WARREN HAYDEN: Feasting on Trolls will make you happy

After seeing the trailer for the new DreamWorks’ animated movie Trolls both my daughters asked if we could go to the cinema to see it.

I have to admit that after seeing the trailer I was unashamedly quite interested in seeing it myself. Some films look amazing in the three-minute trailer but can be a disappointment when you’re sitting in the theatre for an hour-and-a-half and you realise you’ve already seen the best bits. We were all hoping this was not the case with Trolls.

The movie tells the story of the Troll dolls that you might remember from fads in almost every decade since the 1960s.

Trolls are small creatures who live in an almost perpetual state of happiness, singing, dancing and hugging all day long. However, they are discovered by the Bergens, large creatures who never feel happy but discover that they can feel happy for a moment if they eat a Troll.

So can the Trolls escape from the baddies?

The movie has an impressive line-up of stars who provide the voices for the characters. These include Russell Brand, James Corden, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick.

So off we went to Vue at Gunwharf Quays and took our favourite seats, right at the back.

For the next hour-and-a-half all four of us were mesmerised by the eye-popping, multi-coloured, fast-paced animated tale.

The film has a great message throughout which is kindness and happiness. It’s perfect for children of an impressionable age and, for me as a dad, these are qualities that are important to teach my daughters.

But for me, the best part of the movie was the soundtrack that literally had me bopping about in my seat. The lead song is one that I’ve enjoyed playing on my Heart radio show all summer, Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling! It’s such a feelgood, happy, joyous song and my girls always ask for it to be played a little louder when we’re in the car.

The soundtrack also included the Lionel Richie eighties’ anthem Hello, the Cyndi Lauper ballad True Colours and Earth, Wind and Fire’s funky September. It really is true that music can affect your mood and we all walked out of the cinema feeling great.

If you have children in your family I highly recommend you see it and I can guarantee you’ll like it just as much as they do.

But beware, with Christmas approaching expect those multi-coloured Troll dolls to be making their way into your home.

I don’t let my girls tirck or treat

Did you have a happy Hallowe’en last week? It’s the Marmite day of the year, you either love it or hate it. There seems to be no middle ground.

In the past for me Hallowe’en meant drawing the curtains, turning off the light and pretending not to be in when trick or treaters came knocking at my door hoping to be given some tasty treats.

But now I’m a father and it’s a day my daughters look forward to. I don’t let them trick or treat. I find it odd that we teach our children not to talk to strangers but then allow them to knock on the doors of people they don’t know, asking for sweets.

Last Monday, we carved pumpkins with the girls and gave the living room a Hallowe’en makeover. We also had a bowl of sweets ready in case knocks came at the door, which they did.

One thing I found odd was out of the five or six visitors we had only one muttered the words ‘trick or treat’, the rest just stood there lifting up their hands for the sweets.

Of course, I said nothing... I didn’t want to be tricked.