'Trolls' filmmakers aim for a happy place
‘Trolls' exude happiness
Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn met as students at the California Institute of the Arts. They had no idea that many years later, they'd be co-directing a DreamWorks Pictures animated fantasy titled “Trolls,” starring those lovable little plastic figurines popular during the 1960s.
I hit the filmmakers with five questions during their recent visit to the Windy City to promote their movie, opening this weekend.
Q. How do you divide up the workload while directing a movie?
Mitchell. It takes three years to make one of these films. It's like 10 times the amount of work to do than live-action because we're creating an entire world. It's the look of the world, the design of the characters, crafting the story, editing, making the film as we go along. Walt, how would you say we divide up the work?
Dohrn. We talk about how we share one brain. A million years ago, Mike and I went to school together at Cal Arts. So we really share a similar sensibility.
Q. You put a lot of songs into this movie, and the actors do a lot of singing. I understand “Trolls” didn't start out that way.
Mitchell. At some point, Walt and I decided we wanted a musical.
Dohrn. Actually, a comedy adventure with music. It's not a musical in the standard sense that characters break out in song. Music plays a huge part in the narrative, but it's not traditional.
Mitchell. We wanted to do this needle-drop stuff, and we picked songs from the '60s, the '70s, the '80s and the '90s, whatever would help us with our narrative.
Dohrn: We had to be very careful that when we put the songs in, that we didn't stop the narrative momentum.
Q. Your movie is a happy one, so you actually studied happiness?
Mitchell. We reviewed a TED talk about happiness.
Dohrn. ... and this Harvard study that's been going on for four decades about what is happiness?
Mitchell. We did a lot of research on happiness.
Dohrn. The world is so full of unrest and violence now that it's nice to be able to put something out there that makes you feel good, that makes you feel happy.
Mitchell. It's like our audiences have gone to a party and they're so relieved to have seen this film that's about happiness, and it creates discussion about happiness and a positive attitude. It's resonating with a lot of people at a perfect time.
Q. Couldn't “Trolls” be seen as an ultimate kids anti-drug movie? I mean, you've got characters popping these colorful little creatures into their mouths to achieve happiness.
Mitchell. Oh, dear. I hadn't thought of that.
Blue Whiskey mix-up!
You're invited to the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival fundraiser mixer at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Smith Street Station, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. The event features drinks, appetizers, raffles, silent auction, photo booth and a candy bar.
Proceeds ($20 admission) will fund Blue Whiskey's eighth annual film festival scheduled July 23 to 30, 2017, at the Randhurst Theaters in Mount Prospect. Go to bwiff.com.
Beatles doc at Tivoli
The After Hours Film Society presents Ron Howard's documentary “The Beatles! Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. Admission costs $10 ($6 for members). Go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com or classiccinemas.com.
Post-Halloween horror
Director Robert Rodriguez's 1996 vampire siege saga “From Dusk till Dawn” extends the Halloween season with four showings at 6 and 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, and at 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at seven area theaters, including the Deer Park 16 and Evanston Century 18. Go to fathomevents.com.
Movie Club shifts date
Dann & Raymond's Movie Club, usually presented on the second Thursday of the month at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, has been rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the library, 500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights. “Order in the Court! The Great Courtroom Movies” will be the topic as we look at “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Inherit the Wind” and others. Go to ahml.info.
• Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!