DreamWorks TROLLHUNTERS

From creator and executive producer ​Guillermo del Toro​ and DreamWorks Animation
Television comes ​DreamWorks Trollhunters
​ , a fantastical family event series about an
ordinary kid who embarks on an extraordinary adventure in a hidden world right beneath his
feet.

All 26 episodes of ​Trollhunters

​ ’ first season will begin streaming for Netflix members
worldwide on ​Dec. 23, 2016, at 12:01 a.m. PT​.

“When I was kid, I always loved the idea that trolls live under bridges and the bridges exist in
cities everywhere,” says del Toro, the Academy Award®-nominated writer and filmmaker
whose outstanding visual effects and creations have captivated global audiences for more
than two decades.

He adds, “I wanted a series that (had) a lot of mythology behind it, but that actually dealt with
regular kids – you know, kids that were having braces put on, they had gym class, they had
theater class, and so forth.”

Inspired by the acclaimed novel by del Toro and Daniel Kraus,

​ ​Trollhunters follows the
adventures of Jim Lake, Jr. (voiced by the late ​Anton Yelchin​), a seemingly ordinary kid
whose discovery of a mystical amulet sets him on a series of thrilling adventures. Joined by
pals Toby (​Charlie Saxton​) and Claire (​Lexi Medrano​), Jim is thrust into an underground
universe of trolls, gnomes and other magical creatures – some of which are friendlier than
others.

With a voice cast that also includes ​Kelsey Grammer​, ​Ron Perlman​, ​James Purefoy​,
Steven Yeun​, ​Tom Wilson​, ​Laraine Newman​, ​Amy Landecker​ and ​Jonathan Hyde​,
​ Trollhunters boasts an amazing array of talent on- and off-screen.

“Guillermo kind of gets me,” says Perlman, who has collaborated with del Toro on several
projects since the early ‘90s. “All of the tidbits that he's provided for me have been
magnificently wonderful things to play, because they're so uniquely imaginative. … He has
such a facility with cinema that he's kind of in a class by himself.”

“When you have a (leader) like Guillermo, everyone gives a little bit extra,” says series writer
and co-executive producer ​D​ an Hageman​ (​The Lego Movie). “This is definitely a show in
which the whole team is inspired. I honestly think we have Guillermo to thank for that.”

​ DreamWorks ​Trollhunters exemplifies serialized, family-oriented storytelling at its best

alongside feature-quality 3-D CG animation.
“I think it’s going be a really big impact for the audience to be able to watch 26 episodes and
see this massive world,” notes executive producer ​Chad Hammes​. “You can only imagine
how much bigger the world gets.”

Adds executive producer ​Christina Steinberg​: “We have (26) episodes to really explore the
characters and their relationships. And I think that’s something that really stands out: For a
children’s TV series to be so serialized and have such deep character relationships that are
based in real emotions and real humor is very unique.”

DreamWorks ​Trollhunters comes from DreamWorks Animation Television. Del Toro,

Steinberg, Hammes, ​Marc Guggenheim​ and ​Rodrigo Blaas​ serve as executive producers,
with Dan Hageman and ​Kevin Hageman​ as co-executive producers. The main title theme is
composed by Academy Award®-winner ​ ​Alexandre Desplat​ (​The Grand Budapest Hotel,
Argo, ​The Imitation Game).

“This is a magical show,” Grammer says. “And it has love in it, and joy, and conquering evil ​–
I mean, it has the big stuff. … (Del Toro’s) fun, big, boisterous, creative imagination is being
transferred into this cartoon, and that's been a really fun experience.”

“I think we all feel like we’re working on something special,” Guggenheim says. “This is a
wonderful realization of Guillermo’s vision in a way that the entire family can enjoy.”

ABOUT THE CAST

“The casting of the series was not only a casting of voices, (it was) a casting of energies,” del
Toro says
​ of the top-shelf talent involved in DreamWorks ​Trollhunters.

As​ Jim, the late ​A

​ nton Yelchin​ (the ​Star Trek films, ​Charlie Bartlett, ​Green Room) embodies
the innocence, kindness and humor of his character. Jim leads a fairly typical life at home;
he’s raised by a single mother and spends most of his time either at school or hanging out
with his best friend, Toby. But after he stumbles upon the amulet, he must balance “normal”
life with his high-stakes role as a trollhunter.

“There's all kinds of ups and downs for Jim,” del Toro says. “But there is one thing that is
clear: He cannot stop. There is no one else to take his place.”

“There’s an episode where Jim has almost a multiple personality,” Guggenheim says. “It
gave Anton an opportunity to play five different roles in a single episode. That was just a
revelation to see. … It was fun to watch him grow up as a voice actor and learn a whole new
skill set.”

