Trolls World Tour, released two weeks ago, is essentially the movie version of that now-ignored Easter basket sitting in your kitchen — a fun but ultimately forgettable explosion of color, sugar-coated mania, and empty calories.
The film finds Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick), Branch (Justin Timberlake), and her crew facing the of menace of Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) — a Rock Troll who is heck bent (it’s a kids movie review, guys) on uniting all the troll kingdoms under her cruel rule of rock ‘n’ roll. Poppy, Branch and Biggie (James Corden) along with Mr. Dinkles must journey through the other troll kingdoms to unite them against Barb, and somehow convince Barb to end her quest. In Poppy’s mind her pop-fueled way of life is the way to unite everyone, but unbeknownst to her (and only her) she’s essentially the bubblegum version of Barb.
The plot of Trolls World Tour serves merely as an excuse to jam in as many celerity cameos for neon hyper-caffeinated musical montages consisting mainly of overly familiar radio hits. Instead of developing characters and telling an interesting story, like they did in the first film, the characters hit the requisite notes of a family film — the characters do silly things, sing songs, have a big fight, and then everything is resolved in one big musical number.
The musical numbers are perfect to get the littles ones jumping up and down on the couch and “dancing” across your living room, but man they are eye-rolling slogs to get through for adults. Are there are a couple of well-placed parent jokes? Yes, and most of them come from Jamie Dornan’s (50 Shades of Grey) “Smooth Jazz Troll.” But these are very few, and very far between.
The myriad of new characters outside of Queen Barb and Hickory (Sam Rockwell), a country troll are even attempted to be developed barely fleshed out. Most of the new characters are musicians checking off boxes of every musical genre. There’s no point to them except for a quick song, and then exit stage left.
It’s a shame because While the original Trolls wasn’t a Pixar-level masterpiece there was a lot of wholesomeness and heart in that one. It was something adults could engage with and enjoy nearly as much as their kids because there was decent characters and an actual story. Sadly, Trolls World Tour is essentially a 90 minute merchandise commercial set to a Top 40 Spotify playlist.
Yet, there are two things Trolls World Tour does well — animation and messaging.
While the animation in the original film was impressive, they’re taken to another level with all the wild world building in. The country, techno, and funk are intricate pieces of eye candy, and their visual dazzle can drown out most of the insipid dialogue. Honestly, it’s still a delight to watch the trolls in action because they look so real you could almost touch them.
Yet, what’s most surprising about the movie is its message.
One of the messages that completely comes out of nowhere, but is illustrated pretty (and surprisingly) intelligently is cultural appropriation in music. When our heroes find out their pal Cooper (Ron Funches) has reunited with his long lost mother (Mary J. Blige), father (George Clinton), and brother (Anderson.Paak) – the heroes are lectured about how the pop trolls stole so much from the funk trolls. It’s a message the kids probably won’t get, but man it will definitely hit you as an adult. Sadly, this message is only briefly touched upon, but it’s still a bold move for an aggressively commercial film.
The film’s main messaging of accepting people for their differences, and not forcing people to conform to your will (which is told in both Barb and Poppy’s stories) is a good message that kids easily pick up. Has it been used in a million movies and shows before? Absolutely. But look in a world we’re living in right now, a strong reminder of this positive message is not a bad thing at all.
Trolls World Tour is a solid film for kids who definitely could use a loud, colorful diversion from cabin fever and virtual learning. Will they be clamoring for repeat viewings? Maybe, but it’s not as much-watch as the first film, which has way more fun and well-rounded characters. As for parents, this film is a bit of a chore to get through, but the animation and good intentions will definitely leave you feeling okay about your rental.
