Character Concept History
Creation
Conceptually, Veneer was going to be less sympathetic as depicted in sketches, but later was changed into a redeemable and eventually more responsible character who was just there for a ride and wanting to hang out with Velvet, who began to doubt what Velvet was doing to Floyd. While being generalized as a villain often even by the writers, he is also described to be a complex character due to his confession near the end of Trolls Band Together, and how Floyd has helped him regain his lost kindness.
Design
According to The Art of DreamWorks Trolls Band Together, Veneer, along with his sister Velvet and the other Mount Rageons, were intended to be catlike creatures, before being changed into 1940's rubber-hose designs and later their current more Betty Spaghetty looks. He is also described by designers to be very reflective and shaped in designs.
His earliest designs had him embodying the stereotypical hideous evil villain that somewhat resembled the Bergens as well, before being changed to his current design.
Also, both Veneer and Velvet had been consistently mapped out to have matching colors and clothing, or in colors that are meant to be parallels of each other, even in their prototype designs, indicating that both of them are intended to be twins in the first place.
Concept Art
3D Story
Past
Veneer was born as the younger twin to his twin sister Velvet and their unseen dentist parents, living in the suburbs before moving into the city of Mount Rageous. Compared to the greedy Velvet, Veneer didn't care too much about their childhood's condition, but he couldn't find a way to escape from Velvet. However, he maintained a very close relationship with his sister, whom he had always loved and cherished.
At some point of his childhood, Veneer received a pet goldfish he came to adore and named Sparkles. Unfortunately, he would later lose Sparkles, who would later be flushed down the toilet.
After becoming a teenager, Veneer had given up resisting his sister's tyranny and imitated most of her worst traits. One month at least before the events of Trolls World Tour, he followed his sister's plan on becoming wannabe superstars after Floyd was captured, with Crimp hired as their assistant. They then proceeded to steal Floyd's talent to raise to fame within 2 months.
Trolls Band Together
Veneer and Velvet were first mentioned by John Dory, who received a letter, which was actually forged by Velvet, that entailed Floyd being captured by them at Mount Rageous, prompting him, Branch and Poppy to embark on a journey to rescue Floyd.
Veneer and Velvet were later seen perfroming at the Boombox Theater. After the show, Veneer was told by his sister how their voices sound terrible and they needed more of Floyd's talent essence.
During an interview hosted by Kid Ritz about their rise to fame and impending Lifer Award, Veneer told the host that Velvet had always been his inspiration. But in reality, he was aware that they had been draining Floyd and went into a nervous breakdown as he was forced to hide the skeleton in the closet, which indicated he was getting uncomfortable with the abduction himself. This was shortly stopped by Velvet though, with small but forceful pats to his face. It was later shown that both he and his sister were terrible singers that could only sing in caterwauls.
After ordering their assistant Crimp to stand in the corner, Veneer noticed that Floyd was actually paling after constant draining and that there would be no more Trolls for their dress rehearsal, only being conditioned to act like a jerk by Velvet, who didn't like his moody face. He then went off to buy matching yachts with his sister.
After complaining at Crimp for burning his fingernails while ironing his clothes, Crimp presented Veneer and Velvet their new outfits, Veneer was surprised that his sister didn't notify him that they were getting shoulder pads as smoothie machines, and was further concerned when she actually intended to use the shoulder pads to drain Floyd in high vacuum. After Crimp stated draining Floyd completely of his essence would kill him, Veneer agreed that he didn't want to kill Floyd, calling Floyd cute and even stating that it would be less cruel to hang the bottle on a wall instead of vacuuming the Troll. When Velvet claimed that they were both dirt-poor before becoming famous, Veneer corrected her, reminding her that they were raised in the suburbs by their dentist parents. However, Velvet refused to heed him, even insulting him that not only were their parents nobodies, but she had always hated him when he was a baby who was additionally a huge drooling mess. But Veneer was still unable to back down from materialistic temptation, which he admitted to the pleading Floyd, since he couldn't resist the desire to be acknowledged by his sister. He then tossed Floyd over his shoulder and left the room, after spraying some of Floyd's essence for himself.