“Anton did a wonderful job,” Yeun says of Yelchin’s performance. “It’s a great way to
remember him, to see the impact that he's had on this.”
​ ​ Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning actor ​Kelsey Grammer​ (​Frasier, ​Cheers, ​X-Men: The
Last Stand) plays Blinky, the troll who serves as Jim’s guide to the underground world.

“I cannot think of anyone better to be a mentor than Kelsey Grammer's voice,” del Toro says.
“(Blinky is) grand, he's a little bit pompous, but always righteous, and he has a great
knowledge. He is sort of an academic of troll lore.”

Prior to ​Trollhunters, Grammer and del Toro were longtime admirers of each other’s work.

“(When I saw) ​The Book of Life, I thought, ‘Wow, that guy's really got a great imagination.’
My curiosity was twigged by that,” Grammer says. “Then, when I just read a couple of the
(​Trollhunters) scenes, I thought, Yeah, I can do this."

“Having somebody like Kelsey Grammer as one of our leads is so helpful, because the
challenge of ​Trollhunters is there’s a deep mythology,” Hammes says. “But you can give
Kelsey any bit of dialogue, and it just sounds like magic, to the point where – no matter what
the rules or the exposition is – you’re so interested to hear it just coming out of his
character.”

Alongside Blinky is another troll, AAARRRGGHH!!! (yep, that’s his name). Voiced by
accomplished voice actor ​Fred Tatasciore ​(​Ultimate Spider-Man, ​Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, ​Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness), AAARRRGGHH!!! is a gentle giant of
very few syllables. What he does convey, though, usually needs to be heard.

“AAARRRGGHH!!! was hard (to cast) because he’s a creature and because he has a limited
vocabulary, but Fred brings such vulnerability and emotion and humor to him that it’s really
been a joy,” Steinberg says.

“You understand what drives Jim towards Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!!,” del Toro says.
“They become father figures, and he becomes attached to them emotionally because of that
absence.”

Charlie Saxton​ (​Betas, ​Hung) plays Toby, Jim’s high-energy best friend who joins him on his
adventures and often provides some comic relief.

“Toby is very much based on me in a way: insane hairstyle, same pants size,” del Toro says.
“Toby is sort of the more funny and attractive and crazy character. Jim is just ​good.”

“At the beginning of the series, Toby is slightly timid and has some fears and insecurities,”
Saxton says. “But then, I think, by the end of the first season, you'll see that Toby kinda puffs
up his chest a little bit and answers whatever call beckons him.”
The series marks another del Toro project for actor ​Ron Perlman​ (​Hellboy, ​Pacific Rim). He
plays Bular, a troll who becomes Jim’s nemesis after he’s unexpectedly passed over to be
the trollhunter.

“For Bular, we knew we needed somebody that you would find likable or powerful in a way
that is attractive, but that he would be very temperamental,” del Toro says. “And I thought
Ron Perlman would do perfectly, because Ron can play the comedy underlying the
character, even if he's playing an irascible heir.”

“He’s definitely fighting for things that he believes to be important (to) generations of people
on whose shoulders he stands, including his father, who's been in prison for 400 years,”
Perlman. “And like most warriors, he feels like he's on the right side of history.”

As Claire, ​Lexi Medrano​ (​Agent X, ​Sullivan & Son) plays a smart sidekick who joins Jim and
Toby on their adventures.

“Claire was very special for me, because I wanted a Latin girl that was strong, but she was
also in love with poetry and theater and was very artistic,” del Toro says. “You know, I think
that many times you have the tomboy girl that is heroic, or you have the girlish gal that is sort
of a rescue token. And I wanted her to not be either of those.”

Steven Yeun​ (​The Walking Dead,​ Voltron: Legendary Defender) plays Steve, a school bully;
and ​Cole Sand​ voices Eli, a boy he torments at school.

“Steve and Jim are essentially rivals, because Jim is the only one that has really stood up to
him,” Yeun says. “(Voicing Steve) is really fun, because I get to play somebody that I don't
think I would've ever thought I could play or been allowed to play.”

Rounding out the ensemble are ​Amy Landecker​ (​Project Almanac, ​Transparent) as Jim’s
mother; ​Tom Wilson​ as a gym teacher; and ​Jonathan Hyde​ (​The Strain, ​The Mummy) as Mr.
Strickler, a teacher who isn’t quite what he seems.

Acclaimed actors ​James Purefoy​, ​George Takei​ and ​Anjelica Huston​ take on guest roles
in later episodes. (Another fun fact: Toby’s dentist is voiced by none other than del Toro
himself.)

On top of being voiced by a feature-caliber cast, the characters on DreamWorks ​Trollhunters

grow and evolve over time.

