The Trolls animated franchise has consistently provided family audiences with amiable and amusing musical fun. There is not a lot of depth to these stories, but the colorful animation, the entertaining characters, and the enjoyable musical numbers succeed in what the filmmakers aim for. The same goes for the latest installment in this movie series. Trolls Band Together is a lot of fun, but don’t expect any profound messages or lessons imparted to our youth.
Not long after the events of the previous movies, the land of the trolls and their one-time antagonists, the Bergens, are about to celebrate the royal wedding of Bergen King Gristle, Jr. (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his love, Bridget (Zooey Deschanel). The extravagant nuptials get interrupted when some of Branch’s brothers arrive to seek his help. Branch (Justin Timberlake) and his older brothers were once a boy band named BroZone.
BroZone could achieve “The Perfect Family Harmony,” a power that gets derailed when a particular gig goes quite sour. This lousy show and the wounded egos of the group break up the once famous and successful group. Branch’s brothers resurface in his life to get the band to reunite to rescue one brother, Floyd (Troye Sivan), who has been held hostage by a successful singing duo, Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Ranells). The famous singers have been stealing Floyd’s abilities to fuel their success. It is up to the brothers to put their differences aside to save their brother and stop Velvet and Veneer from fueling a success they genuinely don’t deserve.
Written by Elizabeth Tippet and directed by Walt Dohm, Trolls Band Together is another fun entry in the Trolls franchise, but it doesn’t elevate it beyond its predecessors. There is plenty of enjoyment, and the musical numbers and humor work just as well as the previous installments. The animation is colorful and pleasing, so these positive aspects will keep the younger children entertained and their parents and adult relatives well amused.
Like the other movies in this series, this movie has a fantastic voice cast with many veterans, such as Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, reprising their roles. This latest chapter features excellent voice work by newcomers Camila Cabello, Eric Andre, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, and more.
Trolls Band Together is good; it’s harmless fun for the whole family, but it won’t win any animated accolades at the end of the year. It is a fine film to watch in the theater, but parents will feel better about waiting until the movie is available in a streaming format.