Things often look prettier in the movies than they are in real life. Take Troll dolls, those slightly creepy toys whose lined visages have been smoothed over for their sleek Dreamworks Animation debut. Gone are their bulging eyes and wrinkles—these trolls are entirely cute and camera-ready.
Justin Timberlake voices the grumpy one, Branch, who dislikes the trolls’ overly-enthusiastic leader, Poppy (Anna Kendrick). Poppy proves pretty ineffectual when a bigger, badder creature comes to town, and she and Branch are forced to work together to rescue their fellow trolls. Cue your think pieces, because the gender dynamics of Trolls seem pretty messed up. Poppy may be the head troll, but she’s clueless and needs the help of a dude to save the day.
We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that Branch learns to loosen up a bit, and he and Poppy solidify their friendship with some big musical number. That’s right, these trolls sing too. After establishing the basic plot, the trailer then turns into a neon jumble of wacky scenarios. You know, roller skating, drumming, fist-bumping clouds with limbs—that sort of thing.
Trolls will try to win over your children in theaters November 4.