Following the failure of the Trollz Troll Doll product line, DreamWorks Animation began their own bid to make a Trolls brand. The process begun in 2001, and resulted in the release of DreamWorks Trolls a decade later in 2016. The early version of the film wasn't supposed to be a musical, but not much is known of its production.
A note is that due to limited amount of information, it is worth mention that it is vague how much of this project was a "Trolls" production and how much wasn't. It is also unknown exactly when the project switched over to become what would be the final DreamWorks Trolls product.
Cast[]
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Jemma
- Jason Schwartzman as Masklin
- Sanyo
- Morkie
Production[]
2001[]
The project was confirmed loosely based on the The Nome Trilogy, with the characters looking Troll Doll-like. A number of concepts and artwork exists but very little is known the project, except that it would have combined all 3 books of the series into one movie. Concept artwork and models of characters exist.[1][2]
2006-Pre-2010[]
There are some vague details on when the film switched from this production to the final production that led to the release of Trolls in 2016.
DreamWorks Animation's bid to make a related Troll Dolls brand had originally been made in 2006, and the trademarks Classic Trolls, Lucky Trolls, Dam Trolls and Good Luck Trolls were registered. These trademarks would have come in the wake of the failed Trollz series in 2005 by DIC Entertainment. The film was then resurrected as Trolls in 2008.
2010[]
DreamWorks took over the Dam Things trademark in 2010, which had existed since 1968, making it the oldest trademark DreamWorks currently owns, and the one to see the most use due to its registered first use being in 1959.
On June 23, 2010, DreamWorks announced plans to create a film based on the toys, under the direction of Tim Hill. The brother–sister writing team of Adam and Melanie Wilson LaBracio were set to write the screenplay, and Dannie Festa of Festa Entertainment to executive produce.
2012[]
In June 2012, it was reported that Chloë Grace Moretz will voice a female lead, while the role of a male lead, Masklin, had been offered to Jason Schwartzman.
In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks announced that the film with the working title Trolls would be released on June 5, 2015, with Anand Tucker set to direct the film, written by Wallace Wollodarsky and Maya Forbes. The film's announcement came alongside other titles from DreamWorks. Moretz and Schwartzman have also been confirmed to lend their voices. Peter Ramsey, the director of Rise of the Guardians, said that Trolls would be partially based on a Terry Pratchett novel.[3]
At this point, the film was still supposed to be based upon the Nome Trilogy.
2013[]
"DreamWorks Trolls" was trademarked on February 12, 2013.[4]
By April 11th, 2013, announcements that DreamWorks had acquired the intellectual property for the Trolls franchise from the Dam Family and Dam Things came. Having "big plans for the franchise," DreamWorks became the exclusive worldwide licensor of the merchandise rights, except for Scandinavia, where Dam Things remains the licensor. Dennis Shawn, who was overseeing the project, had said "There is incredible potential here to engage kids across multiple platforms in a way that is fun, enduring and meaningful. It is truly an amazing opportunity to be able to relaunch a brand like this one."[5][6]
The film was eventually released as Trolls after Mike Mitchell took over from Tucker and the project changed again.
Concepts[]
Charles Ellison, one of the 3D modellers for DreamWorks, later uploaded versions of the Troll designs from the original abandoned concept.[7] A few names can be gathered from the file names of the images. The elder female Troll is named "Morkie", and the glasses-wearing male Troll "Sanyo". The male character in a red outfit is confirmed to be "Masklin", the main male lead, while the child character is a younger version of himself. These designs had the Trolls resemble more closely the original designs of the Troll Dolls by Dam Things. The main female lead was later to have been revealed by Ellison's upload of her model as "Jemma". There exists two models of her, which are very different to each other.[8]
Ellison's uploads are currently among the only few sources of information on the visual side of the movie, and the only source of the names of other Trolls who were meant to appear. "Masklin" had been the only Troll who was named by DreamWorks themselves previously. Information on the abandoned film didn't even make it into the Trolls artbook The Art of DreamWorks Trolls, as it only covered the musical Trolls film era.
From 2013 onwards, the Nome trilogy concept was dropped partially and then almost entirely, with some vague comparisons to both stories. For example, humans had been an issue in the original books and were replaced by the Bergens in Trolls, with the Trolls being the same size as the Nomes in the story as a result. Jemma, who is loosely based on Grimma, the main character of the Nome Trilogy book Diggers, would later be the basis of Poppy, while Masklin, the protagonist of the Nome Trilogy books Truckers and Wings, would be the one for Branch.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/words-from-the-master.html
- ↑ https://www.writerswrite.com/dreamworks-bromeliad-5022001188
- ↑ link
- ↑ Trademark
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-11/dreamworks-animation-acquires-troll-rights-from-dam-family
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-acquires-troll-dolls-437878
- ↑ link]
- ↑ http://www.charles-ellison.com/#/trolls-character-visdev/