Every now and then, a celebrity duet comes along that stands out amongst many others. They can also come from the least expected places, as is the case in this instance. This duet is formed of pop icon Justin Timberlake and the American actress Anna Kendrick, and their performance is a touching acoustic rendition of a song from the Dreamworks picture, Trolls.
At 2016’s Cannes Film Festival on May 11th, guests were treated to a touching performance from Timberlake and Kendrick as they celebrated the release of the movie. While the movie may be aimed at children, this elegant performance is enough to make any grown adult shed a tear or two. Watch the duo wow the crowd in the video below:
Despite the simplistic backdrop, simply declaring the movie with its logo, Timberlake, and Kendrick dominate the stage with their glorious harmonies that elevate this otherwise simplistic song into an ode that would make any heart melt. Their performance is also backed by another acoustic guitarist, who helps carry the song along from bridge to verse.
The song’s original version in the movie Trolls is also acoustic, but it’s set at a critical moment in the story’s arc. Branch, a troll, breaks his vow of ‘no singing’ to cheer another troll, Poppy, up, which lights her up from a dark grey to a vibrant pink. As he also confesses his love to her, his ‘true colors’ appear, which in turn shows the entire troll village to express their true colors and be unafraid of being themselves.
The message of this movie is one that’s important for both its targeted children’s audience and for us older humans who need a boost of inspiration in our lives. Trolls tries to teach us that happiness is within each and every one of us, and we have to find what makes us happy in order to fully find ourselves. By doing this, we will be at peace with ourselves and make both ourselves and the world a brighter place.
Trolls was, overall, a large success at the box office. With a $125 million budget, it brought in over $345 million overall, which led to promises of future films for the franchise. Trolls World Tour was released in 2010 and saw similar successes to its predecessor, and a third installment in the film franchise, Trolls Band Together, is set for release in November 2023. Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick will reprise their roles as Branch and Poppy.
It wasn’t just the film itself that was a huge success. The soundtrack for Trolls excelled in the global charts upon the film’s release, with its main success being Justin Timberlake’s now-iconic upbeat pop song Can’t Stop The Feeling. This feel-good hit, which is one of the main songs of Trolls, became an immediate summer anthem and won Timberlake a Grammy Award for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.