Sick Product of a Sick System

Just perfect...

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

If it wasn't for Don Bluths outstanding animation and the good voice acting, this would be completely painful to watch. And that is being nice, since this movie is mind-numbingly boring and it seems to make very little sense. The moral of the story (you have to be brave to fulfill a dream) comes in way too late, by this point my mind had already melted from boredom.There's no animation so beautiful I could watch an hour of things bouncing around and smiling. At least half an hour of this movie consists of just this and it's not like it's very spectacular to watch.Plot? I couldn't find one. Things pretty much happen at random. The characters aren't very likable either. Stanley comes off as annoying and too cowardly. Gus is a spoiled annoying brat who spends most of the movie arguing with people and shouting "Rosie!". Rosie is cute, but that's it. Gnorga was the only somewhat entertaining character, but she doesn't spend much time in front of the screen despite the fact that she is the villain.There's also a big lack of humor, remember-able moments and inspiring dialog. It's like stuff just happens, the characters talk because they have to and... well, that's it.What crowd was this movie aimed for? It's pointless and boring for anyone over five, but the movie is too scary towards the end for anyone at that age to enjoy.It's hard to imagine this movie and "The Land Before Time" had the same directors. How is it even possible?

I am currently scouring numerous kids' movies I've seen and determining whether they're good or bad for children, much less YOU.This one... it's going to take a little more thinking before I decide. I borrowed this movie from a library because I am a Don Bluth fan and I have been hearing about the negative reception and obscurity it's got. Like many children of the 1990's, I grew up with awesome animated movies for children, such as The Lion King, The Land Before Time, Aladdin etc.So we have a friendly troll named Stanley who lives in a land where trolls are mean and scary (think The BFG), and it is ruled by none other than a no-nonsense evil queen who believes bad is good and good is bad (Geesh, that sounds hard to say).So the message in this movie is "If you believe in yourself and dream well enough, things will magically happen." which I really am struggling to look at without upsetting fans of this movie. At first, it sounds real, but if you think critically at it, you'll realize "No, that doesn't make sense!" As the Nostalgia Critic explained, "dreams don't happen by just dreaming, you make it happen!", which is actually true. Although that's probably the context Don Bluth was aiming for, it just sounds different than what was probably intended. I agree that only certain "dreams" can come true if you work hard to make it happen, but that strongly depends on what it is, like you can't just dream to become Sailor Moon, work hard for it and TA-DAH, wish granted.But I give this a 7 rating because I don't find it as bad as many make it out to be, I realize many people on the internet saw it as kids and liked it since then. In fact, the animation is good, the voice acting is not bad, I did mention in one of my other reviews that one of my favourite actors is/was Dom DeLuise, and of course Cloris Leachman as the evil queen Gnorga, whose name I recognize from Castle in the Sky.But the story seems a little rushed, some moments are drawn out and the story was just a little bit too simple for me, but it's aimed at kids so I'm not irked over that. However, I feel these faults and all the negative reception must have been blamed one thing: Warner Bros.Considering the studio was totally pessimistic about marketing this movie, even deliberately limiting the movie's release and advertising, I'm sure they were plotting to make this film as bad as humanly possible, even rushing Don Bluth to finish the movie for fall of 1994.If that's true, then I feel sorry for anyone who likes Don Bluth and are annoyed by this film. It's not Toy Story, but I still like it. So, if you want to show it to your kids, then I think it would be a good idea to talk with them afterwards and explain to them the true meaning of "believing in dreams".

Whatever happened to the masterpieces Don Bluth gave us? Secret of NIMH, hello? Of course, not ALL of his movies had to be like Secret of NIMH...but at least have the wonderful vibe. Is that vibe in this movie? Not even a little.I cannot believe I watched this movie as a kid. Why do people like this movie? I can't bear watching it! It's horribly written (I think Bluth got help from a few five-year olds to write the script.), there is no good moral, and it is sometimes confusing!Before you rate this comment negatively, let me explain the thing that gets to me most about this movie..."Why is the moral so bad?" There were actually two "morals" in this atrocity. One of them was "If you dream, good things will happen"...I understand that it's something for the kids, but when you think about it, that is NOT a good moral. You cannot just DREAM to get an A on the test, to have a steady relationship, or get a good job...you have to EARN it! I know that sounds a little over-the-top, but think! A kid can't dream to have a puppy. Your kid is going to be pretty disappointed if he dreams and he gets no puppy.The second "moral"? Well, when we meet Gus, he's a kid who just wants quality time with his dad. But he's always busy, so he always complains that he never wants to do what he wants to do. After all the chaos he went through, what does he teach the children watching this movie?"Dad...maybe we can do what I want to do?"Let it sink in. It may not sound so bad at first, but like the other moral, when you think about it, it's not good at all. Kids need to learn that they can't always get what they want and that their parents have to work to pay for their food and their house. Again, that sounds over-the-top, but again, think. Avoid this movie, especially if you're looking for something for the kids.

I don't think that Troll in Central Park is as bad as people make it out to be, as a matter of fact it's very sweet, but anyone who loved Secret of Nimh and Land Before Time like I did, will be disappointed. The animation on the most part was quite flat, with the exception of some nice animation in the musical numbers and the effects, and there were some lifeless backgrounds in the scarier bits. The incidental music is lovely, but I didn't care that much for the songs. They're not excrement, but they are certainly not Oscar-worthy. This was disappointing, as Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann have done some lovely songs for American Tail and Muppet Treasure Island, but the songs they did here didn't feel the same. The script wasn't bad, but there were times where it could have been more imaginative. The characters were likable but not particularly memorable. Stanley is very sweet, with his wiggling ears, and the late Dom DeLuise voiced him earnestly, and there is some very nice singing. Gnorga is rather frightening, but Cloris Leachman was brilliant in an almost unrecognisable voice over. Phillip Glasser was good, but he and DeLuise lacked the chemistry they had in American Tail. Rosie was really sweet and Charles Nelson Reilly and the singing and dancing flowers provided the humour,(even if it reminded me strongly of the Silly Symphony Flowers and Trees) that was much needed, in a rather lacklustre plot. All in all, one of the weaker Don Bluth films is redeemed by a very good voice cast, and some nice music. 6/10 Bethany Cox