What if DreamWorks Pictures/DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1934?/Trolls/Tropes

The Chef: What exactly are you proposing? Bringing back Trollstice? For everyone?
 * Aerith and Bob: Some of the Trolls have real world names, like Poppy and Cooper. Out of the Ogres, Bridget is the only one with a real world name.
 * An Aesop: Happiness doesn't come from an object, it comes from the heart.
 * All Trolls Are Different: These trolls are small, colorful, cheery Ugly Cute beings.
 * Always a Bigger Fish: Parodied at the start of Poppy's journey, with way too many creatures eating each other in succession including a carnivorous plant. Then played straight when Branch rescues Poppy, barely holding out with just his hair-whipping against giant spiders, unknowingly herding them into the maw of a bigger creature. Likewise played straight in the Stinger when Chef is about to eat Creek, only for the both of them to fall into the maw of a bigger monster.
 * Amusing Injuries: Poppy suffers plenty in her "I Will Get Back Up Again" musical number, but being The Determinator she refuses to give up.
 * And Starring: John Cleese as Gristle Sr.
 * Animated Musical
 * Answer Cut: In the prologue after Trollstice is ruined for the Bergens, Gristle asks his father, “What’s gonna make me happy now?”. Cut to a close-up of Bridget watching in the background, who will eventually become his love interest later on in the movie.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: King Peppy says that the Trolls' new home has all they need: "Fresh air, clear water, and  sweet acoustics! "
 * "Awesome McCool" Name: Bridget gives her alter ego the name 'Lady Glitter Sparkles'.
 * Awesome Moment of Crowning: Poppy is crowned queen at the end of the film.
 * Barbie Doll Anatomy: Downplayed: though the trolls clearly have no nipples, the opening scene implies they at least have genitals since King Peppy had his crotch area covered.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Branch tells Poppy that he can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes that life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows. Late in the movie, he does get to see the look on her face when she has that realization, and it causes her to  fall into despair and lose all her colors, causing the rest of the Trolls to lose their colors too. He clearly does not like it.
 * Big Bad: The Chef, who even after the other Ogres give up their Troll-eating ways is still as hellbent on devouring them regardless.
 * Big Eater: Bridget. This leads Chef to assume she ate all the Trolls when they've disappeared.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Creek is a male example. He behaves like a spiritually-enlightened guru, even using the phrase "Namaste". However, after receiving what he calls a spiritual revelation (really his own fear), he helps the Chef capture all of the remaining Trolls. So Creek almost causes the deaths of  everyone in his entire village  to save himself from being eaten.
 * Book-Ends:
 * "September" plays at the beginning and at the credits.
 * The movie begins with a storybook opening and ends with it closing.
 * The story begins in Ogre Town with the Trolls making their escape and ends with the Trolls staying in Ogre Town after the Bergens make a Heel–Face Turn.
 * During "Move Your Hair", Smidge uses her hair to lift Poppy into the air. She does the same thing in the end, but Branch is also with Poppy.
 * Poppy is surrounded by the other Trolls when she is crowned Queen. The second time is official, with the Trolls and Bergens living in peace.
 * The hill monster that almost eats Poppy as she goes to free her friends eats Chef and Creek in The Stinger.
 * Bowel-Breaking Bricks: When the Chef, Lancy, Rascal and Battly find the Troll's new home, Cooper poops cupcakes, which Poppy then offers to them.
 * Break the Cutie: Happens to both Poppy and Bridget during the course of the film.
 * Bring My Brown Pants: Cooper poops cupcakes after being frozen in fear by the Chef's arrival.
 * Bullying a Dragon: Cooper stupidly laughs at Gristle's bib snapping because the latter's neck is too fat. Guess how Gristle reacts.
 * Butt-Monkey: Bridget. She's a  Cinderella -like maid who gets mistreated by the Chef and his henchanimals.
 * Cheerful Child:
 * Gristle Jr. was this before the Trolls managed to escape.
 * Branch was this as well before he lost his grandmother.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Poppy's cowbell becomes a dark example of this trope: at the beginning of the film, baby Poppy rings it as a celebration of the Trolls liberating themselves from the Ogres. But late in the film, Creek steals the cowbell from the adult Poppy and gives the Trolls a phony "all clear" signal to lure them out of hiding so the Chef can capture them all.
 * Color Failure: After all the Trolls are captured and trapped in a pot, they lose their colors along with their hope, turning gray.
 * Comically Small Bribe: Poppy tries offering 3 cupcakes to the Chef in exchange for not eating everyone at the party.
