Back in 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced its plans to make an animated movie based on Danish toy maker Dam Things hugely popular kids' toy line The Good Luck Trolls. Shortly after the world's ears were severely hurt by all the squealing of millions of excited young women who had grown up playing with the naked little weirdos with fuzzy hair as kids. Those squeals turned to groans however (equally as annoying a noise, you'll agree), when the news just disappeared. Well, get your ear plugs at the ready guys as those squishy faced little buggers are officially back as DreamWorks COO Ann Daly announced recently that her company has now purchased the full intellectual property rights to the franchise and the world is about to go Troll crazy once more. In a statement to
The Hollywood Reporter Daly said:
Trolls is one of those rare, proven and universally adored brands. 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 re-launch a brand like this one.
So what does Ms Daly mean by multiple platforms exactly? Well, back in 2010 the plan was a stand-alone animated feature, but now that DreamWorks has complete control over the intellectual property they are free to unleash Trolls by any medium necessary. That's movies (plural), TV shows, comic book, video games and - wait for it - AN ALL NEW ACTION FIGURE TOY LINE. If I were a girl I'd be over the moon, but I'm not: I'm a guy and I demand a new He-Man movie. However, there's no denying how huge Dam Thing's creations were back in the day and given the increasing success of DreamWorks over the years, this is probably a match made in heaven. No price or terms was announced for the deal, but we do know that DreamWorks Animations get worldwide rights except in Scandinavia, where Dam Things remains the licensor. And for those of you out there who may be dubious about Hollywood getting its hands on those precious creatures, please allow Dam Things CEO Calle Ostergaard to put your minds at ease:
DreamWorks Animation is renowned for telling wonderful stories about imaginative worlds while bringing characters with universal appeal into the hearts and homes of families everywhere -- I can think of no better future for Trolls. We are confident that the time-honoured legend of the Trolls, which holds such special significance to the Dam family and the people of Scandinavia, will now live on in new and exciting ways with DreamWorks Animation."
So there's no need to get your knickers in a twist. What do you think?