SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — This month will see the release of Trolls Band Together, an animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, with audiences across Utah and beyond expected to fill theaters on opening day.

Critics Choice member and ABC4 TV/Film Critic Patrick Beatty paid a visit to DreamWorks headquarters to chat with the director and producer of Trolls Band Together about developing a sequel to the beloved franchise.

Arguably one of the biggest challenges to any animated film is creating a story that viewers of all ages will enjoy seeing.

“When we make these movies, they’re absolutely for everyone… ‘Our movies for humans’ — that’s what we call it,” remarks Director Walt Dohrn. “To find those moments, even within a single scene, is [definitely] a big value of ours.”

The film has plenty of humorous moments for kids, but those adults in the audience can look forward to just as many laughs from scene to scene.

According to Producer Gina Shay: “There’s the joke that kids are definitely going to get… Then there’s the ‘zinger’ behind it that goes to the adult level. That’s really, I think, when it’s firing on all cylinders.”

During their interview, Dohrn and Shay also discussed the character development in this sequel, the impressive aesthetics built by their team, and the materials that perhaps didn’t make it into this film.

Trolls Band Together, which stars Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, and Amy Schumer, is set to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.