Exclusive Interview with DreamWorks’ TROLLS Filmmakers and Actors

This past month I was invited to the Trolls media launch held at Comic Con in San Diego. If you haven’t read my post yet about this amazing 3-day event you really should! It is something everyone should experience and so worth the time and effort to attend! The tickets aren’t very expensive but it is hard to get them. Read more about it here. I drove down to San Diego from Orange County and was astonished by the number of people walking around in costumes – on the streets and outside the San Diego Conference Center. Luckily, I was able to find parking at a nearby hotel and I ran to meet up with the folks who had my passes to get into Comic Con.

She ushered me into Hall H which is where all the latest shows and movies host a panel. And when I say I rushed in, I only had a few minutes before the doors closed. It is pretty serious business people! Once the panels start no-one gets into Hall H! It was great seeing everyone so excited about Comic Con and all the new shows. As we walked in, we were given a Trolls wig to put on when the Trolls cast came up on stage. I was game as were my seatmates who happens to work at DreamWorks’ Studios!

There were easily hundreds of fans inside Hall H ready to learn about upcoming movies and shows!

The Trolls Panel

DreamWorks’ Troll panel was moderated by Chris Hardwick and attended by the Director Mike Mitchell, Co-Director Walt Dohrn, Producer Gina Shay and stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. They provided us with a short clip of the movie and I have to say I can not wait for you all to see it! This is so well done and will bring back childhood memories. The story is really sweet and has a positive message about being happy in life. There is a lot of singing, dancing, hugging going on in the movie since those actions represent happiness, don’t they?! The filmmakers and actors were a ton of fun to listen to during the panel and they even took a silly picture of all of the fans with their Troll wigs afterwards.

TROLLS filmakers and voice actors take a selfie with the audience at DreamWorks Animation’s Comic Con Hall H Panel. (from left) Co-Director Walt Dorn, Director Mike Mitchell, Anna Kendrick, Producer Gina Shay, Moderator Chris Hardwick, and Justin Timberlake.

About Trolls

From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny, irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls. This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. Featuring original music from Justin Timberlake, and soon-to-be classic mash-ups of songs from other popular artists, the film stars the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Gwen Stefani, and many more.

Exclusive Interviews

This group of mom bloggers were very excited to sit down with the directors, producer and of course Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake! In fact, some were getting pretty antsy and we all tried to keep our cool when the one and only JT walked into our room. He as really sweet during the interview and even belted out Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” to all us moms. Read what the directors have to say about the latest CGI technology and how and what are some of their favorite parts from this fun movie.

(A blogger attended a previous event at DreamWorks’ Studio and saw the storyboard for Trolls at that time – this is her question to the directors regarding the process).

Blogger: Yes. But this was just so beautiful to look at, and it was so – the color was so great and everything. It took me back, because I played with these troll dolls, too. But I was just – it’s fascinating. I’d love to hear your whole, how it came to be. I know you talked about it a little at the panel this morning, but how this whole world kind of came to be, with the colors and the singers. The singing is fantastic.

Walt Dohrn: That was a super joy for us, the singing. I know you did a little music before in some of your other movies, but to this extent was something new for me for sure.

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Yes, it was cool.

Walt Dohrn: It was nice to be able to go to work and just go, “Oh, Justin’s here today? He’s doing the singing? Ah.” Sometimes, you know, because it was so fused to the narrative, sometimes we’d be like, “Justin, here maybe Anna could sing with a little bit more urgency because she’s really –

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Stressed out.

Walt Dohrn: Yes, exactly. Maybe put some urgency here, but for the most part we just listened in.

Mike Mitchell: Can I do my nerdy talk?

Walt Dohrn: Yes.

Mike Mitchell: Our production designer, Kendal Cronkhite, she’s amazing. She did all the Madagascar films and we’ve known her for years and years. She worked in stop motion, too.

Mike Mitchell: Mm-hmm. I worked with her at Skellington Studios.

Blogger: Nightmare Before Christmas.

Mike Mitchell: James the Giant Peach. But – so it’s, the technology, I don’t know if I’ve already given this information before, but the technology of CGI and computer animation now is you can make this look exactly like this. You can build anything in a computer and make it so realistic. There’s a favorite DreamWorks film of mine, How to Train Your Dragon, and their skin in some is so real. You see their pores, and it’s like almost like you taste salty.

So it’s great that things look realistic, but we tried to take that technology and do something different. So we built a very realistic forest, but then we applied different textures to it, like felt and carpet and our trolls look like gummy bears.

And it was really exciting for us to take natural fibers and do this look that we hadn’t seen before in other films. So no more nerdy talk. That’s it.

Blogger: How long does a movie like this take start to finish? And what is the most time consuming part of the process?

Walt Dohrn: Three wonderful years. It takes – Gina, how long did it take for you?

Gina Shay: Five. I’ve been on the movie for five years, so this is kind of my five-year anniversary around now. Yes, but we shifted direction completely when I brought on Mike and Walt to start from scratch and build the story from there.

