Trolls Holiday

Okay, obviously this wasn't Citizen Kane/Paddington 2 but this was really cute! Probably my favorite part was when they had the refrence to the old troll designs from the 1980s. Also, I KNEW i recognized Zoey Deeschanel (Bridget) but I couldn't put my finger on it. A bit too much modern pop music (it is Trolls, after all) and Anna Kendrick's voice is pretty annoying (specifically her Poppy Voice not her actual voice) but it's cute. Show it to your kids around the holiday season, 20 minutes to yourself.

It was okay. Short and simple. Good voice casts. Despite being a family friendly kids eccentric movie, i did get a lot of adult jokes. Its fine, recommended.

I'll admit, when I saw Trolls on Netflix last year, I thought it would end up being a disappointment, but it turned out to be much better than the trailers. Sure, it didn't do anything new with it's story and the villain was pretty forgettable, but the main leads were likeable enough, the animation was cute, and the songs were good too.

So, when I heard that DreamWorks was going to make a holiday short, I was interested and hoped that it would be as good as the other holiday shorts like Gift of the Night Fury and the Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special. From what I got, it was decent enough and it's cute and charming in places. However, it's not exactly memorable as there are some problems that held Trolls Holiday back.

The story did feel predictable and at times a bit repetitive at parts, although I do admire it's attempt to stick to the holiday theme. Then, there's the pacing, which felt a bit rushed there wasn't enough time to breath and there's one song number that felt quite unnecessary (I'm not going to spoil to those who haven't seen it yet).

That being said, everything else is good. The animation is even more cute, the most of the song numbers are fine, the characters are charming like they were in the movie, and the voice work is spot on with Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake continuing to shine with their chemistry. Oh, and there are some funny moments which gave me a chuckle or two.

So, overall, not exactly as strong as Gift of the Night Fury and the Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special, but still cute and charming for kids to see. :)

Love animation, always have and always will do. Not just because of giving me pleasure and comfort but also it has been a significant part of my life. Disney, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Hanna Barbera, Tex Avery, Studio Ghibli, Pixar, Soyuzmultfilm and the list goes on and on.

Found myself surprisingly enjoying 2016's 'Trolls'. Not a masterpiece and far from DreamWorks' best ('The Prince of Egypt' and 'How to Train Your Dragon'), but there was a lot to like and it was so much better than its poor advertising/marketing indicated it would be. Its Christmas special the following year 'Trolls Holiday' is not as good but is close, it is not going to be for all tastebuds and there are better DreamWorks festive specials around. The strengths of the film still remain although the flaws are bigger and there are more.

There isn't really anything new as such conceptually and not a lot done in bringing freshness to it, not to mention that the story is very thin. Do agree that the pace could have slowed down in spots, some of the special is on the too hyper-active side, and that things could have quietened down in some places. Loved the energy, but there were instances where 'Trolls Holiday' did feel too noisy.

Can understand the reservations of it being too sugary and anyone expecting a little tension may want to look elsewhere because the conflict did feel bland here.

On the other hand, the animation in 'Trolls Holiday' is great and true in style to the film. There is so much imaginative detail, the characters are well modelled, the backgrounds meticulous and best of all the colours are gorgeously vibrant and leap out at you from the screen. The soundtrack is again like a musical extravaganza, and an upbeat and infectious one that has a huge presence without being overkill. The final number especially. The script is enough fun and wit to counter-balance the cuteness and sugar.

Again, the energy is exuberant, and personally just couldn't fail to be captivated by the energy, feel-good nature and charm, even if narratively it's not that strong the atmosphere certainly was. The characters were pretty adorable, none of them were annoying and none on the wrong side of sickly sweet. The voice acting all round is fine, never disturbing or too cute, and the singing showing the vocalists attacking the music with gusto and love of music. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake suit their characters perfectly.

Summarising, nice and colourful but didn't have me jumping out of my chair. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

This short animation film tells the story of the Trolls trying to create another holiday in order to increase happiness.

I really enjoyed the full length "Trolls", but this short is rather contrived and pointless. The plot is very weak, and there is little to engage viewers. Even the nice songs and the vibrant colour palette cannot save it from being a forgettable short film.