“On a lot of kid shows, there’s no character evolution; basically, the world that you come into
in the pilot and the characters that you meet remain essentially the exact same people,”
Guggenheim says. “With ​Trollhunters, we allowed and encouraged the show to evolve the
way a drama would where the characters have journeys. Their relationships change and
deepen.”

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

Creating a feature-quality animated fantasy series is no small task. Joining ​Guillermo del
Toro​ is an incredibly talented team of writers, producers and artists, many of whom came
onboard the project years ago, when it was initially conceived as a feature film.

Among them: executive producer ​Rodrigo Blaas ​(​Alma), an animator who worked at Pixar
for nine years on films like ​Ice Age, The Incredibles, ​WALL-E and ​Up before joining del Toro
to make DreamWorks’ ​Trollhunters.

Blaas and del Toro spent three years developing DreamWorks ​Trollhunters as a feature
before it evolved into a series.

“One of the things with TV shows is you can have a little more freedom in the way you can
tell stories and with your audience,” Blaas says. “That kind of world-building and mythology
(is) what I think makes it really unique.”

Executive producer ​Christina Steinberg​ also came to the project from the feature world,
where her producing credits include ​Bee Movie, ​National Treasure and 2012’s ​Rise of the
Guardians, which was executive produced by del Toro. Like Blaas, DreamWorks ​Trollhunters
marks her first series and her first Netflix project.

“Rodrigo and I say we can’t even imagine it now as a feature,” she says. “We’ve been able to
explore the characters in a way we never would’ve been able to (in a movie), and there are so
many stories to tell.”

Executive producer ​Chad Hammes​ (the ​Dragons series, ​Puss in Boots, ​Madagascar 3:
Europe’s Most Wanted) also came onboard before DreamWorks ​Trollhunters transformed
from a feature to a series.

“I think what really gravitated me toward ​Trollhunters was just really the magnitude of the
property,” Hammes says. “At the time, there were about 43 characters, and there were about
50 locations.” Now, he says, that has grown to around 70 characters and more than 120
locations.

“This puts the TV show in the scope of much more like building a feature, in terms of the
complexities and what the challenges are,” he says.

As for executive producer ​Marc Guggenheim​, his history in TV and film includes ​Arrow,
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, ​Green Lantern and ​Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Originally,
he joined the DreamWorks ​Trollhunters team to work on the screenplay for a feature. Of
course, it eventually became a series.

“Because this started out as a movie, we never really lost that DNA,” Guggenheim says.
“Each episode feels like a little 20-something-minute movie.”

Finally, writers and co-executive producers ​Kevin Hageman​ and ​Dan Hageman​ joined
DreamWorks ​Trollhunters fresh off the success of 2014’s ​The Lego Movie, which they
co-wrote. Instantly, they knew it was a good fit.

“When we saw this, we were like, ‘This is what we’ve been wanting to write for the last 10
years and no one’s (been) willing to make it,” Kevin says.

Kevin and Dan, who also served as executive producers on the TV series ​Ninjago: Masters of
Spinjitzu, share enthusiasm for the world-building and level of storytelling DreamWorks
Trollhunters requires.

“Today you look at animated shows, and they’re usually comedies or they’re really kind of
spastic,” Kevin says. “We love highly serialized storytelling, and we feel like there’s not
enough of that for kids today, of really great characters that grow and change and stories
that are compelling. When we saw the first (episode), we were like, ‘There’s a certain
fantastic deep world that we could go into with ​Trollhunters.’”

Perhaps the biggest attraction for everyone involved was the opportunity to work alongside
del Toro.

“I think it would be impossible to sit down with Guillermo and walk away not having learned
something,” Guggenheim says. “Whether it’s a story meeting or production meeting or a new
cut, you walk away going, ‘Wow, there’s a reason he’s Guillermo del Toro.”

“There was one nice moment where there were (some scenes) that Guillermo hadn’t seen
yet,” Kevin says. “Guillermo wanted us to sit down and watch it with him, and we’re like, ‘Oh,
my gosh, this is like showing him what we’ve been doing with his baby!’ To see him just light
up and absolutely fall in love with the show was so rewarding for us.”

THE MYTHOLOGY OF ‘TROLLHUNTERS’

Part of DreamWorks ​Trollhunters’ appeal is that it exists in an elaborate world of its own. And
while the characters and settings will be new to viewers, some of the series’ mythology may
sound familiar.

“What we wanted was to make a saga that reminded us of things that we had read about –
troll lore and Norse mythology and all that – and that was its own creation,” del Toro
explains. “All the mythology that we love … (we) sort of mix it and get this fantastic sort of
cosmology for the myth of the series.”

