Frank Sheck started his review by saying, “It’s a
mantra that I dearly wish the creators of the third installment in the hugely
successful animated Trolls series had taken to heart. Capitalizing on the fact
that one of the film’s main voice stars, Justin Timberlake, was formerly a
member of one of the biggest boy bands in pop history, Trolls Band Together is
stuffed with so many groan-worthy punning jokes and one-liners referencing such
bands from the ‘90s and other eras that you wonder whether the film was made
for its target tyke audience or their parents. Many of the latter will at least
enjoy the pop culture nostalgia while enduring the perfunctory storyline.”
You have to like Timberlake for wanting to make fun of
his past. The story is about the revelation that his character, Branch, was
once the baby (literally) member of BroZone, a hugely successful boy band with
his four brothers, who broke up, leaving him with a feeling that he was abandoned
(not really how it worked out with NSYNC, but that’s another story). Branch’s now-life
partner Poppy (Anna Kendrick) finds out about his past when his brother (Troye
Sivan) is kidnapped by evil pop siblings, Velvet (Amy Schumer, a comedian I do
not like at all) and Veneer (Andre Rannells), who want to steal his talents. Now
Branch must reunite with his other siblings – John Dory (Eric Andre), Spruce
(Daveed Diggs), and Clay (hip-hop artist Kid Cudi) – to rescue Floyd from their
diamond bottle.
That’s one of several storylines, including the
wedding of Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) and Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plass) and
the sudden appearance of Viva (singer Camila Cabello), who turns out to be Poppy’s
sister that she never knew she had. Some of the characters from the previous
films have either been dropped or make only small appearances (James Corden is
not in here anymore). In contrast, the new ones include Crimp (Zosia Mamet),
Velvet and Veneer’s overworked assistant, who vents her frustrations with a
passionate rendition of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
Sheck said, “The song is one of an endless series of
musical numbers featuring tunes both old and new, but with an emphasis on the
former. The pop earworms, performed energetically by the trolls in annoying
high voices, are sprightly enough, and include just about every hit from a boy,
girl or family band you can think of. But the musical novelty has somewhat worn
off, and nothing on the soundtrack matches the endless catchiness of “Can’t
Stop the Feeling” from the first film — including the much ballyhooed “Better
Place,” for which NSYNC reunited.”
The over-talented voice cast goes through their paces
with such great enthusiasm. Still, all get sidelines by the hilarity of Kenan
Thompson as the one-liner infant Tiny Diamond, who keeps offering Patch his
pacifier that looks like a Ring Pop. Kunal Nayyar voices his dad.
Elizabeth Tippet’s screenplay gets laughs thanks to
the large amount of jokes (the hit-to-miss level is very unbalanced), and there
are so many funny one-liners about the music business. Sheck said, “Those
include one character’s lament that there are few possibilities left in his
career other than “a desperate Christmas album or one-off National Anthem
performance.”’
The computer animation, like the previous films, is exciting
and colorful, with one highlight being a hand-drawn intoxicating sequence set
to the disco classic “The Hustle.” However, how much you’ll enjoy the visuals
will depend on your appreciation of trolls, which are not exactly the most pleasing
of creatures. Sheck ended his review by saying, “I’ll take a minion any day.”
Like the previous films in the franchise, this one is
good for kids. I don’t see anything in here that makes it horrible, but I found
this one very enjoyable. You can see this and enjoy it great, so check it out
on VOD. Have an enjoyable time with the music and have your kids get up, sing,
and dance along with the music.
Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Look out tomorrow when I talk about the next season of one of my favorite shows in “Disney Month 2023.”
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