Colourful, joyous & funny, whatever Trolls lacks in thoughtful narrative it makes up in its vibrant exuberance.

When the word “troll” is uttered, it usually conjures up an image of a wart infested brute living under a bridge & with a complete distaste for happiness. Not so with the title characters in Trolls, a feature film adaptation based upon the “Good Luck Trolls” toy line that were the in- thing on multiple occasions over the last 40 odd years.

Small, cute as buttons, & with vibrant coloured hair, the Trolls live in peace & musical tranquility in the deep forest away from the Bergens, giant grotesque creatures whose penchant for happiness is matched only by their hunger for Trolls. When the naïve Troll Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) inadvertently leads the Bergens to her kingdom, she is forced to team up with loner survivalist Branch (Justin Timberlake) to save her people from the butcher’s blade of the evil Chef (Christine Baranski.)

Directed by the experienced hands of Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After) and co-directed by Will Dohrn in his feature directing debut, Trolls is as lively an animation as you are going to see. Filled with vibrant imagery & wall to wall with choice pop song selections (including one infectious original ditty that deserves its Oscar nomination), there is much to like yet not quite enough to head first in love with. Lacking the smarts of The LEGO Movie and the storytelling crescendos of its Pixar counterparts, Trolls can’t quite compete with the top tier of the animation racket, yet is never the less an entertaining addition.

Acting wise it's talented cast do a great job in giving voice and song to their characters. Anna Kendrick continues to impress as a musical talent, matching up rather well with the experienced vocal stylings of Justin Timberlake. Great too is Zooey Deschanel who voices the role of Bridget, a Bergen who washes dishes for the royal Bergen family led by young King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), whom she is in love with.  

In a year where animated movies reached new heights of visual & narrative creativity, Trolls is left on the wayside. Yet it's pep & pop energy does secure its place as an entertaining addition to the medium, one that will make many a toe tapping as the final credits role.