 * Crazy-Prepared: Branch lives in a heavily fortified bunker, which ends up saving him from the invasion of Bergens (even though it was supposed to apparently keep Poppy out). He even says it word for word when he tells Poppy that he's got enough supplies for 10 years - 11 if he's prepared to drink his own sweat,  which he is.
 * Creepy Child: The wall-eyed child Troll. For one thing, he likes watching his parents as they're sleeping.
 * Crying Wolf: Branch's multiple cries that "THE OGRES ARE COMING!" even though no Ogre ever comes makes the Trolls, including Poppy, convinced that Branch cannot be relied upon. Though it gets inverted because it turns out Branch would be eventually right and Poppy throwing the party against Branch's warnings gave away their location to the Chef and his henchanimals.
 * The Cameo: Miss Bow Wow and Mr. Mittens from the Dreamtoons franchise appear in a cameo where Mr. Mittens is painting a picture of Miss Bow Wow dressed as the Jailer's Daughter from The Wind in the Willows.
 * Dance Party Ending: The movie took this trope to Deus ex Machina levels as it ends with Poppy being crowned queen and all the Trolls and Ogres dancing to "Can't Stop the Feeling".
 * Dark and Troubled Past: The reason why Branch lost his colors and refuses to sing is because when he was a kid, his singing attracted the Chef's attention, and Branch's grandmother was eaten when she tried to save him.
 * Darkest Hour: Because of a betrayal by Creek,  all  the trolls in the village end up captured and thrown into a pot. Poppy decides that Branch and Archer was right, life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows and she is a complete idiot, and falls into despair and turns completely gray, losing all her colors. The rest of the trolls  also  lose all their colors, and everything looks hopeless. But then Branch finally sings...
 * Deadpan Snarker: Branch's role through most of the film. Even Poppy goes into Sarcasm Mode when Creek betrays them, to the shock of the other Trolls.
 * Determinator: Princess Poppy, as shown by her journey montage, even if Slapstick Knows No Gender.
 * Dirty Coward: To save himself from getting eaten, Creek makes a deal with the Chef, Lancy, Rascal and Battly and attempts to lead them to the other Trolls.
 * Disney Creatures of the Farce: Parodied with Poppy's performance of "The Sound of Silence".
 * Does Not Like Shoes: All of the trolls. Even some of the Ogres go barefoot.
 * Doomed Hometown: The Trolls' home is invaded by Ogres, and the protagonists now have to save the Trolls who are kidnapped. Later, all the Trolls are nabbed when Creek betrays them.
 * DreamWorks Face: Surprisingly,  Branch  is the one making this face on the DVD and Blu-Ray covers.
 * The Dragon: Creek, after his Face–Heel Turn where he teams up with the Chef to lead her to the troll village.
 * Dramatically Missing the Point: The Ogres believe that eating a Troll is the only way they can feel happiness. After the Trolls escape the Ogres, Gristle Sr. tells his son that he will now never know what happiness feels like. This is despite the fact that Gristle Jr. was a Cheerful Child who felt happiness just by  thinking  about eating a Troll, and Gristle Sr.'s obvious parental pleasure towards his son.
 * Eaten Alive: The Ogres are planning this for the Trolls, as we see a scene of Lancy, Rascal and Battly dressed up with flaming grills going. Creek is put in a taco and goes into Gristle's mouth still-screaming though he is not killed.
 * Ends up being a Karmic Death for the Chef and Creek for real at the very end of the movie, being eaten by the same monster that tried to eat Poppy before in the film.
 * The Eeyore: The Ogres are an entire  race  of Eeyores.
 * Branch, who doesn't do dance parties, because they might attract the Ogres' attention and a Bergen ate his grandmother when he was younger.
 * Archer, who is very short-tempered and yells at Poppy by calling her a idiot for being always happy.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Ogres' chef is only ever called Chef.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Princess Poppy, naturally.
 * Everything's Better with Rainbows: One example why the trolls are so colorful. "True Colors" shows this in spades.
 * Everything's Better with Sparkles: The trolls  love  glitter.
 * Everything Trying to Kill You: For some reason the environment surrounding the Trolls' village is this and Sugar Bowl at the same time. By which we mean it's all made up of felt and wool and glitter and things, barring the odd translucent organic tissue.
 * Eye Scream:
 * Poppy bounces off giant eyeballs by their eyelids before landing on an open one. Realistically, it blinks reflexively. Unrealistically, it then  explodes into glitter.
