#trolls analysis

[fluffykitty149]

Does anyone one else also love analyzing how Poppy's trauma in the first movie impacted her decisions in the second? It's genuinely so interesting for me to see how society's rules and expectations of her, combined with the traumatic experience she went through, shaped her behavior in TWT.

[ememmandemy]

I’ve got an answer as to why Poppy behaved the way she did in World Tour if you’re interested! I remember seeing a post you made about it but forgot to write out my response. The response? Trauma

Let’s think back to what she had experienced in the first movie, shall we? Poppy grew up in a very sheltered environment, where hard truths were hidden and the Bergens were treated like a bye gone issue of the past and were now nothing more than a history lesson. The only one who seemingly treated it other than that was Branch. Who was well known for his paranoia and had multiple false alarms that unintentionally ruined many events. So when the 20th anniversary rolls around, it’s easy to dismiss him when countless others who had also been in the troll tree don’t share the same opinion. 

Branch was definitely at his limit by then. I do think him stomping on her card was the first time he ever was that destructive because it got a big reaction from everyone, but what seemed to sting Poppy the most was him judging her for not being ready to be queen and for being too naive. She clearly shows a passion for her people so it’d make sense that someone saying that would hurt. Her worries are brushed away by Creek who advises her to ignore his commentary without any reflection because of his “toxic energy” and she lets it go so she can get the party started. 

The party is a smashing success until the Bergen shows up, proving Branch right. Her closest friends are taken from her and she’s forced to own up to the fact Branch was right about the party and believes she has to coerce him into helping her. Which she’s willing to do if it means saving the people she cares about. 

Her singing ‘get back up again’ is a coping mechanism for everything that’s being thrown at her on her journey. This is a bit of projecting, but I also tend to sing or hum a tune when feeling overwhelmed by emotions at work because it helps me calm down. Poppy attempts to do this during the campfire scene but gets immediately shut down by Branch throwing her guitar in the fire. (I do totally understand that Branch was trying to sleep and that her singing out in the open would stress him out badly but ouch.)

So we get through Bergen Town, Branch opening up, Bridget’s date. She’s determined to walk in the supposed footsteps of her father’s “no troll left behind” and insists on saving Creek as well, only for it to backfire in the worst way possible. 

The good news is that he’s alive and unharmed. The bad news? The only reason he’s still alive is that he grovelled, and was willing to sacrifice the entire village just to save his own skin. This is the first time we see Poppy genuinely get angry. Not mad, not frustrated, pure rage as she chokes him. And after that? Devastation. He takes her cowbell and she’s forced to wait alongside her friends as the village gets rounded up. She went in to save 8 people, then one, and now she’s put everyone in danger. This is her breaking point. She’s been bottling up so much stress and fear and seeing everyone surround her, trapped in the pot, she can’t keep her positive mask on anymore and crumbles. She turns grey and loses all hope, and it causes a chain reaction in everyone else. Maybe this is just overanalyzing, but I see it as Poppy’s role as being the heart of the village. If she’s happy, they’re happy, if she’s grey, they’re grey. Being the happiest troll in the village must’ve been a lot of pressure for her at the time, but it’s clear why it’s put there. 

Meanwhile, Branch, who’s observing all of this, is finally able to see Poppy for who she really is. She isn’t just some upbeat force of nature, but a troll with limits. As much as he’s found her annoying in the past, he can’t stand seeing her be grey because he knows how much it hurts and how much pain someone has to endure to reach that point. That’s why he starts to sing. Their singing magically brings the colors back for everyone, but that doesn’t mean the mental scars are gone either. 

It’s more obvious on Branch, who still has some more paranoid habits and because his colors are still a little more muted, but I think Poppy’s still carrying some trauma as well. My theory as to why her colors don’t reflect this is because she was able to regain her colors at a much faster rate than Branch. 

She probably still holds onto those feelings of failing. Yes, the Bergens are their friends now, and that’s great. But that doesn’t negate the fact that the village almost got eaten, nor the fact that she’s down a friend. Maybe despite everything, Poppy still feels guilty about what happened to Creek. From the audience’s point of view, it looks like karma struck him back, but she was probably friends with him for a long time, and she clearly had her heart set out on saving him. Instead of confronting her grief or guilt, she instead focuses on the present, and trying to be a good queen. Maybe it’s to make up for her past mistakes, or maybe it’s to prove she’s capable of being a good queen in spite of them. 

