mighty Ones' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood.
  40. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 14, 2020). "Peacock Streaming Lineup: What's Coming to Comcast Now, and What's Coming Later". Variety.
  41. ^ "Video: "Trolls: TrollsTopia" - Trailer (Official) - A Hulu Original". The Futon Critic. November 5, 2020.
  42. ^ "Trolls". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  43. ^ "Trolls (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  44. ^ "Trolls World Tour". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  45. ^ "Trolls: World Tour (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  46. ^ Trolls (2016), retrieved July 2, 2020
  47. ^ Trolls, retrieved July 2, 2020
  48. ^ "Home". Cinemascore. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  49. ^ Trolls World Tour (2020), retrieved January 3, 2021
  50. ^ Trolls World Tour, retrieved July 2, 2020
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