 * Upon getting annoyed with Cooper, Chef cuts a lemon and squirts it in his eyes.
 * Fantastic Aesop: Happiness comes from inside, not from eating Trolls. More charitably, the Aesop could be summarized as "you can't achieve true happiness by hurting people."
 * Poppy actually sums it up word-for-word: "Happiness isn't something you put inside you, it's already there!" Meaning that you will never find happiness from an outside source; Branch supports this point ("Happiness is inside of all of us, right?")
 * Fast-Forward Gag
 * The Quiet One: Fuzzbert
 * Foil:
 * The perpetually happy Trolls to the perpetually gloomy Ogres in general.
 * The optimistic Poppy, Wacky and Lulabelle to the grumpy Branch, Archer, Judie and Reynard, in particular.
 * The energetic and working Wacky to the lazy and sleppy Sleepy.
 * The grouchy but honest and loyal Branch to the seemingly-friendly but truly treacherous and cowardly Creek.
 * Foreshadowing:
 * During Trollstice in the prologue, Gristle and the Bergens are genuinely happy and excited even before devouring the Trolls. This is the first clue that their happiness is genuine and is coming from the heart instead of something that's happy.
 * Branch's Establishing Character Moment starts off with him telling Poppy and her friends off for singing too loud because that could attract the Bergens. While that does end up happening during the party, it turns out that Branch singing too loud attracted the Chef to him and his grandma sacrificed herself to save him from her.
 * There are three hints that Branch is in love with Poppy, such as the fact that he kept every party invitation she ever gave him; when Lulabelle sees Branch as the right boy which Poppy have to being in love with; and when the Trolls attempt at Playing Cyrano for Bridget, he delivers a touching, heartfelt speech while looking right at Poppy, implying he wanted to say those words to her.
 * When discussing how they would free the others, Archer sarcastically asks Poppy if she plans to sing their way to freedom. Turns out to be the answer.
 * When we first meet Creek, we get small hint that he's not exactly an angel when he briefly mocks Branch's pesssimist.
 * When Judie suspects about Creek being alive, it reveals it was true.
 * After Gristle's first Trollstice comes to an abrupt end, he laments "What's going to make me happy now?" There's a brief Answer Cut to Bridget before his father continues the conversation.
 * Freudian Excuse: The reason Branch doesn't sing is because his singing accidentally lured a Ogre to devour his grandmother.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar:
 * When the young Gristle is about to eat his first Troll, his father says "don't worry, son. I remember being nervous my first time."
 * "I think I had a sarcasm once."
 * During King Gristle, Jr. and Lady Glittersparkles/Bridget's rollerskating scene, Gristle ends up staring straight at her butt for several seconds. The camera angle makes this very clear.
 * Gilligan Cut: When the Trolls are annoyed that Branch ruins everything because of him always warning them of the Ogres, he replies, “No I don’t.” Cue a series of flashbacks of him warning the Trolls at a birthday party, wedding reception and funeral, respectively.
 * Glad You Thought of It: The Chef prods Gristle to reinstate Trollstice, in order to regain her own power.

Gristle: Hmm... Yes! That's exactly what I'm proposing.

The Chef: Great idea sire. Absolutely brilliant. Aren't you smart. And I, your loyal Chef, will be right behind you. (muttering)  Holding a knife. Branch: That's not a plan, that's a wish list. Branch: Seriously, more singing? Poppy: Yes, seriously. Singing helps me relax. Maybe you ought to try it. Branch: I don't sing and I don't relax. This is the way I am and I like it. I also like a little silence! [ The surrounding woodland creatures and trolls start to sing Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" ] The Chef: He who controls the Trolls controls the kingdom, and I am that he!
 * Glass Slipper: The roller skate belonging to Lady Glitter Sparkle who is really Bridget with a Cinderella makeover.
 * The Glomp: Poppy, with her ever so popular "hug times", upon Branch.
 * G-Rated Drug: The Trolls are this to the Ogres. They serve as psychedelic drugs that when consumed orally, they help make a Bergen feel happiness.
 * Grumpy Bear: Branch, Archer, Reynard and Judie, contrasting with Poppy's perpetually happy personality.
 * Handshake Refusal: The Parrot offers to guide Poppy, Branch and the animals to Ogre Town, if Branch gives him a high-five first. The pessimistic, untrusting Branch refuses, and after some negotiation he agrees to a fist bump. But then the Parrot keeps switching to bizarre greetings, until Branch snaps and chases after him.