Working Together:

Blogger: You guys are both very funny. Did you ever adlib in the script?

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Yes, because you’re not at the mercy of live action, you can try a bunch of different things. And because that’s one of the great parts about making an animated film is, you can really go back and tinker with your character. For instance, I brought up a lot of concern over being extremely, too cantankerous.

And because of how hilariously optimistic Anna made her character, it actually, the more sort of ornery I was, the funnier I think Mike and Walt were saying, everything was kind of working. So, because you do everything in such bits. You don’t get to see a lot of it put together for a while, so then when you do get to see, I was like, “Oh, okay, I get it.”

Mike Mitchell: Well, the meaner I am, the funnier.

Gina Shay: Yes. But the meaner you are in the beginning, when you sing True Colors to Anna later, it’s like heartbreaking.

Anna Kendrick: But I really like improving. I find I really crack myself up, but even more, way, way, way more so doing this than I ever would in an improved live action movie. Because every time I say something, I’m imagining a six-inch fuzzy, pink creature saying it. So when there’s the scene about solid bird, branch, and I went off on this rant about like, “Somebody get some help here for that bird. Somebody call the burn unit.”

And I thought it was the funniest thing. Not in the movie, but I was just like, “Ah, Poppy. Poppy wants you to call the burn unit.”

Mike Mitchell: These things take so long too. It is like workshopping a play. Walt and I are able to try out scenes in different ways, and you guys are so great where you give us choices which normally reflects directors that don’t know what they want.

But we really do. We try to sound a little crankier branch and super manic.

The Music in Trolls:

Blogger: Earlier, you talked a little bit about building the music around the story. Can you maybe elaborate on how you pitched that?

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Not really. Yes, yes. Sure. I’m kidding. I’m kidding. No, it’s just that I’m not intelligent enough to elaborate. Yes, you know, well for instance, Can’t Stop the Feeling was written specifically for a big, big moment in our movie where, without giving too much away, it’s sort of the triumphant peak of our movie.

And the other thing is when I first came on, there were songs that were – I don’t know if you guys know what the clearance process is like for getting songs cleared, but it’s like crazy. And so they had already cleared True Colors and they had cleared Sound of Silence and cleared, I think the Lionel Richie –

Walt Dohrn: Yes.

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Lionel Richie’s “Hello”, not Adele’s. Lionel Richie’s Hello. So there were certain songs that actually, they were pitched in because there were great sort of comedic moments or, like you said, more, I don’t know how you could find a song better than True – I could not – if I was to have to write a song for that, it would be like, uh-uh, I’m not your guy.

After I heard the True Colors one, because it’s just so perfect. It fits so perfect, and like you said, if it gave you that feeling, that’s how you know. And there’s so much you can do with music. I mean you can really, you know, you can really just transform anything in a movie with music.

And I think the other thing is, wanted to take a modern approach. So with something like Can’t Stop the Feeling, I kept referencing, for some reason, I don’t know why, but I kept referencing Saturday Night Fever. When we had our first meeting for the soundtrack or Grease or kind of the same era, like urban cowboys, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Fever, sorry. Why do all three of those have John Travolta? Why John Travolta?

Subconsciously I just realized that. But those movies where the soundtrack was sort of fed the movie in such an exciting way. And that opening scene in Urban Cowboy where he’s sort of driving in his truck, and what’s the name of that song?

Blogger: It’s Glenn Campbell.

Mr. Justin Timberlake: Thank you, yes. It’s like you can’t imagine – thank you, thank you. Sorry, too many interviews today. I’m like, my mind is mush. But, see, I’m not intelligent enough to elaborate. I’m just like spitting ridiculousness right now. But I said, once we had Can’t Stop the Feeling done, I sort of pitched, well, let’s release it now because maybe it’ll get people excited about the movie.

And that’s how I kind of remember – I don’t think I was alive, but that’s how I remember going back and looking at how those certain soundtracks like Staying Alive, when you say Saturday Night Fever, immediately in your hear you hear, da, da, da, da. And I think that’s, you want to give the movie its own DNA.

I wanted this to feel a little bit different. And the way that the humor felt, sort of modern and reverent, I feel like I wanted the music to feel that way, too. Even though we were doing remakes of songs that have already been recorded and are older songs. There’s three more originals on the soundtrack, so, and Gwen Stefani does one of them, and Ariana Grande does one.

So to me, this movie, when you look at the post, you’re like, oh. The first word that comes to my mind is pop. The colors pop. The vibe of the movie, it pops. Literally, our hero has “pop” in her name. So I just felt like I wanted to make the soundtrack and everything in the movie feel like something you could hear on pop radio.

It was such a treat sitting down with this talented group of people! I am predicting that Trolls will be up for an award this year! It really is so well done and the story is one that will uplift your spirit! DreamWorks’ TROLLS is a fresh, broad comedy filled with music, heart and hair-raising adventures. In November of 2016, nothing can prepare you for our new Troll world.

Thank you 20^th Century Fox & DreamWorks Animation for hosting us!