Voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson, and Eric Andre
Directed by Walt Dorhn
Music and Lyrics by various
After Trolls World Tour was a surprise hit online during the worst of the 2020 pandemic, Universal quickly gave a third movie the green light. Ideas had already been kicking around even before then, when Timberlake said he'd be willing to do another film. This time, they dive into Timberlake's past with a spoof of the boy band phenomenon of the late 80's and late 90's. How well does it do? Let's begin in the past with Branch's (Timberlake) memories of how his brothers' singing group Brozone broke up and see...
The Story: Branch's oldest brother John Dory (Andre) suddenly turns up at the wedding of Bergens Bridget (Zoey Deschanel) and Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) with a letter from their brother Floyd (Troye Sivan). Floyd was captured by Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells), who have sealed him in a diamond jar and are draining his essence in order to sing and become famous. The only way to free him is to perform the Perfect Family Harmony move that can shatter diamonds.
Branch, Princess Poppy (Kendrick), and Tiny Diamond (Thompson) travel with John Dory to find their remaining brothers, Clay (Kid Cudi) and Spruce (Daveed Diggs) so they can do the move and rescue Floyd. On the way, they run across a colony of trolls living in a closed mini-golf course that's led by Poppy's long-lost sister Viva (Camila Cabello). They still fear Bergens, and though Viva's thrilled about discovering her sister, she won't leave her home.
As it turns out, neither will Branch's brothers. They're still too caught up in their own egos and John Dory's need for perfection to stay together. Branch, Poppy, and Tiny go after the treacherous Velvet and Veneer alone...and learn that real "perfect family harmony" comes from acknowledging siblings for what they are, warts and all.
The Animation: Bright and tactile, some of the best Dreamworks has done. Everything is so soft, you feel like you can reach out and touch the fluffy hair and every bit of glitter on Tiny. We even have two wild psychedelic 2-D animated sequences reminiscent of Yellow Submarine. Veneer and Velvet's more plastic looks seem to be based on Betty Spaghetty, a toy line from the late 90's consisting of rubberly dolls with stringy arms and hair. Their manufactured, bouncy moves make for a nice contrast to the Trolls and cements them as phonies.
The Song and Dance: I think this might be my favorite Trolls movie yet, and I've never been a fan of boy bands. Timberlake puts in his best performance as troubled Branch and Kendrick is still an adorable Poppy. Of the newcomers, Schumer does the best as the scheming Velvet, who is so determined to be in the spotlight that she'll steal someone else's talent to become famous. I also like Cabello's vivacious Viva, who is like her sister in many ways...except opening her heart to Bergens.
Favorite Number: Our first actual number is "Perfect" at the BroZone concert. Baby Branch and his brothers try so hard to achieve Perfect Family Harmony, but they can't make it in the end. The first of many medleys is "Let's Get Married," as everyone prepares for Bridget and Gristle's wedding. "Watch Me Work" is Velvet and Veneer's first number as we see their stolen act. "Vacay Island" is a groovy medley performed by the laid-back residents of that resort.
"BroZone's Back" brings Poppy in with Diggs, Timberlake, and Andre as they try to reach that Perfect Family Harmony. Floyd laments "Lonely People" when he's shut up in his diamond prison. The classic instrumental disco number "The Hustle" underscores that nutty 2-D animated number, with wild colors and strange designs everywhere. "It Takes Two" is Poppy and Viva's number as they bond at the mini golf course. Crimp (Zosia Mamet), Velvet and Veneer's hairdresser, throws in her own lament about working for them "9 to 5." Velvet and Veneer have their concert at "Mount Rageous," but it ends with BroZone reforming to "We are Family." We end with Branch joining his other boy band Kismet - aka the members of Timberlake's real-life boy band NSYNC* - for the original "Better Place."
What I Don't Like: After the darker World Tour, this one gets back into slightly cutesy territory, what with the goofy boy band characters and some of the stranger numbers. If you can't handle tons of fluff and tons of singing, this series isn't for you. It's also not for those who can't handle it being based after two toy lines. While some of the covers are still a lot of fun ("The Hustle" in particular is something to see), I didn't like the original numbers as much as the ones from the previous films.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out for fans of the series or the boy bands of the 80's and 90's this is parodying.
Home Media: As a brand new release, this can be easily found on every format.
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