 * Head Desk: Gristle does this when he’s introduced as an adult, banging his head on his throne believing he’ll never be happy again.
 * Heel–Face Turn: The whole Ogre race makes a heel face turn upon witnessing Bridget and Gristle Jr. finding happiness in each other, causing the Ogres to realize that they don't  have  to eat Trolls to make themselves happy. The Chef is the exception; she has to be defeated directly.
 * Heel Realization: For Poppy, it's when Branch reveals that the reason he hates all the happy things she loves is because they got his Grandmother killed. She then realizes that all the time she's been trying to drag him into being happy, it's been causing him emotional pain and she didn't even really consider his feelings.
 * Heroic BSoD: Branch's flashback reveals his, and that reaching one drives a troll into Color Failure. After seeing his beloved grandmother perform a Heroic Sacrifice to keep him from being eaten after a Ogre noticed his singing, he vowed never to sing again, and he experienced Color Failure for 20 years. This foreshadows what happens during the Darkest Hour, when every other troll hits the emotional nadir and lose their color as well.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:
 * Branch's grandmother saved him from the Chef years ago, causing her to be taken and eaten.
 * Bridget secretly lets the Trolls go on the night of the feast because she knows that even though she'll be punished for it, it won't be as bad as them being eaten.
 * Hidden Depths:
 * Poppy is perpetually optimistic to the point of naiveté, but she's also very resourceful, as shown during a musical sequence in which she survives multiple dangers in the forest even  before  Branch and the animals joins her. Also, the reason Branch joins her is because Poppy came up with a plan to drive him out of his bunker by inviting all the other Trolls, the animals only joined them after Poppy annoying them, and Poppy comes up with the idea to help Bridget, which is rewarded when Bridget later repays her by letting the Trolls go.
 * Branch also has hidden depths, as while the Trolls are helping Bridget with her date, it almost goes badly, but Branch suddenly starts helping by reciting some  very  romantic lines, which helps Bridget successfully win Gristle Jr.'s heart.
 * Hypocrite: Creek, who when we first see him, starts out as a peaceful mentor, not only panics when captured by the Chef and her henchanimals, but even collaborates with the Chef in leading her to the Trolls' village to save his own self.
 * I Warned You:
 * Branch has been warning the Trolls about the Ogres threat for years and nobody listened. However, the second Poppy reveals the Ogre attack he quickly pulls her inside his bunker to hide instead of leaving her for the Bergens he still thinks are out there.
 * Judie tries to convice Poppy to not rescue Creek because it would been a great mistake, which turns to be true when Creek is betraying the Trolls.
 * Branch and the animals later admit they are following Poppy to give her an "I Told You So" when things finally go wrong to the point where even she has to admit it. However at the climax when things are at their darkest, Branch cannot bring himself to due to Poppy giving herself a more brutal one.
 * Ironic Echo: See Be Careful What You Wish For.
 * Jerkass Has a Point: Branch, though he's far more of a buzzkill than a jerkass. Life isn't all fun and games, especially when you know that another species exists that wants nothing more than to eat you. Acting like it is can get people seriously hurt.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Branch, who may seem selfish and gloomy, but really does have a heart, as shown when he saves an unconscious Poppy from spiders. Archer is also a example, because he stars out as a jerk who bullies to Poppy by calling her a "idiot", but he shows a heart by helping his fellow animals to rescuing the Trolls. He also shows a reedemption by being one of the characters who applaud Poopy as the new Trolls queen.
 * Jukebox Musical: This film can be considered as one. There are a few original songs written for it though - such as "Move Your Hair", "Get Back Up Again" and "Can't Stop The Feeling" (though that was released as a tie-in single).
 * Karmic Death: The Chef and Creek are eaten by a monster.
 * Know Your Vines: Poppy eats a berry and ends up swelling into a ball.
 * Line-of-Sight Name: The Trolls help Bridget come up with her disguise name, "Lady Glittersparkles", to impress King Gristle.
 * Love Confession: While singing to bring back her hope, Branch, using the lyrics of "True Colors", tells Poppy that he loves her.
 * Magic Hair: Not only are the Trolls able to control the shape of their hair the way humans control their arms or legs, but they can extend or retract them almost instantaneously and change the colors.
 * Magic Skirt: Averted with Poppy's dress when she's inflated into a ball and rolling around.
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Poppy is like this at the beginning with her efforts to defrost Branch's cynicism, down to making glitter-spewing pop-up dioramas to celebrate their (in her mind) inevitable triumph. Late in the movie,  Branch  has to act as Poppy's manic pixie dream  guy when she becomes sad, as his singing restores her colors and her hope.