When still preparing for the ceremony and that BroZone was still no-show, Veneer suggested Velvet on rehearsing so they could at least dance better even suggesting they do the dances they made as kids, but he only got shot down by Velvet cruelly, claiming that their dances that they came up as children were worthless anyway as a means for her to control him. He and Velvet soon fell for Floyd's faked death, and he genuinely thought Floyd had died for real and briefly panicked. He then got forced to flush down Floyd down a toilet, after Velvet deliberately manipulated him again by blackmailing him with his dead goldfish Sparkles. To Veneer's surprise, Floyd sprang back to life and rolled away, so he was coerced by Velvet into chasing after Floyd. Despite initially slipping on the mopped floor, Veneer took advantage of his own body's flexibility and soon recaptured Floyd. Floyd tried to convince Veneer to let him go and tell his sister he never saw him but he then vulnerably told Floyd he actually felt like he had no choice in opting out of the plan, and he really wanted Velvet to love and acknowledge him, which Floyd understood but he told him that just because Velvet is his older sister that doesn't give her a right to treat him like garbage, Veneer then asked if it does because he had never thought of his sister's mistreatment to him due to fact his sister has mistreating for so long he thought all siblings act liked this, became aware when Floyd informed him sternly about how Velvet enjoyed abusing him he also told Veneer that family or not he deserves to treated with kindness and to be around people who would never change his true self and personality. However, when Velvet arrived, she took advantage of Veneer's care for her by complimenting him insincerely on them being a good team, so he fell for her lies again. Velvet then snatched Floyd from him in order to stunt his decision-making. He then tried dismissing the thought of Velvet not caring about him at all and agreeing that a new assistant should be hired to replace Crimp even yelling at her to hire him and his sister a new assistant which she complies with despite being still locked in the closet
After being manipulated by Velvet on them being a "good team" and with the award ceremony coming up, Velvet and Veneer were able to capture the rest of BroZone after Velvet tricked John Dory with a fake parking lot reserved for BroZone. Veneer pretended to like kidnapping John Dory and Bruce, who were placed inside his shoulder pads and arguing in front of him, and also letting Velvet throw Rhonda into the closet, even though Floyd told him that he was disappointed with how obvious Veneer was going against his own heart. When greeting he and his sister's fans at the red carpet before heading to the Rage Dome, he was the first one to notice Queen Poppy, Branch and Rhonda confronting them. Despite scared, he went along with Velvet on their luxurious vehicle and drained the four brothers' essence as part of their performance.
Unlike Velvet, however, Veneer began to realize the magnitude of the situation after Viva, who arrived with Tiny Diamond, Bridget and King Gristle Jr., succeeded in snatching John Dory and Bruce from him after he got his fingers stuck in party crackers. Despite seemingly dancing in sync with his sister earlier, the teen Rageon boy began to regret on going against his heart. He then realized that Velvet still decided to perform an encore, which meant Floyd would actually be completely done for. Fearing that Floyd, whom he realized he had come to care about, would have the risk of dying, Veneer tried using the excuse of announcing that they would be retiring after this performance so Velvet would not perform the encore, only for him to finally wake up at how she would never love him when she insulted him as a beautiful idiot. He then watched in horror as Velvet completely drained Floyd for the performance. However, Veneer and Velvet didn't get the chance to perform their encore as Crimp shut down the power of their mics so Floyd's brothers can perform.
Also, to Veneer's surprise, Floyd's four brothers, even with three of them in diamond bottles, still managed to perform Better Place for the audience. He then noticed that Floyd, who joined the singing weakly, started floating away from Velvet. As Velvet attempted to recapture Floyd, Veneer decided to protect Floyd by restraining his own sister and also to keep her from falling into the river, thereby allowing Floyd to sacrifice himself for the rest of BroZone. Both he and his sister then fell off the pedestal after the diamond bottle containing Floyd exploded. When Floyd briefly died, Veneer was regretful for what he had allowed his sister to do to the selfless Troll, but was surprised and relieved when Floyd was revived by his alongside his brothers' bond and life essences.
In the end, having been touched by the five Troll brothers' reunion and understood what Floyd meant before about being true to himself, Veneer decided to be honest to the Trolls and himself by giving up the life of being pop-stars through a public confession of his and his sister's criminal charges, as well as admitting that he actually didn't enjoy being famous, and thereby denouncing Velvet from being his sister. Velvet was shocked by her younger twin brother's confession claiming that she doesn't know who he is anymore. However, having enough of Velvet's treatment of him, Veneer finally stood up to his sister by telling her that she does know his true self but still wanted him to change for their pop-star careers, even using Floyd's earlier advice. Seeing Floyd smile in approval, Veneer smiled back at him as they put their past aside and become friends. Despite being arrested by Crimp and informed by Clay afterwards due to troll-napping, troll torture, fraud and tax evasion, which briefly caught him off guard, he took his punishment responsibly, as he had made peace with not only himself and the other Trolls, but also with Floyd, who approved of his eventual honesty and had therefore become his first friend. He then willingly got carted off by security, although not before longingly looking at Floyd as he was escorted. Having taken the first step for himself and receiving forgiveness from his first friend, Veneer would slowly be able to get back onto the right track, and eventually have a better life.