You’re supposed to remake the bad movies and rip off the good ones, but the people behind “Trolls” apparently got their wires crossed by stealing from the worst. This new animated feature, premiering at the London Film Festival a month before it hits theaters stateside, combines the barely-there characterization and irritating cutesiness of “The Smurfs” with the hideous character design and awful pop covers of “Strange Magic.”
The film begins with lumbering ogre giants known as the Bergens preparing for the holiday of Trollstice, the one day a year they get to experience happiness by eating a troll. Much to their surprise, the trolls, led by King Peppy (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor), have escaped to freedom.