What You Need To Know:
(NA, E, L, V, M) New Age theme with heavy environmental message; 1 vulgarity; animated action violence; and, much emphasis on utilizing the "power within" to make dreams come true.
In Don Bluth’s A TROLL IN CENTRAL PARK, the odious Gnorga, Queen of the Trolls, loves to punish dissidents by turning them to stone with her black thumb. She hates everything nice and beautiful, especially flowers. “Good troll” Stanley has a green thumb, grows flowers and is very gentle. Instead of turning him to stone, Gnorga banishes him to a place where no green things grow and the people are meaner than trolls: New York City. However, Stanley lands in beautiful Central Park where he meets toddler Rosie and her older brother Gus. Stanley teaches them to utilize the “power within” to visualize their dreams into becoming reality and overcome the evil Gnorga.
Amid some rather feeble and incidental positive messages in A TROLL IN CENTRAL PARK are some more overt and dangerous sermons. Although it is right to fight for what we believe, to foster creative imaginations in children of all ages and to take care of the planet over which we have been given stewardship, Stanley’s “power within” message is more than suspicious: it is antithetical to God’s word. This movie even includes a beginning primer for visualization: relax and think of something fun. Aside from thematic problems and a heavy dose of environmentalism, Mr. Bluth has delivered a substandard product with simple music and very little thought to the storyline.