For instance, DreamWorks ​Trollhunters’ trolls speak of Merlin and reinforce the classic lore
that trolls live under bridges. Gnomes and changelings play a part, too, though their roles are
somewhat twisted; here, gnomes are the despicable rodents of the troll universe.

The series’ world also includes a darker, more sinister race of trolls that is banished to
another dimension. Additionally, these trolls inhabit a system of tunnels that can quickly
transport them anywhere they need to be.

“The beauty of the mythology and the lore of a series like this is that it has multiple layers,”
del Toro says. “It’s almost like a Russian doll or Chinese box; there’s one inside of another
inside of another.”

“The deeper you get into the series, the more world-building you experience,” Guggenheim
says. “The show becomes, in the best possible way, incredibly dense; it feels very lived-in.
There’s a story and a world that’s much larger than the (26) episodes we produced.”

On top of its lush mythology, the series is rooted in very relatable struggles and emotions.

“I'm a little bit of a heart-on-my-sleeve kind of guy, so I choke up with the drop of a hat,”
Grammer says. “But there's some lovely stuff in (this series) … and the troll world is really
kind of a way of relating to what it is to be human.”

THE LOOK OF ‘TROLLHUNTERS’

With an experienced animation team led by del Toro’s creative vision, it’s no surprise that
DreamWorks ​Trollhunters looks beautiful and detailed enough to be presented on a theater
screen.

“Probably one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in Guillermo is his visual language,
where you can do something that is so simple, and yet it can speak such large volumes,”
Hammes says.

“He’s a very sensual filmmaker, and he's a very epic filmmaker,” adds Perlman. “Guillermo's
filmmaking is such a feast for all the senses.”

Del Toro has worked in animation as a creator, producer and teacher for more than three
decades. In recent years, he has worked as an executive producer on DreamWorks
Animation films ​Kung Fu Panda 3, ​Rise of the Guardians and ​Puss in Boots.
“It's much easier to jump into the skin of an animated character,” del Toro says. “The actor
(in live-action) needs to prove the to audience who he is, and an animated character ​is. The
audience gives itself more willingly to the travails of that character.”

Blaas notes that even though DreamWorks ​Trollhunters is a series, the creative team aimed
for it to look as cinematic as possible. Rich lighting and sophisticated rendering software
were employed along with other techniques more commonly used in feature-length
productions.

“We really wanted to feel like these (episodes) were mini-features,” he says. “We wanted to
bring a sense of stakes and reality to the visuals.”

“I've never seen colors and illuminations and atmospheres used in such a way that
Trollhunters is using it,” Saxton says. “It’s plain to see that it took eight years to develop this
thing, because it shows. Every shot matters, every picture. There's nothing extraneous.”

Visually, it was also important to del Toro that human characters truly ​feel human, down to
their tics and mannerisms.

“You know, something that animation in 3-D doesn't do enough for me is human characters;
we're always animating animals or fantasy creatures,” he says. “But I think that there is
beauty to having a sitcom-y sort of banter between characters. … And in many of the
episodes, we make a point of making the characters make mistakes. They scratch their
nose, they try to close the door and it doesn't close.”

“He brings an attention to detail to his creatures,” Blaas says. “The most intense moments
with Guillermo were just looking at the design of the trolls to make sure they were beautiful.”

ANIMATION, NETFLIX-STYLE

DreamWorks ​Trollhunters marks Netflix’s most ambitious family series to date and, for most
of the cast and crew, the first time they’ve worked on a Netflix project.

“They let you make the creative project that you want to make,” says Hammes. “I haven’t
experienced that before with a broadcaster.”

Because of the series’ unique production schedule, Hammes adds that the creative team
was able to find the best artists for the tasks at hand – sometimes working on episodes out
of order – while writers were able to build its world with each episode.

“I think Guillermo really pushed us in terms of making every episode a cinematic event, and it
was a great challenge,” says Dan Hageman. “I really don’t think you can tell this depth of a
story on network television.”
“It’s a labor of love, and the crew definitely gives it their all – not just because it’s their job,
but because they see something bigger in it,” Hammes says. “It’s one of those
once-in-a-decade-type projects you get to work on, and you’ll never forget it.”

And they hope viewers will feel the same way.

“Netflix has been encouraging of us doing the show that we’ve all envisioned,” Guggenheim
says. “Namely, (it’s) a show that isn’t just for kids, has sophisticated humor, has deep
emotional scenes and is something the entire family can not only watch but really enjoy.”

ABOUT NETFLIX

Netflix is the world​’s leading Internet television network with over 86 million members in over
190​ countries enjoying more than ​125 ​million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including
original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want,
anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and
resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.