'Trolls' Trailer: Justin Timberlake Goes On A Musical Adventure To Find Happiness

At Comic-Con, DreamWorks showed 15 minutes from their upcoming animated film Trolls. Based on the toys from the '90s, it looked like co-directors Mike Mitchell (Sky High) and Walter Dohn's (SpongeBob SquarePants) were aiming higher than most movies based on toys. For starters, its soundtrack is produced by Justin Timberlake, who recorded his first single for the film since 2013. Some of the music choices added personality to the animation, but one sequence played to Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood," as unsubtle as that sounds, made Trolls look more charming than we may have expected before Comic-Con.

Below, watch the new Trolls trailer.

Co-starring in the animated film about happiness are Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden, Russell Brand, Quvenzhané Wallis, Jeffrey Tambor, John Cleese, and Gwen Stefani. Timberlake voices Branch, a mopey troll who goes on an adventure with Poppy (Kendrick) to save their Troll Town friends from the Bergens.

The Trolls trailer begins with Timberlake and Kendrick introducing the film, but the trailer itself starts around the 1:02 mark:

The tone of the trailer is slightly different from the footage we saw at Comic-Con. What we saw before Timberlake and Kendrick singing "True Colors" was a little more in the vein of the DreamWorks brand. The footage was very jokey, a bit broad, and, as you tell for yourselves, extremely colorful. It looked like a kind-hearted kids movie, and it still does, but perhaps the previous trailer was a better representation of what families will see in theaters.

Here's the official synopsis:

From the creators of Shrek comes DreamWorks Animation's Trolls, a smart, funny, and irreverent comedy about the search for happiness, and just how far some will go to get it. This hilarious film transports audiences to a colorful, wondrous world populated by the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant dance in their step and a song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomachs.

After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch (Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Together, this mismatched duo embark on a rescue mission full of adventure and mishaps – trying to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.

Utilizing music to further the film's narrative, the Trolls soundtrack is produced by Justin Timberlake and features five original songs including songs by Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani in addition to a number of classic hits from the 60's – 80's.

Trolls opens in theaters on November 4th.