Following on the heels of Toy Story 3's box office and critical success in 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced their own take on toys come to life in the form of an animated feature based on the popular 1960s dolls, the Good Luck Trolls. However, Trolls didn't really begin to move forward until 2013 when the animation studio officially bought the rights from Danish toy company Dam Things.
Then, DreamWorks tapped director Mike Mitchell (Sky High, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked) and screenwriter Erica Rivinoja (South Park) for the animated feature. Now, DreamWorks has released the first teaser trailer for Trolls, introducing a number of colorful haired trolls and the creatures that eat them.
DreamWorksTV released the trailer (above) featuring the trolls dancing to the 2015 hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" by Silentó and the '90s song "Tootsee Roll" by 69 Boyz. According to DreamWorks, the film will follow "the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comedicly pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach." Trolls will include original music by Justin Timberlake, who costars as Branch in the film alongside lead Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect 2), who plays Princess Poppy.
Also lending their vocal talent to the feature is Russell Brand (Despicable Me 2) as Creek, James Corden (Into the Woods) as Biggie, Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) as Guy Diamond, and Ron Funches (Undateable) as Cooper. Pop star Gwen Stefani and electropop duo Icona Pop will also be featured in Trolls as DJ Suki and Fashionistas respectively.
Of course, Trolls isn't the first film to be based on popular toys of decades past. Paramount has an established live-action franchise based on Transformers and will be launching a shared universe inspired by a handful of different Hasbro toys including G.I. Joe and Micronauts. Additionally, Warner Bros. Animation has launched its own franchise after the success of The LEGO Movie, which will include a sequel and spinoffs. Plus, Sony is working with multiple screenwriters on a live-action Barbie movie. All this is to say that Hollywood is currently adapting many beloved toy properties into new features, whether animated or live-action, and Trolls is another addition to this trend that could be successful.
However, we don't know too much about the final Trolls film based on this first teaser, and it's unclear whether the movie will appeal to all ages or skew more toward younger audiences. The LEGO Movie saw success because it told a story that entertained not only the children in the audience, but the adults as well. So, while Trolls could find the same kind of success depending on the story and execution of the film, it remains to be seen if this animated feature will appeal to an all-ages audience.
Next: 12 Most Anticipated Animated Movies of 2016
Trolls will be released in U.S. theaters on November 4th, 2016.
Source: DreamWorks Animation