 * A Minor Kidroduction: Poppy, the main protagonist, is seen as baby in the beginning after her father led the Trolls to escape the Ogres. Gristle Jr. and Bridget are also seen as young toddlers during the intro.
 * Missing Steps Plan: Poppy's plan is just "rescue everyone and make it home safely".
 * Monochrome to Color: Used as a plot point. When a Troll loses all hope or joy in life all the color in their skin and hair fades to gray.
 * Mood Whiplash: Played for funny. Gristle and Bridget touch hands when reaching for the same slice of pizza. We're led to believe that it's going to be a romantic moment... until she smacks his hand away hard to get the pizza for herself and wolf it down. Then whiplashed AGAIN as he then calls her fantastic and is even more entranced.
 * Multicolored Hair: The Trolls use their hair to give Bridget's Lady Glitter Sparkles persona a rainbow wig.
 * Mythology Gag:
 * At the start of the film, when the Ogres discover that all the Trolls have escaped from the tree, the wooden decoys look exactly like the classic Troll dolls. In fact, the earliest Troll dolls were made of wood.
 * DJ Suki having a gem in her belly is a reference to the Good Luck Trolls who had various gems in the same location while Cooper is a nod to the animal trolls.
 * Naked People Are Funny: King Peppy moons the viewers in the prologue, when he reunites with the escaped Trolls and declares, "No troll left behind!"
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Poppy making her party too loud and flashy causes the Trolls to be discovered by the Chef.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!: When he was a kid, the Chef kills Branch's grandmother right in front of him, causing him to lose his color. Later when the other Trolls lose their color waiting to be eaten in Chef's pot, only Branch can help get them back on their feet because he's been gray long enough to be able to work around the hopelessness.
 * Obliviously Evil: As explained in the beginning of the film, the Ogres want to eat Trolls not out of malice or cruelty, but because they genuinely believe that eating a Troll is the  only  way to be happy. So when Poppy points out Gristle Jr. and Bridget finding happiness despite never having eaten Trolls in their lives, the Ogres see the error of their ways and willingly give up Trollstice for good. Except the Chef, who has to be dealt with more directly.
 * Offscreen Teleportation: The Troll child who watches his parents while they sleep appears in other Trolls' hair about three times.
 * Older Than They Look: The bulk of the film takes place 20 years after the prologue, but Gristle and Bridget, who were children then, come across as adults and are half the height of most other Ogres.
 * Only Sane Man: Branch gives off vibes of this, compared to the hyperactive Poppy and her happy-go-lucky brethren.
 * Orbital Shot: Peppy has one in the prologue as he addresses the Trolls, announcing the groundbreaking of their new homeland following their escape from Ogre Town.
 * Orphaned Etymology: The Parrot asks for a high-five from Branch, despite Branch having Four-Fingered Hands.
 * Overly Long Gag: The Parrot's Secret Handshake lesson. Seriously,  Last Supper?
 * Pink Girl, Blue Boy: As it turns out, Branch used to be blue. He turns back at the end and becomes the Blue Boy to Poppy's Pink Girl.
 * Playing Cyrano: The Trolls attempt this for Bridget while she's on her date with King Gristle Jr.
 * The Pollyanna: Poppy is very close to the actual Trope Namer in that she admits to Branch she  knows  life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows but she likes to believe  most  of it is and focus on the good things.
 * Pooping Food: Cooper poops cupcakes at one point.
 * Potty Failure: When the Chef and her henchanimals arrive at Poppy's party, all the trolls freeze in fear. And Cooper poops out cupcakes.
 * Prehensile Hair: The Trolls' hair can be used as anything from a whip, to an extra arm, to a grappling hook.
 * Properly Paranoid: Branch may be ridiculously paranoid, but he's right about the Ogres being able to find them.
 * Rhetorical Request Blunder: When Poppy, Branch and the animals are camped out for the night and about to get some rest:
 * Room Full of Crazy: Seen in both Branch's bunker and Bridget's room.
 * Romantic False Lead: Creek was set up as Poppy's love interest, but then he sells out all the other Trolls, including Poppy, in exchange for his freedom, making Poppy to become sad.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: Princess Poppy, who takes it upon herself to go out and save her friends, even if no one else wants to. In the past, her father King Peppy led the Trolls' initial escape from the Bergens.
