‘Trolls’ is essentially a soundtrack in search of a story

To borrow from Justin Timberlake’s summer anthem, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” you should look at the animated “Trolls” as an excuse to just dance, dance, dance.

Because there’s certainly not much in the way of plot, plot, plot.

It’s essentially a soundtrack — and a good one at that, led by Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, with contributions from Gwen Stefani — in search of a story.

For years, the trolls — modeled on those colorful, Don King-haired dolls — were held in captivity by sad giants called Bergens. The only way Bergens could achieve happiness was by eating the trolls, which they did once a year on a holiday known as Trollstice.

Then King Peppy (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor) leads their escape, and for 20 years, the trolls spend their days doing the only three things they love: singing, dancing and hugging. They even have watches that light up every hour when it’s time for another hug. They’d love to hug every half-hour, but that wouldn’t leave enough time for singing and dancing.

Ultimately, it’s all that singing and dancing — led by Princess Poppy (Kendrick), banging on her cowbell like Will Ferrell — that puts all the trolls in danger, just as Branch (Timberlake), the only grumpy survivalist among them, has warned for years.

Their latest party attracts the attention of the Bergens’ royal chef (Christine Baranski), who’s spent those past two decades in exile for letting the trolls escape. So she gathers up as many of the little critters as she can to gain her favor back in Bergen Town.

That leaves it up to the exasperatingly peppy Poppy and the sullen Branch to embark on a journey to free their brethren.

There’s a little Cinderella and a bit of Cyrano as the trolls try to set scullery maid Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) up with her true love, King Gristle Jr. (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But the rest of “Trolls” is like the rest of troll life, just a bunch of singing, dancing and hugging.

Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. From covers of “True Colors” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” to an “I’m Coming Out”-“Mo Money Mo Problems” mash-up and the inevitable “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” the music is an infectious — if, ultimately, disposable — joy.

There’s just not enough going on outside those musical numbers. And there isn’t much at all in the way of characters. Aside from those already mentioned, there’s a troll you can sort of follow because he’s voiced by James Corden. One’s always Auto-Tuned, one poops cupcakes, and I’m pretty sure at least one farts glitter.

Directed by Mike Mitchell (“Shrek Forever After”) from a script by the “Kung Fu Panda” team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, “Trolls” has some clever moments.

It’s a kick hearing the adults in the theater slowly begin to chuckle when, after Branch says he just wants silence, Poppy whips out a guitar and begins strumming the opening chords of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” And there’s a truly bizarre encounter with an obnoxious cloud (voiced by co-director Walt Dohrn) that’s as much for adults as the kids.

As Poppy, Kendrick is pitch perfect. (Get it?) And “Trolls” puts the “G.I. Joes,” “Transformers,” “Jem and the Holograms” and pretty much any other doll-based movie to shame.

But I’d already forgotten pretty much everything about it on the drive home.

So maybe you really can stop the feeling.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch.