‘Trolls Band Together’ Reviews Roundup: Vibrant And Colorful Animation Are Fun Enough, But The Sequel’s Plot Is Thin
Dreamworks’ Trolls Band Together hits U.S. theaters this weekend, so we checked out what critics are saying about the third film in the hit musical franchise.
Like the first two films, Band Together is directed by Walt Dohrn and produced by Gina Shay. Tim Heitz, who directed the special Trolls Holiday in Harmony, co-directs.
Dreamworks’ synopsis for the film reads:
Poppy and Branch are now officially, finally, a couple! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd, John Dory, Spruce, and Clay. BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains — Velvet and Veneer — Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.
Reviews for Band Together have had a lot of nice things to say about the film’s animation, particularly a fun 2d psychedelic scene made with help from Titmouse, but the compliments tend to end there. Most critics agree that the film’s plot is thin, even for a kids’ movie, and the humor is a bit too obvious, with most of the best jokes spoiled by the trailers.
Here’s a closer look at what the critics are saying about Trolls Band Together.
In the title of her review for Paste Magazine, Amy Amatangelo summed up the general feeling among critics that Band Together is “fun enough”:
[W]e are here to have fun and, for the most part, this 91-minute movie provides just that. Sure the entire plot of Trolls Band Together and the movie’s best jokes are revealed in the trailer. But the movie’s target audience is the same audience that can watch Frozen 20 times. They certainly aren’t going to mind that they already know what is going to happen.
Frank Scheck at The Hollywood Reporter said of the film’s aesthetics:
The computer animation, as with the previous efforts, is vibrant and colorful, with one highlight being a hand-drawn psychedelic sequence set to the disco classic “The Hustle.” But how much you’ll enjoy the visuals will depend on your appreciation of trolls, which are not exactly the most appealing of creatures. I’ll take a minion any day.
Variety’s Peter Debruge had plenty of nice things to say about the work done by Dreamworks’ artists:
From the franchise’s first entry, the arts-and-craftsy design has been a selling point, with flocked skin textures and felt-like production design. That’s still the case here, as the team finds creative uses for pool noodles and water beads that give everything a tactile workshop feel, as if the whole movie had been put together in an Etsy seller’s workshop. Even the villains are cute… In a world where Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is drastically outperforming the likes of Martin Scorsese movies, haters are trolls, and trolls are just what the audience ordered.
Cath Clarke at The Guardian appreciated that the film didn’t take itself too seriously and allows its younger viewers to have a lot of fun while watching:
Family films often feel a bit eat-your-veg as they nag at kids with sensible, worthwhile messages about the value of kindness or the importance of staying true to yourself. Not so the Trolls franchise, which is less veg, more M&Ms spiked with liquid LSD. This new film does have a message (try your best, perfection is overrated), but honestly, characters, themes, messages – they are all just a backdrop to the glitter and bonkersness.
And Alejandra Martinez at the Austin Chronicle agreed that the film is a lot of fun but also had good things to say about its message:
What resonates most about Trolls Band Together are its lessons about self-acceptance and letting go of perfectionism. It’s a great message for young kids to internalize and perhaps a good reminder for adults in the audience, too. What good is doing something you love if you’re bogged down in worrying about doing it “right”? This movie reminds us that sometimes it’s okay to come as you are and live in the moment, flaws and all.