 * Rule of Three:
 * Poppy's cow bell is rung three times. The first by baby Poppy after the Trolls find a new home, the second by an older Poppy in the present during the beginning of "Move Your Feet", and the third by Creek to lure out the other Trolls so they can be eaten instead of him.
 * The "boop" on the nose gesture. First, when Creek reassures Poppy about her party after Branch cynically dismisses the said party. Second, when Poppy does it to a picture of Creek. The third and final time is the darkest since Creek blatantly admits to planning to betray the other Trolls in order to spare his own life, and before he leaves with Poppy's cowbell, he does the "boop" thing.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Branch and Poppy, respectively.
 * Scullery Maid: Bridget, who undergoes a makeover to greet young King Gristle disguised as Lady Glitter Sparkle.
 * "Setting Off" Song: Poppy sings "Get Back Up Again" as she heads for Ogre Town.
 * Shout-Out:
 * Bridget's makeover as Lady Glitter Sparkle is a notable Cinderella Circumstances example, even down to the lost roller skate as a Glass Slipper.
 * The older Gristle Jr. is introduced riding a tricycle down a hallway.
 * During Gristle and Bridget's date at the pizzeria, a  Pac-Man  machine can be heard in the background.
 * The Chef's line "He who controls the Trolls controls the kingdom" resembles the Arc Words from  Dune  ("He who controls spice controls the universe.")
 * At one point, Branch accidentally knocks a deceased Troll's body out of the casket at the funeral- much like what happened during the infamous "Lost Scene" in  Clerks.
 * One song that didn't make it onto the soundtrack featuring The Ogres being introduced to "Clint Eastwood".
 * Sidetracked by the Analogy:

Cooper: You're a dude?
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender: Poppy is subjected to this, especially through the "Get Back Up Again" montage.
 * Small Role, Big Impact:
 * King Gristle Sr only appears in the prologue but his decision to banish Chef from Bergentown is what leads her to kill Branch's grandmother and devote her life into recapturing the trolls.
 * Branch's grandmother only makes one appearance but her action is what sets off Branch's cynicism which would affect the future.
 * The Starscream: The Chef intends to use the captured Trolls to overthrow Gristle Jr. and make herself the Ogres' new ruler.
 * The Stinger: When the ending credits begin, the viewer may be wondering what happened to the Chef and Creek after they were sent out of the hall in a burning pot by the animals. The answer is revealed partway through the credits: the pot comes to a stop on what appears to be a hill, and while Creek sighs in relief, the Chef then attempts to eat Creek. But it turns out they're not really on a hill, they're on a giant monster, which then eats them both.
 * Straight Man: Branch, to the rest of the Trolls.
 * Time Skip: A 20-year time skip after Peppy succeeds in leading the escape of the Trolls from the Bergens.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Quite honestly, most of the Trolls qualify — after escaping from the Ogres in the opening prologue, they establish a new home in the forest, but don't bother with ANY defenses or warnings against any possible future discovery by the Ogres. Similarly, Branch tells Poppy that her loud singing and boisterous party celebrations might attract the Ogres, but she blithely dismisses his warnings with terrible consequences.
 * Villain Song: "Bringing My Revenge"
 * Vocal Dissonance: Smidge looks a little girl but has a raspy, Harvey Fierstein-like voice.
 * Wedgie: This is how Ogres greet each other, along with kicking one in the butt.
 * Wham Line: When the Trolls give Bridget a makeover, she wants Branch to sing along as well, to which he refuses. When Poppy tries to get an answer out of him as to why he won't sing, he angrily snaps, " Because singing killed my grandma, okay?! "
 * Wham Shot: After all the Trolls are captured thanks to Creek, Poppy is so distraught at the fact that she and the rest of the Trolls are as good as dead, all the color drains from her person, leaving her looking like Branch. All the other Trolls then follow suit.
 * Whole Plot Reference: Gristle and Bridget's storyline is one for  Cinderella, complete with Bridget losing a skate at the castle steps.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist: Poppy, who's stated as having never faced a real problem before. However, this is played with: Poppy eventually admits that she  knows  that life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, but she'd rather go on  hoping  it is, because if she didn't she'd end up perpetually depressed like Branch. Late in the movie, that does finally happen, as during the Trolls' darkest hour, Poppy falls into despair and loses all her colors.
 * With Lyrics: "Hair Up" is a section of Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt with lyrics.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: The Trolls have a variety of hair colors (silver, blue, pink, etc.), and can change them at will. The Bergens also have a variety of hair colors.