Trollz
Trollz is a 2005 animated television series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and features the adventures of five teenage girls, who call themselves the Best Friends for Life, who use magic every day to help them with their everyday life as well as battling whatever magical creatures and issues they may find themselves up against. These trolls were based on the troll doll created in the 1960s.[1]
Trollz | |
---|---|
Genre | Fantasy, comedy, adventure |
Created by | Andy Heyward |
Based on | Troll dolls by Thomas Dam |
Developed by | Eric Lewald John Loy |
Directed by | Karen Hyden |
Starring | Britt McKillip Chiara Zanni Alexandra Carter Leah Juel Anna Van Hooft Samuel Vincent Reece Thompson Jesse Moss Matt Hill |
Opening theme | "It's a Hair Thing" by Valli Girls |
Ending theme | "It's a Hair Thing" (Reprise) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 27 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Andy Heyward Michael Maliani |
Running time | 21–22 minutes |
Production companies | Studio DAM DIC Entertainment Corporation Melusine Productions |
Distributor | DIC Entertainment |
Release | |
Original network | Syndication (DIC Kids Network) |
Original release | October 3 – November 8, 2005 |
External links | |
Website |
A single season was produced with a total of 27 episodes. A second season was planned, but was later cancelled.[2]
Characters
Main
The main characters in the series are collectively known as the "Best Friends For Life".
- Amethyst van der Troll (voiced by Britt McKillip): Amethyst is the leader of the BFFL. She is a young and pretty girl who loves her friends and would do anything for them. Amethyst is also considerate and gives good advice to her friends. Her gem is a purple heart. She wears a pink or purple top with a matching skirt and a fuchsia sash. She also wears fuchsia flats with straps. Her hair is pink and wavy with a pink heart shaped hairclip. She also wears pink heart shaped earrings and a pink heart shaped anklet. Her eyes are pink and she has pink spell beads. Her favorite color is pink. Her boyfriend is Coal and her Ancient is her grandmother. She is Dutch-Danish.
- Ruby Trollman (voiced by Chiara Zanni): She is the bossy girl and second-in-command of the BFFL, and, as such, is really pushy and cares about her looks a bit too much. She is the lancer of the group. If she really wants something she will do anything to get it. Her hair is red which done with a star-shaped style and her eyes are red and her natural hair color is brown. She has a red star gem. She wears an off shoulder white t shirt with a green star and blue and yellow sneakers, a black necklace with a red gem and a gold charmbracelet. Her favorite color is red. Her spell beads are red. Her boyfriend is Rock and her Ancient is Obsidian. She is half-Black, half-Danish.
- Sapphire Trollzawa (voiced by Alexandra Carter): She is the smartest girl in the BFFL. When the friends have slumber parties Sapphire just wants to study. Her gem is a blue flower. She wears a long sleeved blue sweater with a white shirt, a pink skirt, ankle socks, and pink flats with a blue flower on top of it. Her hair is blue and tied in a high ponytail by a pink hair bow. She has glasses on top of her head, her eyes are baby blue, her favorite color is blue. She has blue spell beads. Her boyfriend is Alabaster and her Ancient is Mr. Trollheimer. She is Japanese-Danish.
- Topaz Trollhopper (voiced by Leah Juel): She is a troll who is nervous and clumsy, loves shoppin, is a fashion expert, and the big guy of the group. Her gem is a yellow diamond. She wears a white shirt with a pink vest over it, a green miniskirt, socks, and multicolored sneakers. Her hair is yellow and messy, sometimes it's blonde. She wears a green scrunchie. She has hazel eyes, her favorite color is yellow. She has yellow spell beads. Her boyfriend is Jasper and her Ancient is Zirconia.
- Onyx Von Trollenberg (voiced by Anna Van Hooft): She is a goth girl and has a liking for poetry. And she is kind but a bit defensive. Her gem is a purple moon. She wears a black long sleeved shirt with a white tank top with pink polka dots, a black skirt, purple tights, and black boots. Her hair is purple styled in Afro puffs which tied in buckle scrunchies, her eyes are dark purple and she wears multiple ear piercings on both ears and a silver choker, her favorite color is purple. and Her spell beads are purple. Her boyfriend is Flint and her Ancient is Spinell. She is German.
Villains
- Simon (voiced by Reece Thompson): Simon the Gremlin is the main villain of the series and appears in numerous episodes throughout the show trying to take over the world of Trollzopolis and get revenge against the Best Friends For Life.
- Snarf (voiced by Janyse Jaud): A half-dog, half-ogre creature and Simon's loyal henchman who sticks by his side despite enduring endless abuse. Able to change from a cute-looking puppy to a hulking beast-like form at will.
Boyfriends
- Coal Trollwell (voiced by Jesse Moss): He is a very clumsy Troll often getting into trouble. Boyfriend to Amethyst.
- Rock Trollhammer (voiced by Matt Hill): Rock is a muscular troll with tall blue hair. He is very dimwitted and forgetful. Boyfriend to Ruby.
