Trolls Band Together, 2023.
Directed by Walt Dohrn.
Featuring the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, Eric André, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Kid Cudi, Zosia Mamet, Zooey Deschanel, Kunal Nayyar, Kenan Thompson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Ron Funches, Anderson .Paak, RuPaul, Aino Jawo, Caroline Hjelt, Patti Harrison, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, Glozell Green, Dillon Francis, Walt Dohrn, David Fynn, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Alan Kim.
SYNOPSIS:
Poppy discovers that Branch was once part of the boy band ‘BroZone’ with his brothers, Floyd, John Dory, Spruce, and Clay. When Floyd is kidnapped, Branch and Poppy embark on a journey to reunite his two other brothers and rescue Floyd.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Trolls Band Together wouldn’t exist.
Before Branch (once again voiced by Justin Timberlake) had girlfriend Poppy (voiced by a returning Anna Kendrick), he had BroZone, a successful pop group composed of him and his older brothers. For director Walt Dohrn, co-director Tim Heitz, and screenwriter Elizabeth Tippet, it theoretically means there is a chance to breathe new life into the Trolls series of animated films, this being the third one and titled Trolls Band Together, with new characters voiced by new accomplished musicians.
Beginning with a lengthy flashback of the boy band attempting and failing to pull off a performance in perfect harmony, also described as singing so sharp it can shatter diamonds (gee, I wonder if that will matter to the larger plot at hand), Branch is a diapered baby surrounded by his leader eldest brother John Dory (Eric André), the heartthrob Spruce (voiced by Daveed Diggs), the sensitive soul Floyd (Troye Sivan), and the fun Clay (Kid Cudi), their connection blows up into a nasty breakup that leaves the youngest alone with grandma while everyone else chases other dreams. In the present day, it’s communicated that Branch hasn’t correctly dealt with these feelings, happy to still listen to the music they recorded together but uncomfortable talking about this past, even to his partner Poppy, who also admits she was obsessed with the band back in the day yet doesn’t realize he was the baby.
While Branch’s newfound friends and family discovered throughout the past two animated features are helping out and celebrating the marriage of Bergens King Gristle Jr. (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget (voiced by Zooey Deschanel), John Dory appears with a message from Floyd explaining that he has been kidnapped by a pair of vain wannabe popstar siblings (voiced by Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells) siphoning off his life force to grant them the musical talent they don’t possess and that he needs rescuing. The caveat is that he has been locked inside a diamond, meaning that freeing him will require the band to become a family again and pull off what they were once never able to do.
That might sound like a lot of characters and plot, but the reality is that aside from a clever joke about the music industry and art here and there (especially one about separating the art from the artist that elicited a pleasant laugh), Trolls Band Together is telling a disappointingly similar tale about family that has become oversaturated and stale given how often it is the focal point of not just animated films, but seemingly every blockbuster as of late. The juxtaposition here is that one of the villainous siblings is not fully committed to torturing and stealing from Trolls while trotting himself out as a fraud singer, whereas the other is bossy with no consideration for his emotions and morals. There are also more surprise family members along the way (popular singer Camila Cabello), but these rhythms and beats are all too familiar.
Indisputably, Trolls Band Together is a visual treat, decked out with candy-colored razzle-dazzle and some outstanding attention to detail in both character designs and commandment objects (for whatever reason, the animated food here looks delicious and could make one hungry on the spot). However, these looks are not particularly deceiving, as there’s never any question that there isn’t much underneath the surface beyond those generic familial plot beats. The film also repetitively uses iconic pop songs as an attempted distraction from these shortcomings (sometimes the same songs over and over.)
Still, it would be a bridge (perhaps one with a troll living underneath) too far to say that what’s here isn’t breezy and passably entertaining, with its heart in the right place and splendid color palette. Trolls Band Together is akin to a cover band of more worthwhile animated features in this series. It’s playing the hits to the tune of diminishing returns.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
