0
0
As the world began closing its doors due to pandemic, most studios began announcing that their major releases would be delayed. But instead of following suit, DreamWorks decided to move forward with the release of their musical animated sequel, Trolls World Tour, choosing to deliver it straight to viewers’ living rooms digitally instead.
Trolls World Tour catches up with Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) as she’s settling into life as the new queen of Pop Village. Every day is filled with fun and music until Poppy discovers that she and the rest of the singing, dancing trolls aren’t alone in the troll kingdom. Poppy receives a message from Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls (Rachel Bloom), who intends to join all trolls together—but while Branch (Justin Timberlake) warns her that Barb is up to no good, Poppy is determined to meet the other trolls and join together in harmony.
On Poppy’s quest to join together with the vicious, power-hungry Barb, she and Branch discover all kinds of other trolls with all kinds of strange musical tastes: country, classical, techno, and funk. And many of them struggle to get beyond their differences. But Poppy, ever the optimist, is convinced that they can all get along—and that she can bring happiness and harmony to trolls everywhere. The message here definitely comes through loud and clear—to the point that it feels overpowering and even distracting at times. But in a time when everyone is drawing lines in the sand about one issue or another, it’s still an important lesson for viewers of all ages.
Fortunately, though, the film divides its time between the message and the music—and while the message sometimes feels just plain preachy, the rest is still a whole lot of fun. The animation is colorful and textured and imaginative—and so are the characters and their musical styles. From the catchy pop medleys to the driving rock numbers, the music is sure to get you moving—no matter what your musical taste may be. And, really, that’s the most important thing here. Right now, everything around us is stressful and confusing. It’s challenging for all of us. And the infectious tunes and silly adventures of this fun-filled sequel make a welcome distraction from the chaos outside our doors.
Trolls World Tour may be a lot preachier than Trolls, but it’s still an over-the-top adventure filled with music and glitter (with a side of guitar riffs, too). After another day of homeschooling and social distancing, it’s worth popping up a giant tub of popcorn (with extra butter) and turning your living room into a theater for a family movie night in quarantine.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
