A Troll in Central Park (1994)

A Troll in Central Park is the kind of oddball, sincere family fantasy that feels like it wandered out of a storybook and into Manhattan, powered by Don Bluth’s knack for expressive animation and big-hearted sentiment. Its secret weapon is Stanley himself—voiced with warm, lovable gusto by Dom DeLuise—whose gentle “green thumb” magic turns the gray city vibe into something playful and bright, while the film keeps a breezy, kid-friendly tone with just a dash of cartoon menace from its purple-thumbed queen. If you’re in the mood for a simple, earnest tale about kindness surviving in a hard-edged world, it’s an easy watch that wears its sweetness on its sleeve. It’s not for everyone—especially if you want sharp jokes or modern pacing—but as a cozy, slightly eccentric ’90s animated curio, it has a charm that sneaks up on you.

A Troll in Central Park is clearly aiming for a gentle, sunny Don Bluth-style fable about kindness blooming in a hard, gray world, and it’s wholesome enough that very young kids won’t be challenged. The problem is it’s so relentlessly sweet and slow that it can feel like the story is coasting on cuteness rather than earning its emotions, with thin characters and songs that rarely land as memorable. Visually, it has occasional charm, but it doesn’t hit the studio’s best standard and the whole thing can look and feel a bit limp compared to stronger animated fantasies of the era. If you’re hoping for sharp humor, real stakes, or a plot that moves, this probably isn’t for you; if you just want a safe, soft, simple watch for preschoolers, it may do the job.