In 2016, at the Cannes Film Festival, pop icon Justin Timberlake and actress Anna Kendrick captivated the audience with a surprise acoustic rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s classic, “True Colors.” The heartfelt performance was a pivotal moment in the promotion of their DreamWorks animated film, Trolls, revealing a deeper, high-stakes context for the spontaneous duet and Timberlake’s return to music.
Breaking a Five-Year Musical Silence
The performance of “True Colors” on May 11, 2016, at Cannes was more than just movie promotion—it marked a significant moment in Timberlake’s career. Prior to his involvement with the Trolls soundtrack, Timberlake had maintained a period of musical silence, with his last solo album, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, having been released in 2013. His work as the film’s Executive Music Producer and the release of the soundtrack’s upbeat single, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (which won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media), represented his first major return to music.
Kendrick, who voices the optimistic Poppy, and Timberlake, who voices the curmudgeonly Branch, performed the song in an intimate, acoustic setting, accompanied by a single guitarist. The moment was so meaningful that Timberlake joked to the crowd, introducing the pair as “Anna and Garfunkel.”
The Emotional Weight of ‘True Colors’
The duo’s choice of the song “True Colors” was not arbitrary; it mirrors the emotional climax of the film. In the movie, the cynical Branch breaks his five-year vow of no-singing—a parallel to Timberlake’s musical hiatus—to perform the song for Poppy. The moment in the film is designed to restore her vibrant colors and save the Trolls’ village from destruction, underscoring the film’s core message that “happiness comes from within.”
Kendrick later revealed the immense pressure behind the spontaneous live act, sharing that she and Timberlake were both “really sick” at the time. She admitted to being nervous about performing alongside a professional like Timberlake, especially after he instinctively added “about 20 riffs” to the melody right before they went on stage. Her quote, “We needed to save the world,” encapsulates the urgency of their mission to sell the film’s central message of embracing one’s true self.
A Successful Franchise Built on Music
The emotional authenticity of the film’s music, driven by Timberlake’s production, fueled a massive box office success for the animated feature.
- Box Office Performance: Trolls (2016) earned over $345 million globally against a production budget of $125 million.
- Sequels: The success launched a profitable animated franchise, with Timberlake and Kendrick reprising their roles in the follow-up films: Trolls World Tour (2020) and Trolls Band Together (2023).
The unexpected Cannes duet, performed while battling illness, was a testament to the actors’ commitment to their characters and the film’s uplifting message, turning a simple movie promotion into a celebrated live performance.