- Alabaster Trollington III (voiced by Samuel Vincent): Alabaster is a mild-mannered troll with blond hair and rectangular glasses. He is a multi-millionaire, whose father owns a lot of the companies in Trollzopolis. Boyfriend to Sapphire.
- Jasper Trollhound (voiced by Armen Weitzman): During the first episode, Amethyst cast a spell which cost Jasper his hair. However, Jasper has grown used to his new bald appearance and Jasper himself doesn't mind. Boyfriend to Topaz.
- Flint Trollentino (voiced by Mike Antonakos): He is in a rock band, and loves writing poetry. Boyfriend to Onyx.
Ancients
- Mrs Van Der Troll: Amethyst's Ancient/Grandma.
- Obsidian: Ruby's Ancient and owner of Obsidian's Spell Shop.
- Mr. Trollheimer: Sapphire's Ancient and the girls' teacher.
- Zirconia: Topaz's Ancient and Spinell's wife.
- Spinell: Onyx's Ancient and Zirconia's husband.
Rivals
- Coral Trollarwise: Coral is the senior captain of the cheerleaders. She is in constant rivalry with Ruby, usually for a cute boy's attention. Her gem is maroon. Her gem is shaped like an ace of spades.
- Opal Trollangel: Opal seems to be Coral's main friend. She has tan skin and light-pink hair with a sky blue hair tie. Her gem is in the shape of an oval.
- Jade Trollcroft: Jade is Coral's secondary friend. She has spiky lime green hair. Her gem is in the shape of a thin diamond.
Additional voices
- Mike Antonakos
- Ashleigh Ball
- Molly Bolt
- Jason Connery
- Maria Dimon
- Ben Einstein
- Brian George
- Michael Heyward
- Matt Hill
- Janyse Jaud
- Ellen Kennedy
- Connor Lee McGuire
- Vincent Maliani
- Blu Mankuma
- Christine Moore
- Jane Mortifee
- Jesse Moss
- Richard Newman
- Christina Pazsitzky
- Ellie Stenehjem
- Alexandra Thompoulos
- Reece Thompson
- Lee Tockar
- Stevie Vallance
- Samuel Vincent
- Lizzy Walker
- Janet Wells
- Dale Wilson
Spell phones
Spell Phones are devices based on a real life cellphones, but are adapted to provide functions for magic and spellbeads as well as provide the standard functions of a normal cellphone. "Spell Calls" are used to cast spells on other trollz across long distances. To initiate a Spell Call, the caller places a spell bead in the spell bead slot after inciting the incantation and then dialing the phone number of the intended recipient and hitting the cast button. The Spell Phone then transfers the spell through the phone line and when the recipient picks up the phone the spell is released through the receiver of the phone. It is a useful function that allows trollz to cast spells across long distances, but a lot of teenagers misuse the function and instead use it to play pranks.
Episodes
Episode No. | Episode Title | Written by | Air Date | Description | Story Arc |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Best Friends for Life | Eric Lewald John Loy |
3 October 2005 | Ruby, feeling Amethyst upstages her, kicks her out of the group, leaving the friends to try to reunite them. | Best Friends for Life |
2 | Five Spells Trouble | John Loy | 4 October 2005 | The Trollz visit the Ancient World and meet the mysterious Obsidian. | |
3 | First Day of School | Carter Crocker | 5 October 2005 | The girls inadvertently release the evil Snarf from the Ancient World and have no idea how to get him back there. | |
4 | Onyx's Gem | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward |
6 October 2005 | The girls discover that their belly gems are dimming, so they must escape Simon the Gremlin to bring back the glow. | The Magic of the Five |
5 | Topaz Possessed | Len Uhley | 7 October 2005 | Simon takes advantage of Topaz's weak will and possesses her body. | |
6 | The Big Test | Sean Roche | 10 October 2005 | The girls try to use a list of chemistry ingredients to send Simon back to the Shadow World. | |
7 | Troll Fast, Troll Furious | Paul Diamond | 11 October 2005 | Sapphire falls for a skootz-racing senior, who is using her to build a superskoot. | Hair Over Heels |
8 | The Great Race | Jim Fisher Jim Staahl |
12 October 2005 | Mica returns and challenges Onyx to a skootz race rematch. | |
9 | Into the Woodz | Jan Strnad | 13 October 2005 | The BFFL fight past mud monsters and stone ogres in the Haunted Woodz. | |
10 | The Dating Game | Martha Moran | 14 October 2005 | Topaz wants to use spells to change herself but accidentally turns Jasper into a sneaky geek. | You Glow Girls |
11 | Mirror, Mirror | Michael Edens | 17 October 2005 | Sapphire buys a magic mirror pendant, which elevates her ego. | |
12 | Ruby's Rules of Partying | Phil Harnage (story) Brian Swenlin (script) |
18 October 2005 | Disguised as a cute troll, Snarf makes a guest appearance at Jasper's party. | |
13 | Forever Amber | Carter Crocker | 19 October 2005 | Ruby loses an ancient ring that belonged to Amethyst's grandma. | A Hair A-Faire |
