Les Trolls : Spécial Fêtes

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

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 have watched this TV animated cartoon twice, once on its premier night (24 November) and again last night (5 December) and both times, it wasn't any longer than 25/30 min. IMDb website says it is 1 hour 12 min. Definitely not that long. But so eye-popping in color! I enjoyed this holiday cartoon so much, I had to get more by watching it twice. I would highly recommend it! But then again, I'm into the pastel and neon colors. And I'm also into DreamWorks Animated films.

So first, Trolls Holiday is not about Christmas or any other seasonal holiday. It is ok, but disappointing if you are expecting something else. At least the animation on Trolls Holiday is decent.

However, packaged with it (at least on Vudu) are 3 "bonus" episodes - two from the film HOME and one from the CROODS. But don't get excited - these "bonus" episodes are no bonus. The animation doesn't even stand up to Saturday morning cartoons and the requisite laugh tracks are just terrible as are the stories. Just sad. I was expecting the caliber of the films, and this is not it. Very disappointing!