Either way, she has her heart set out on a goal and when that is forcibly changed, she sticks to a new one. Branch here is less willing to bluntly call her out this time. Maybe it’s because of his crush on her, maybe it’s some guilt for being rude in the past, maybe it’s both, but he’s either trying to gently dissuade her or gets begrudgingly on board. When he tries to talk to her about Hickory though, she immediately projects her doubts onto him. Sure, treating the guy that seems friendly can come off as a little paranoid, but he isn’t wrong for not wanting to put total trust in a stranger he just met. Poppy got defensive here and while I’m not condoning her actions, it is an interesting flaw. Being a good queen is very important to her so it’s interesting to see how her insecurities reflect the worries that she isn’t one. 

A part of Branch probably felt cathartic when Biggie called her out though. He wasn’t wrong in pointing out that she only hears what she wants to hear, and this coming from another friend instead of Branch, someone whose known for being negative and chastising, was probably a bit of a shock and wake-up call for her. Then she gets a second with the funk family, showing how downplaying issues and erasing history can have damaging effects, and how her previous philosophy held flaws. This wasn’t coming from a friend, but a more experienced royal, so Poppy was obligated to take this into account while processing her previous mistakes.

Then there’s the fall-out with Branch, where she’s forced to confront every mistake she’s made on this journey and even her entire outlook on life. It could be because of their past, but this puts Poppy back on the defense, and she emotionally lashes out, only to immediately regret it. During this moment of extreme emotional distress and vulnerability, Hickory shows up and while he provides some comfort, this also leads Poppy to over trusting him and revealing the truth of the string’s location. Just like her betrayal with Creek, she put too much faith into someone she couldn’t predict she shouldn’t have, as Hickory’s yodeling origins are revealed. Girl got severely backstabbed twice, not fun. 

Meeting Barb was probably the best thing to happen to her, though. The two may be different in many ways, but they’re also somewhat similar. Both want what’s best for their tribes, both are initially too close minded to music that’s different from theirs, (barb with everyone and Poppy with country); and both have to reconcile with the pressures of being a young queen with yes men following them around enabling their behavior. 

So, yeah. While the first movie had both Branch and Poppy simultaneously growing out of old life philosophies, Trolls World Tour had a focus on Poppy growing out of hers. It further highlights how the village’s toxic positivity mindset impacts Poppy’s thinking even more so than the first film, and you get to see her fully break out of it. You’ll get to see a flip of this during the third film with Branch btw 😉

Sorry if this took so long, I just love talking about these characters!

dude this was sooo good !!!

i never put much thought into why popps would be so different from one movie to the other but this makes so much sense !! and the call outs coming from other people besides branch hitting her harder also makes a ton of sense !

also i agree, poppy really Is the heart of the village. being the happiest troll in the village must be EXHAUSTING work 😭 i never thought about poppy carrying the trauma from the first movie around— that’s so sad.

i will say, she is as naive as branch said she was though 😭 she falls for the same things (people betraying her) over and over !! but you’re right, it happens (at least with hickory) when she’s emotionally vulnerable 🙁

but if you think about it, if popps wasn’t that way, trusting people she ‘shouldn’t’ trust, she never would have given branch a chance 🥺 so it’s good she is that way, she just needs to grow more

[trollpium]

🕰️ Timeline Talk

Okay, I just discovered the Brozone Website (it took me a while, whoops.) and in John Dory's blog update, on February 19, 1999, they performed in Pop Village.

Which doesn't make sense to me since it's around January that Branch could've been born according to Floyd's blog update.

The first movie had said Branch was a kid/toddler there, therefore baby Branch would have still be in the Troll Tree. In Trolls (2016) the bergens have eaten Branch's grandmother (assuming around (2000-2001) while when Branch was baby (January 1999), his grandma was still alive.

Because in the first movie the trolls had their escaped on the day of the Trollstice which occurs once every year.

BUT Trollstice could occur perhaps on any day of the year as it was not specified which day of the year and in the span of one months, baby Branch could've looked like a toddler. The trolls could've moved to Pop Village within the first two weeks February of 1999. That would've made John Dory's blog update make sense and the timeline wouldn't be so confusing.