14 | Not-So-Good Old Days | Sean Roche | 20 October 2005 | Simon casts Trollzopolis back into the Middle Ages. | |
15 | Simply Simon | Brooks Wachtel | 21 October 2005 | The girls come upon a way to sneak into King Simon's castle to stop Simon from sucking the magic out of Olde Worlde Trollzopolis. | |
16 | The Tree and the Dragon | Cliff MacGillvray Kelly Ward |
24 October 2005 | Onyx and Topaz go on a midnight mission to unmask the mysterious missing Ancients. | Spellbound |
17 | Homecoming | Jay Abramowitz | 25 October 2005 | Simon almost ruins homecoming. | |
18 | A Dragon's Tale | John Ludin (story) John Loy (script) |
26 October 2005 | Onyx returns to the Haunted Woodz, where she falls into Simon's hands and is transformed into a tree. | |
19 | Field Trip | Len Uhley | 27 October 2005 | Rock's jealousy of the girls' magic starts a foolish fight that strands the Trollz in the woods. | Boys Spell Trouble |
20 | The Day the Magic Died | Michael Edens | 28 October 2005 | The guys sneak into the Amber Caves to acquire magic amber for themselves, but it is a trap set by Simon. | |
21 | Bringing Back the Magic | Richard Stanley | 31 October 2005 | The Trollz must replace the Sacred Altar in order to restore their lost magic. | |
22 | New Girl in Town | Carter Crocker | 1 November 2005 | There's a new girl on the block who tries to break up friendships. | Fuzzy Logic |
23 | When Good Girlz Go Bad | Carlos Aragon | 2 November 2005 | Ruby wants to know why the Trollz are behaving so badly. | |
24 | Boyz and Girlz Together | Don Gillies | 3 November 2005 | Ruby travels to Simon's home to defeat him. | |
25 | Where the Trollz Are | Craig Miller | 4 November 2005 | Simon follows the Trollz to a tropical island. | Surfin' BFFL |
26 | Surf Monster a Go Go | John Loy | 7 November 2005 | Sapphire has to confront her fears. | |
27 | Krakatrolla Needs Some Java | Julia Lewald | 8 November 2005 | The girls lose control of their tempers, causing Mt. Krakatrolla to erupt. |
Home Media releases
Warner Home Video and NCircle Entertainment
In 2004, DIC signed a deal with Warner Home Video to release Trollz DVDs in most regions. These DVDs would each feature the 3 episodes that would form up a respective story arc, with extra footage not featured on the TV versions. The first two DVDs were known as Best Friends for Life - The Movie and Magic of the Five - The Movie, which were released in September 2005 and contained episodes 1-3 and 4-6 respectively. Warner Home Video planned to release Hair Over Heels and You Glow Girls in Spring 2006, which would have contained Episodes 7-9 and 10-12 respectively, but no such release occurred.
In August 2007, NCircle Entertainment re-issued both Best Friends for Life and The Magic of the Five[3] and would then release the then-scrapped Hair Over Heels - The Movie in December 2007. You Glow Girls! - The Movie was planned to finally get a DVD release in June 2008 alongside A Hair A-Fair - The Movie, which would have contained Episodes 13-15, but were both cancelled.
These story-arc versions of the Trollz episodes would later see a release on Netflix, including the rest of the scrapped ones.
Broadcast history
The "Best Friends for Life" movie originally premiered on Disney Channel on August 27, 2005 (later reairing on Toon Disney in September)[4] and then began its regular series run on the syndicated DIC Kids Network E/I block in 2005.[5] The series would later re-air on the Cookie Jar TV block on CBS, and later Cookie Jar Toons on This TV.
In the Republic of Ireland, the series aired on RTÉ Two from 28 September 2005 to 2006.[6]
In the United Kingdom and France, the series aired on CBBC and TF1 respectively.[7] In the UK, the series would re-air on Pop Girl.
In many international regions including Australia, Spain, Scandinavia and Asia, the series aired on Nickelodeon.[8]
References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 663. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- "DIC Entertainment to Debut a Second Season of Trollz at Mipcom 2005". DIC Entertainment. July 19, 2005. Archived from the original on May 11, 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- "Trollz Movies Getting Re-Released". Archived from the original on 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "Trollz Feature Premieres on Disney Channel". Archived from the original on 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "DIC KIDS NETWORK YEAR THREE 2005.docx - DIC KIDS NETWORK..." Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- RTÉ Guide, 24–30 September 2005 edition and subsequent dates
- "MIPCOM: DIC Trollz, Hooks TF1, CBBC". Archived from the original on 2019-12-26. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
- "DIC, Nickelodeon Int'l Pact For Trollz". Archived from the original on 2019-12-26. Retrieved 2019-12-26.