Preview footage at Cannes has gone over well, with industry players predicting a major victory for the DreamWorks animated film about the hirsute toys.
The Transformers franchise, while popular with audiences (a fifth installment is currently in the works), was a critical flop. The Lego Movie, meanwhile, exceeded all expectations, proving itself to be a surreally innovative animated comedy.
So where does Trolls – DreamWorks Animation’s big-screen gamble on the popular dolls with the candy-colored hair – fall on the spectrum? Based on footage previewed at the
Cannes film festival on Wednesday, it could very well land at the top of the heap.
Trolls doesn’t look to be as groundbreaking as Shrek, which along with Toy Story shepherded in a new age of animated films with jokes geared towards adults. But it stands to be just as big a hit – and DWA desperately needs one.
Story-wise, Trolls is no doubt slim. Its charms lie in the lush animation (every character and object in the film have a fabric-like quality), kinetic energy, and an abundance of giggle-inducing sight gags (extracted because may be considered a spoiler).
At the after-party, key industry players not affiliated with the picture went so far as to say the sophistication on display recalled Inside Out, the film that brought Pixar back to the creative fore following a rare crop of critical misfires. Trolls looks likely to follow in its footsteps.