BUT ALAS,

There is a hindrance in this theory. Because Brozone broke up in March 11 of 1999; their grandma was still alive, Branch was still a baby, and John Dory posted about Pop Village in February of 1999.

It's joever.

There's no braining to the Trolls timeline. Let's just enjoy the movie series, shall we? (⁠●⁠´⁠⌓⁠`⁠●⁠)

Continued from my last Trolls timeline talk

[isabel3710]

You know who is super underrated, Bruce, that's who! And I need to know why.

Like this man.... Gosh I love him so much. Out of all of the brothers I think Bruce is the most chill and here is a list of some of the reasons why.

1. He babied Branch the least.

I see him tossing Branch and the wet willy as him being more of an older brother verse seeing Branch as a baby. As for the 'last time I saw you, you were in diapers' comment, that seems more of a 'oh my gosh it's been so long and you've grown so much' comment. And unlike John Dory and Clay he didn't instantly turn to cooing at him like he was a toddler.

2. He loves his wife.

One of Bruce's first reactions to seeing his brothers again is to introduce them to his wife. And the one first things he tell them about Brandy is 'she is my soulmate.' He also asks her first if he can leave last minute instead of running off and asking for forgiveness later. The two of them clearly respect each other and work well together as business partners, parents, and spouses.

3. He's a good dad.

The entire time he's talking with his brothers Bruce is also managing his kids, talking with them and trying to help them out. It's clear to me that he juggles them and everything else pretty well, which means he's done it before. And given how many of them go to him to ask for help shows that the kids trust him and he's involved in their lives. He does get a bit overwhelmed but what parent doesn't?

4. He's nice to John Dory

When Branch and Clay first see John Dory after over two decades of being apart they greet him with anger and coldness. Bruce doesn't. Now, he doesn't hug John when they first reunite but I think that was because he spotted Branch first and was really excited to see his younger brother again. He does get upset at JD for bringing up the Perfect Family Harmony but Bruce didn't know the situation at first. And hearing about it again probably brought up some painful memories for him from his time in the band. And don't bring up the fight, that doesn't count. Emotions were high for everyone and they were all very stressed.

5. He agrees to save Floyd

This might seem like a low-bar but I promise I have a point! As I mentioned in my last point, hearing about the Harmony likely brought up a lot of painful memories for Bruce. And one of the first things he told his brothers was about how he was trying to put his band days behind him, I doubt Bruce wanted to to bring the band back together. He also had his family to think about, he can't just leave them at a drop of a hat! But as soon as he hears about Floyd his first thoughts is to think up solutions to save him. And when it's made clear that calling the authorities won't work, he agrees to help.

Alright, those are all my points! I could probably make more but I'd have to watch the movie again. But my original point still stands, Bruce is awesome and needs more love (and fics). Thank you all for coming to my Ted Talk.

This was fun! I should do these for some of the other characters.

[deactivated2204225]

i found this in the artbook and it's exactly how i feel about them, well put. the writers did an excellent job

[geekgirles]

Slow and Tender

The following analysis contains heavy spoilers from Trolls Holiday in Harmony. If you have yet to watch the special, please, ignore the following “read more” and scroll past it. 

I don’t mean to be that Broppy shipper, but I’m afraid I’ll have to be for this particular analysis. For you see, I’m still not over this: 

(Sorry for the low quality of the image; it’s a screenshot)

Now, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been absolute trash for these two since even before the first movie premiered. It’s a pretty safe bet I would lose my mind over this after five years of waiting.

You might even wonder if I wouldn’t have preferred a kiss on the lips.

Would I have gone apeshit over these two lip-locking? Hell yes.

Am I disappointed we didn’t get it? Not one bit.

The reason I love this simple but sweet cheek kiss is precisely because simple and sweet is Broppy’s style! This kiss showcases the (at least) current nature of their relationship. 

As frustrating as it was waiting several years for these two to become canon, the pacing of their relationship is just right.

Back in the first movie, even if it was can-see-it-from-a-mile-away obvious that Branch had feelings for Poppy, the two still had a lot to go through before they could actually be together. 

These two are opposites; foils. That’s a fact. As well as the reason why they work so well together. And the fact that DreamWorks actually took their differences into consideration and the time to develop their friendship/relationship so these differences wouldn’t become a problem in the future is another major success. Much kudos to you, DreamWorks. 

