In this movie, a troll called Stanley is sent to Central Park for being too nice, and spends the day with a baby called Rosie, and her big brother Gus. I'm not kidding. That is the film in a nutshell.
This film is heartbreaking to watch, because it's Don Bluth at his lowest point. Bluth abandons any sense of respect for the children in the audience, AND himself, in favor of easy pandering. It's a film where barely anything happens, fret or tension is kept to a minimum, and no bold risks are made behind the scenes. Everything about the film is insufferable, from Stanley the troll, who's only emotion is overbearing happiness, to the whiny, self-entitled children we're supposed to relate to. It's a movie that suffocates the audience with sugar-coated whimsy, and refuses to provide anything enriching, or clever. What sours the film even more, is its terrible message of, "If you dream, ANYTHING is possible." Which is a LOUSY way of inspiring kids, because achieving goals also takes hard work, strong will and intense effort. Three things that this film clearly didn't put into practice during production. Children deserve SO much better than this, and what's worse is that Don Bluth can DO better than this. It's a hollow and shallow film, that left me feeling empty and unfulfilled. Don Bluth himself looks back at the film in regret, once stating in an interview:
"As it is never a good thing that a child is born prematurely, so it is when producing a film. Development of a script is like the development of a child in the womb; it takes time, it must be done right. Building the movie, A Troll in Central Park taught us this lesson, but indeed the hard way. I tell you all this in the hope, that YOU might benefit from our foolish mistakes. Scrutinizing your own work is so important, but let's face it: You're all afraid of not measuring up, so we stubbornly cling to our own opinions, shutting out all others. Stanley could have been a richer character with more levels to his personality. Maybe, he could have had a dark side; a troll side that he struggled with."
I do respect Don for owning up to the film's downfall, because it really is insulting, implying that quality control and intelligence CAN be ignored if children are watching. Which is just pure BS.
Children don't deserve to be treated like gullible idiots, whether in school, at home, OR at the cinema.
This film is heartbreaking to watch, because it's Don Bluth at his lowest point. Bluth abandons any sense of respect for the children in the audience, AND himself, in favor of easy pandering. It's a film where barely anything happens, fret or tension is kept to a minimum, and no bold risks are made behind the scenes. Everything about the film is insufferable, from Stanley the troll, who's only emotion is overbearing happiness, to the whiny, self-entitled children we're supposed to relate to. It's a movie that suffocates the audience with sugar-coated whimsy, and refuses to provide anything enriching, or clever. What sours the film even more, is its terrible message of, "If you dream, ANYTHING is possible." Which is a LOUSY way of inspiring kids, because achieving goals also takes hard work, strong will and intense effort. Three things that this film clearly didn't put into practice during production. Children deserve SO much better than this, and what's worse is that Don Bluth can DO better than this. It's a hollow and shallow film, that left me feeling empty and unfulfilled. Don Bluth himself looks back at the film in regret, once stating in an interview:
"As it is never a good thing that a child is born prematurely, so it is when producing a film. Development of a script is like the development of a child in the womb; it takes time, it must be done right. Building the movie, A Troll in Central Park taught us this lesson, but indeed the hard way. I tell you all this in the hope, that YOU might benefit from our foolish mistakes. Scrutinizing your own work is so important, but let's face it: You're all afraid of not measuring up, so we stubbornly cling to our own opinions, shutting out all others. Stanley could have been a richer character with more levels to his personality. Maybe, he could have had a dark side; a troll side that he struggled with."
I do respect Don for owning up to the film's downfall, because it really is insulting, implying that quality control and intelligence CAN be ignored if children are watching. Which is just pure BS.
Children don't deserve to be treated like gullible idiots, whether in school, at home, OR at the cinema.