Film Review: "Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans" (2021).

"This Summer, they will rise" in Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans. This computer-animated science fantasy directed by Johane Matte, Francisco Ruiz-Velasco and Andrew L. Schmidt, written by Marc Guggenheim and Dan & Kevin Hageman and based on the characters created by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus. Heroes from Trollhunters, 3Below and Wizards join forces to fight a shadowy enemy threatening to take over their worlds — and reset Earth itself.

In 2019, while planning the ending of the Arcadia saga, del Toro and Guggenheim wanted it to finish with an Avengers-style crossover, debated on whether to conclude it with additional Wizards episodes or a feature film, and eventually choose to do it as a film due to a cinematic format allowing them to "tell this story on the scope that [they] wanted and have the story be as big as [they] aspired it to be". Aware that audiences watching the film would not necessarily be familiar with the rest of the saga, a recap prologue was written for the start of the film. The film was also influenced by Marvel Studios' Avengers films, the filmmakers having taken a similar approach so audiences unfamiliar with the franchise could nevertheless enjoy the film's story. According to Guggenheim, early production on the film happened while the studio was working on Wizards, which he felt gave the producers time to determine how to finish the saga's story. The Guggenheim and Dan & Kevin Hageman included references to del Toro's Pacific Rim (2013), througth they were careful to not to overload the film with Pacific Rim easter eggs. In early August 2020, it was revealed that Netflix and DreamWorks Animation were developing a finale film titled Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans with Matte, Velasco, and Schmidt as directors, del Toro, Guggenheim and Dan and Kevin Hageman as co-writers and producers, and set to be released to Netflix on July 21, 2021.

The film stars the voice talents of Nick Offerman, Tatiana Maslany, Emile Hirsch, Steven Yeun, Diego Luna, Nick Frost, Alfred Molina, Kelsey Grammer, Cheryl Hines, Jonathan Hyde and Brian Blessed, reprising their roles, with Grey Griffin, Tom Kenny and James Hong as newcomers. Like the shows, the film, thanks largely to its spectacular cast, has managed to do what so few children shows even today have: assemble a cast of characters that depicts the world as it is, with a range of identities and experiences. Which brings depth and believability.

The film doesn't come any bigger than this: the closing chapter to a five-year saga in the Arcadia Universe, told across three series. And by the end of its a hundred and six minute runtime, there will definitely be tears. The film is everything Arcadia fans could want and more. It is interesting to see how the franchise concludes with this film, but woe be upon anyone who doubts their ability to conclude and succeed mightily. As fun as the movie is, there's a somewhat undeniable hollowness at its core induced by its unwillingness to follow through on certain ideas and symbols.

Simon says Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans receives:

Also, see my review for Wizards: Tales of Arcadia.