Trolls Band Together (2023 | USA | 92 minutes | Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz)
In this newest installment of the Trolls franchise we find Poppy, queen of a large gathering of adorable trolls, and Branch, her eternally sour but also sweet boyfriend prepping to celebrate a wedding between their unlikely friends King Gristle and his sweetheart Bridget, both being the once-hated Bergens. Celebrations are halted when Branch’s older brother John Dory crashes the party to ask for his help to save Floyd, their sibling whose been kidnapped by a nefarious pop duo. John Dory believes the only way to save Floyd is to bring all the brothers back together to reform BroZone, their long-since dissolved boy band. Poppy tags along on this adventure and finds out some interesting things about her own family tree in the process. The estranged brothers have to come together, create the perfect harmony that elluded them in the past and shatter Floyd’s prison.
Being the third in the Trolls series, you’d think the adorable felt-style characters would start to lose their charm, but honestly they’re still just as silly and fun as they’ve always been. The second installment, Trolls World Tour, wasn’t exactly my favorite. While it had a cohesive story, it just didn’t have the same vibe as the first one. So, my hope this time was they’d go “back to basics” and stick with a simple story that teaches us a lesson while also plucking at our heartstrings. I’ll say they did a decent job, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I really liked the story, especially the side adventure delving into Poppy’s history. The punchlines, puns and groan-worthy boy band jokes that were thrown about pretty consistently actually had me giggling and wouldn’t you know it, there were several voice actors involved who have a history with just such a group: Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone and even Jungkook from South Korea’s BTS.
All that being said, I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward when characters started throwing out innuendos pushing the envelope on appropriate. I don’t know what they were trying to do, maybe pull the parents in? But they’ve never resorted to that before and it worked out great. As a single gal I loved watching the first one, no kid in tow or excessive adult jokes needed. So why, for instance, did they have Bridget (who makes fortuitous appearances throughout the film as she and the king travel through their honeymoon) say “I didn’t think both of us would be tied up on our honeymoon”. When I heard that I made a double-take and realized yes, indeed, they had made a bondage reference in a kids movie. No judgement here, but I don’t think our 5-15 year-olds need to be introduced to this kind of thing through a kids movie. That sort pulled me out of the sweetness and familial bonding and I never quite got back into it (that wasn’t the only inappropriate reference). Just be aware if you bring your littles, or not-so-littles, that they may have questions you’re not sure how to answer.
Trolls Band Together arrives in theaters on Friday 11/17