Don Bluth is a name that usually triggers a wave of 1980s nostalgia for anyone who grew up on The Land Before Time or The Secret of NIMH. But then there is Un Troll à Central Park. If you haven't seen it, you've probably seen the memes, or maybe you remember the bright green thumb of Stanley, the titular troll who just wants to grow flowers in a kingdom where being nice is a literal crime.
It flopped. Hard.
Released in 1994, this movie became a bit of a cautionary tale in the animation industry. It didn't just lose money; it basically evaporated from the public consciousness until the internet decided to excavate it. Why are we still talking about a movie that holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes? Honestly, it’s because the gap between the incredible animation quality and the bizarrely thin plot is fascinating. You’ve got the legendary talent of Don Bluth and Gary Goldman working at the height of their technical powers, but the story feels like it was written in a weekend by someone who had never met a child.
What Exactly Happened with Un Troll à Central Park?
To understand why Un Troll à Central Park feels so disjointed, you have to look at the era. Bluth’s studio was under immense pressure. Disney was killing it with the "Renaissance" era (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast), and Bluth was trying to find a hit after a string of disappointments.
The premise is simple: Stanley is a troll with a magical green thumb. In his world, trolls are supposed to be mean and ugly and hate everything green. When the Mean Queen Gnorga finds out Stanley is growing daisies, she banishes him to Manhattan. He ends up in Central Park, hides under a bridge, and meets two kids named Gus and Rosie.
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Basically, it's a "fish out of water" story, but without the teeth that made Bluth’s earlier work so iconic. Think back to All Dogs Go to Heaven. That movie had death, gambling, and a literal trip to hell. Un Troll à Central Park? It’s sugary. It’s soft. It feels like it was made for toddlers, which alienated the older kids who usually loved Bluth’s darker, edgier style.
The production was plagued by delays. It was actually finished years before it was released. By the time it hit theaters, the animation landscape had shifted. CGI was starting to loom on the horizon, and the "cute" factor of Stanley felt outdated compared to the wit of Aladdin.
The Animation vs. The Narrative
Here is the thing: the movie looks incredible. You can’t deny the craft. The fluid movement of the characters, the rich color palettes of the floral sequences, and the sheer detail in Gnorga’s lair are top-tier. Bluth’s team used traditional hand-drawn techniques that are becoming a lost art.
But the story? It’s thin.
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- The Villain: Gnorga is a Great Value version of Maleficent or Ursula. She’s mean because the script says she has to be.
- The Stakes: There isn’t much of a sense of danger. Even when characters are turned to stone, you kind of know everything will be fine because the tone is so relentlessly bouncy.
- The Music: The songs are... fine. They aren't the earworms of An American Tail. They sort of happen and then leave your brain immediately.
Dom DeLuise voiced Stanley, and he gave it his all. He’s charming! But his performance can’t save a script that lacks a clear "Why?" Why should we care about Stanley’s flowers when there’s no real emotional weight to his exile?
Why the Internet Revived It
Discovery. That's the short answer. With the rise of "Nostalgia Critic" style reviewers in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Un Troll à Central Park became a prime target. People started realizing that the movie they vaguely remembered from a worn-out VHS tape was actually kind of a fever dream.
There is a specific kind of "so bad it's good" energy here, though that's a bit unfair. It's more "so beautiful it's frustrating." Animation students often study it as a "how-to" for character movement and a "how-not-to" for storytelling. It’s a masterclass in technical execution paired with a vacuum of narrative purpose.
Interestingly, the French title, Un Troll à Central Park, often pops up in discussions about international distribution. European markets were sometimes more receptive to Bluth's aesthetic than US audiences were at the time. In France, the film found a small but dedicated audience of kids who didn't care about Rotten Tomatoes scores. They just liked the giant troll and the pretty flowers.
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Real Talk: Is It Worth Watching Now?
If you are a fan of animation history, yes. Absolutely.
You need to see what happens when a brilliant artist loses their way. It’s a fascinating study in creative burnout and studio interference. You can see the flashes of genius—the way the water is animated, the lighting in the cave—buried under a story that feels like it’s talking down to its audience.
Modern viewers might find it jarring. We are used to Pixar movies that have layers of meaning for adults and kids. Un Troll à Central Park doesn't do that. It is a movie for the very young, or the very nostalgic.
Actionable Steps for Animation Fans
If you're going to dive into the world of Don Bluth or specifically look for Un Troll à Central Park, do it with context.
- Watch the "Big Three" First: If you haven't seen The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, and The Land Before Time, watch those first. It makes the descent into Stanley's world much more poignant.
- Compare the Animation: Look at the "Absolutely No" song sequence. Notice the frame rate and the way the characters move. Compare that to low-budget TV animation of the same era. You'll see the massive difference in quality.
- Read the History: Look up the history of Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland. The story of how that studio rose and fell is arguably more dramatic than any of the movies they produced.
- Check Out the Soundtrack: Look for the work of Robert Folk. Despite the movie's flaws, the orchestral score is actually quite lush and deserves a listen on its own.
Ultimately, Un Troll à Central Park isn't a masterpiece, but it isn't a total disaster either. It's a gorgeous, confusing, sincere piece of work from a man who genuinely believed in the power of hand-drawn magic, even if he lost the plot along the way.