This weekend, my husband and I took the kids to see Dreamworks’ Trolls Movie. They had a great time, as did we. It’s a simple movie, but it’s message that happiness cannot be consumed is a powerful one, especially for vegans.

The Trolls movie is lighthearted and entertaining, to be sure. But its message is pretty inescapable: happiness can’t be consumed.

The Story

The plot of the Trolls film revolves around a group of trolls, who because they constantly dance, sing and share with each other. This not only creates opportunities for lots of dance numbers, it also makes the Trolls very happy.

The Trolls share their world with a very unhappy group of people called the Bergens. Bergens are miserable and unkind to each other. But they have discovered one thing that makes them happy: eating Trolls.

Somehow, consuming Trolls makes Bergens feel happy, at least temporarily. So every year, on “Trollstice” they eat Trolls.

Of course, the Trolls aren’t thrilled about this. And while the film keeps things light, it also doesn’t sugarcoat what is happening.

The Message in the Trolls Movie

Even a few minutes into the film, I was a little surprised I hadn’t heard about the movie’s vegan message. You don’t have to read into the story to see what the film is saying about eating sentient beings. The Bergens never even question that the Trolls are sentient, but they choose to ignore it because they want to be happy, and they think eating Trolls is the only way to experience joy.

Add to that the fact that Trolls are consumed on “Trollstice” each year, and the parallels to Christmas and other holidays are fairly clear.

The Trolls Movie is a great film to spark conversations about deeper issues with your kids (or anyone else!). If you’re looking for an opportunity to talk with your kids about veganism or animal rights, this might be the perfect vehicle for doing so.

Like this: Like Loading...