Branch's backstory shows his singing attracting Chef, who kidnaps his grandmother, presumably eating her. Even if one comes up with a reason Chef didn't find the other trolls then (maybe Branch and his grandma lived distantly from the rest), why didn't Chef take that troll back to Gristle to try and get back in the kingdom? She had a troll to feed him, as she claimed she would.
That flashback probably took place before 20 years ago, before the events of the movie, before bergens couldn't find trolls anymore, and before Chef was exiled. Back then, they probably did have Trollstis annually, so they didn't have to gather so many trolls. Gristle Jr. wasn't born yet, so Chef never had to gather a ton of them for him. From different angles you can see the cage around the Troll Tree, as well as the pods of other Trolls.
How old does that make Branch, then? According to the 3rd movie, Trolls Band Together,, Branch is about 24+. According to resources from the first film, his in his 20s. "The Art of DreamWorks Trolls" notes he is a "young adult" placing him under 25.
Poppy was confirmed 20+ in the first film, he is a few years older than her as a result. She is a baby when the Trolls escape, Branch is a young child by then.
In fact the first two movies and specials take place in the first year of the storyline. This means Trolls, Trolls: Holiday, Trolls World Tour and Trolls Holiday in Harmony all happen in the first year and Branch is meant to be 23+ himself.
So many questions can be asked about the incident, like, why was Branch alone on the branch of the tree to begin with so exposed? there are no other Trolls out in the open like himself and though his Grandma was nearby, she was close to the tree.
Who is the protagonist of this story — Branch or Poppy? The trailers made it seem like it was Branch (which would certainly be nothing new), but the story seems to be more Poppy's journey. They both get more-or-less equal Character Developmentand a climactic moment where they more-or-less save the day (Branch in the "True Colors" scene, Poppy by going back to the dining hall). I think I might be biased, though, because Poppy reminds me so strongly of protagonoists Joy and Judy Hopps. Is there a Word of God or general fan consensus?
It's kind of like Zootopia and Jurassic World...two leads where one female is kind of naive about stuff and the male is more savvy. But it's always her journey or character arc that drives the flick since he's already so well versed in stuff.
The main page says that Poppy is the protagonist while Branch is the deuteroganist.
Was Creek really supposed to be Poppy's Romantic False Lead? Because I didn't get that vibe at all watching the film. Maybe I'm just too used to the cliche of "grumpy guy and optimistic girl go on adventure and fall in love along the way" to have thought she had romantic moments with anyone but Branch, but I just saw Creek as a member of her circle of friends. I figured if any of the others had been possibly eaten she would have been just as insistent on trying to save them.
It's hinted at. She has hearts around his picture when she pulls out the unfolding picture frame, and, IIRC, takes on a distinctly more giggly tone when saying goodnight to said picture in particular.
She also subtly threw him flirty eyes behind his back while he was giving Branch a positivity speech in the party invitation scene and was the only one she attempted to rescue when he was snatched up by Chef.
According to behind the scenes when fans asked about it, it was noted she didn't love of him but was fond of him because she thought he was cute - until he showed his "true colors".
What the hell is Cooper? He's so vastly different from the other trolls, being quadrupedal, having a long neck, and his hair not having any power.
In the original toy line decades ago, sometimes manufacturers would either mold a doll incorrectly by accident or mold a doll differently than the others as a rare collector's item. The giraffe troll was seen as a lucky and valuable find among troll fans. So Cooper is a shout-out to that.
He also poops cupcakes.
The sequel gives us an in-universe answer: he’s actually a Funk Troll. When he was still an egg, he was snatched from the nest and dropped into Pop Village, where the Pop Trolls raised him.
Did Chef hinge her entire plan for capturing all the remaining trolls on one troll willing to betray everyone when about to get eaten? What was her plan if that didn't happen?
No she didn't. She knows she only captured 6 trolls but she was too impatient to hunt for more cause she wanted to get rid of Prince Gristle first. Her plan was to just eliminate Prince. Chef never planned on feeding trolls to all of Bergen Town and she deduced she only needed to feed Gristle a troll so she can overthrow him and take over his throne. Feeding the other Bergens is not required, even if strongly helpful, in claiming the throne as the new ruler of Bergen Town.
What did Chef go after Smidge for? During her rampage on Poppy's "biggest, loudest, craziest party ever", all the other trolls were obviously bigger than Smidge. Smidge can't make much of a meal for a Bergen.
Chef never intended/thought about serving sizes when grabbing trolls, she just wanted to impress the king with her haul. She’s completely thrown for a loop when King Gristle points out that there’s not enough trolls for everyone to eat, size notwithstanding. Smidge’s unique appearance probably caught her eye and she thought “that’ll work”.
Also Bergens don’t eat trolls for sustenance but for their feelings. Smidge’s size doesn’t change that she feels just as happy as the other trolls.
During Chef's rampage capturing a few trolls at the movie's beginning, why didn't she just scoop trolls with both of her hands together into her pocket rather than just taking one by one with two fingers?
It’s probably a cross between Rule of Drama and A Million Is a Statistic - the audience is shown a large though unknown number of trolls, and is only introduced to a handful or so. Chef grabbing all of Poppy’s friends (minus Branch), is more dramatic (though no less frightening) than if she had taken twenty something trolls who the audience don't know at all.
