Brainless, color-fueled fun is just what we need

As the holidays (and the days off from school approach), parents will be dragged to the multiplex to accompany their children in an effort to kill a couple hours of entertainment (and perhaps get a jumpstart on holiday toy wishlists). And while the weeks ahead promise the potential of more Potter-like magic ("Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" on Nov. 18), and another entry into Disney's girl-power canon ("Moana" on Nov. 25), there's a good chance your child may be clamoring for a peek at "Trolls." 

Those half-naked, pug-ugly little plastic toys with Trump-like tufts of hair have made the leap to the big screen and have landed with a glittery blast and stylized color palate that could shame a rainbow. 

It's no surprise that DreamWorks Animation is comfortable painting pretty pictures, with staggeringly lush imagery in film series such as "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Kung Fu Panda." But does "Trolls" deserve a franchise of its own, or should it be a one-and-done release like its lackluster E.T. clone "Home"? 

And while its story is slight, "Trolls" essentially pummels the audience into submission with its excessive good cheer that it's rather impossible to not skip out of the theater humming a line or two from its soundtrack of familiar covers, expertly pitched by its cast of vocal pros such as Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani and Zooey Deschanel. 

Its message is simple: find happiness within yourself and friends are, like, super-cool and awesome.

But where "Trolls" really elevates from standard candy-colored fare is within its lively musical numbers, which it serves up like super-sized, garish tropical drinks with countless straws and umbrellas jutting out over its rim. 

Show-stoppers such as Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," Joan Jett's "Cherry Bomb," Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" and Lionel Richie's "Hello" are only a few of the tunes it packs into its 92-minute runtime, and there's barely a wasted note. 

Sure, if you stop to think about the main plot - ogre-like beasts called Bergens who eat trolls for an annual festival - it can be a rather dark ride with nods of cannibalistic genocide. But it’s got a character who farts cupcakes, so do you really want to hold the magnifying glass too close? 

The bottom line is that parents will not regret accompanying their grade schoolers to a screening (or two) and will likely fork over extra bucks for the soundtrack in which they can confidently engage in car-ride singalongs during long holiday travels. 

Pixar have little to worry about crowding of their cornered market of emotionally driven animated wonders, but "Trolls" does manage to beat the odds of offering more than a toy-driven cash-grab that it had every expectation of being. 

And after slogging through such an ugly election season (which gave us a number of trolls in human form) couldn't we all use a little more brainless, color-fueled fun in our lives?