The chemistry between these two is palpable, that’s why they are the main characters: because they work well together and they balance each other out. But to find the perfect balance between you and somebody else (especially if you’re like night and day), you need to know the other person first. 

At the end of their first adventure together, Poppy and Branch had just begun seeing past the surface and understanding how the other works and thinks. And from then onwards, they keep dancing around each other as they try to figure the other out and find the perfect compromise. 

These two are adorable and supportive, but each of them is confident in their own way and will mercilessly taunt the other when the opportunity arises; and in my humble opinion, that’s the root of their chemistry: the perfect balance between loving and supportive, and mischievous and fun. 

Now, as their relationship’s been developing these last few years, they’ve come to understand each other quite well and appreciate the other just the way they are. The thing is, that understanding had then to be translated into a romantic relationship. 

And this is when the true beauty of that cheek kiss shines through. 

As we’ve been saying, Poppy and Branch not only know what makes the other tick, but they understand and respect it (unless it gets out of control) and, most importantly, given their opposite personalities and the fact that they share their core values--they just express them differently--they compliment each other. 

But going from “just friends” to “boyfriend and girlfriend” is big change so, as with everything else, they’re taking things slow. 

I think it goes without saying Poppy’s the most physically affectionate of the two, and Branch is mostly receptive but not as quick to display his affections. Well, the kiss shows their compromise: 

Look at that smile, that sweet giggling! That is not the reaction of someone used to unconditional, unabashed affection! That’s the reaction of someone who’s slowly but surely entering their first real relationship and enjoying every single second of it. 

And Poppy’s face? That fond, adoring look? She’s just happy she can make Branch happy. Because she loves him so much and she’d hate to blow things between them. She knows there’s no point in rushing things; they’ll get there when they get there. 

Because Broppy is like the first displays of affection from a blossoming love. Their love is like that kiss; slow and tender, but so beautiful and so, so worth it. 

[fluffykitty149]

My idea for how Branch pulled off building a bunker

It’d make sense for there to at least maybe be a few archived scrapbooks about how the tunnels were built, or trolls still alive who learned who taught information about it, and maybe Branch even had family members who worked on it. Which would explain where he’d get initial knowledge. I do believe that a lot of it was trial and error, though. He could dig a hole well, but needed to learn how to compact the dirt to be solid, dig the rooms to be able to support themselves, maybe with aid of rocks and logs for arches. Then he'd need to find ways to cover the compacted dirt with some sort of resin or lime plaster. He’d also most likely had to learn to irrigate the land beneath and around him to avoid rainwater from flooding his bunker, something I can guess happened to him more than once. Maybe a gravel trench underneath that can have it pool into a cave system down below, but for sure something that’d require a lot of learning experiences. Maybe he even studied how animals burrowed/made damns to help. 

Troll babies tend to vary in intelligence, there are babies in the show that babble, vs others like tiny diamond that can sing, dance, speak in full sentences, and apparently get a learner's permit. It'd make sense for Branch's intelligence to be somewhere in the middle given he was able to perform during the concert, and that would give him a head start in learning these type of things. Plus it was most likely his special interest for quite a while which would explain how his 2-year-old self's passion project became a real thing.

[fluffykitty149]

I think the hardest part about writing a fanfic, and probably writing in general, is knowing you have a character you prefer to center and having to make sure that emotional tug doesn’t take away from the other characters. I say it’s more so for fanfics, because the readers already know the canonical characters so they’re going to have an easier time spotting the favoritism in development.

Usually it’s intentional, especially for a character centric fic, but when writing a couple, especially Broppy, I do my best to balance the two out when plotting, but it’s also cool to see how other writers try it as well. Some authors do a pretty good job balancing the two, while with others, you can usually tell which character is preferred, and while that isn’t a bad thing, it is fascinating to see in writing.

I definitely love Poppy more than Branch, but sometimes find more interest in Branch’s daily survival stuff and so I’m working on practicing more world building stuff that would fit into Poppy’s life. It’s actually been fun coming up with an AU where Poppy has to take the helms of a dangerous situation. I still don’t want to change too much about her because I dislike the stereotype that women have to be completely stoic bamfs to be interesting, but I think I’m figuring out the balance for her. Now I just gotta write it 😅

Figuring out how to run a village that’s constantly thrown into chaos is not for the faint of heart