Voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, and James Corden
Directed by Walt Dohm
Music and Lyrics by various
Trolls was a huge hit with kids, especially once the show Trolls: The Beat Goes On began on Netflix in 2018. The merchandise was everywhere, and "Can't Fight This Feeling!" was a number 1 hit around the world. With success like that, a sequel was inevitable. How does the story of Queen Poppy (Kendrick) attempting to bring together the various Troll music tribes come together? Let's head back to Troll Village, where Poppy putting together her latest party, and find out...
The Story: Once, all trolls lived in harmony, with six magical strings that gave them their music. Eventually, they all fought over which types of music was best. The trolls finally broke into six tribes, representing six different genres of music - rock, techno, pop, funk, classical, and country - and split into six different lands of the Troll Kingdom. Queen Barb of the Hard Rock tribe (Rachel Bloom) seeks to steal the strings and unite the trolls under rock, and rock alone.
Hoping to make friends and show there's more than one type of music, Queen Poppy accepts her invitation against her father King Peppy's (Walt Dohm) wishes. Hoping to tell Poppy how he feels about her, Branch (Timberlake) follows her. Meanwhile, Cooper (Ron Fuentes), the only four-legged Pop Troll, goes on his own quest to find other trolls who look like him.
The Animation: Just as gorgeous and textured as in the previous film. They really do manage to give each kingdom their own distinctive style. Love the homey quilts and buttons used for the Country Troll Kingdom desert and the glittering sequins and neon onboard the Funk Kingdom's ship, not to mention the surreal fantasy sequence during the Smooth Jazz Troll's number.
The Song and Dance: And once again, there's lots of it. Bloom is the stand-out among the newcomers as the loud, tough young queen who thinks getting everyone to listen to one music is the answer to bringing them together; listen for Ozzy Osbourne in a couple of brief but funny bits as her father King Thrash. As mentioned, the animation is just gorgeous, colorful and distinctive. Branch's attempts to tell Poppy how he feels are funny, as are how he's constantly interrupted.
Favorite Number: The hit here was "The Other Side," the number performed by pop singer SZA and Timberlake introducing the back story of the strings and the troll kingdoms. "Trolls Just Want to Have Good Times" is the opening montage, with Poppy and the others singing a medley of disco and pop hits as they celebrate Poppy becoming queen. Sheriff Delta Dawn (Kelly Clarkson) introduces us to the bluesy world of Country with the twangy and depressing "Born to Die." Mary J. Bilge and George Clinton as the King and Queen of Funk show their side of history in "It's All Love (History of Funk)."
Trivia: Thanks to the current pandemic, Trolls World Tour was released direct to digital on April 10th, as well as a smattering of theaters. Many theater chains claimed they'd boycott Universal for taking their business. For all that, the movie did do well in streaming, coming in at number one after its release.
What I Don't Like: I don't think Dreamworks or Universal knew what message they wanted to send. The first half talks about the importance of a group mentality and everyone working together, but the second half emphasizes individualism and culture. There's also the Hard Rock Trolls, whose scary looks may have been the result of critics complaining about the first movie being too cutesy. It can come off as too preachy and trying too hard to be "epic" and "big," especially for a children's franchise.
The Big Finale: Slightly darker and more action-packed than the first film. The muddled message doesn't get in the way of an enjoyable story with stunning animation and some great music.
Home Media: As the most recent film I've reviewed on my blog, this is easily available in all formats. It's currently streaming for free with a subscription on Hulu.
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