Do you remember the Trolls? Those plastic doll thingies with colourful, mad hair that make them look as though they’ve been electrocuted? Well, after several decades in the market place they have been given a big-screen outing care of DreamWorks Animation… and it’s a musical!

Director Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn, who had previously worked together on the Shrek franchise, have created a musical comedy about the search for happiness, starring Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick.

On the one hand you have the overly optimistic Trolls, who have a constant dance in their step and a song on their lips; while on the other are the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have Trolls in their stomachs.

The story takes us to Troll Village, where Poppy (voiced by Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends after the Bergens invade the village. Kendrick and Timberlake, are joined by an eclectic cast including Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, and James Corden, with John Cleese and Gwen Stefani.

Timberlake also serves as the film’s executive music producer and the producer of the Trolls soundtrack. The soundtrack features five original songs –including songs performed by Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Ken-drick and Ariana Grand – and a number of classic hits from the 1960s to the 1980s, rearranged and sung by members of the cast.

A top priority for the filmmakers was ensuring that all the songs propelled the story forward.  “The lyrics are part of the narrative,” says Dohrn.  “We never wanted the story to stop just because a song began.”

When I watch the movie I wish its universe was real

Initially, the filmmakers envisioned using only classic songs, to facilitate a shared experience for audiences. But when Timberlake came aboard as executive music producer, it was an easy decision to have him also write or co-write some new songs especially for the film.

Timberlake describes his acting/music producing role on Trolls as an embarrassment of riches. “I’ve always wanted to oversee a motion picture soundtrack,” he says, “and I thought what better way to jump into that than when I’m already acting in the movie. I feel closer to the story having played a character in it. Voicing Branch was definitely helpful in writing music for Trolls.”

The soundtrack of course features Timberlake’s hit Can’t Stop the Feeling. The film also features reworked versions of such classics including Lionel Ritchie’s Hello, Dream a Little Dream of Me with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Simon and Garfunkel’s beloved The Sound of Silence and Gorillaz’ Clint Eastwood, to name but a few.

Versatile composer Christ-ophe Beck, whose numerous credits include Pitch Perfect, Frozen and Ant-Man and TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer worked closely with Timberlake to compose the score.

Timberlake worked hard with the actors to hone their musical performances.  “Justin was tireless in his efforts to get the best from our formidable and multi-talented cast,” says Mitchell. “His passion for the music was inspiring to all.”

Kendrick jokes that when she was working with Timberlake in his music producing capacity, she felt like she “was in one of those movies about musicians and Justin was the guy pressing the buttons in the control booth, saying, ‘Do it better!’”

Apart from the challenges and satisfaction of the music, both Timberlake and Kendrick confess that the film’s under-lying theme of joyfulness was a key they joined the project. “Trolls makes me smile and laugh,” says Timberlake. “I love its non-cynical humour.  Happiness connects us, and funny enough, the character I play, Branch, is trying so hard to avoid it.  In the end, of course, he really can’t.”

“When I watch the movie I wish its universe was real,” Kendrick says. “And that I could visit it.”

It’s certainly a unique universe full of joy, unforgettable characters… and that hair! The bright, candy-coloured styles that stick up to the heavens… the unmissable mark of the Trolls as they embark on their, um, hair-raising adventures…

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