The third movie to feature animated versions of those wild-haired, colourful kids’ dolls, Trolls Band Together reveals that our favourite cuddly troll, Branch (Timberlake) was a member of a successful boy band when he was little (and known as ‘Baby Branch’).
It seems that he and his four brothers were all members of BroZone, but the group disbanded when they couldn’t deliver the perfect harmony. They’ve been estranged ever since, but when one of the brothers, Floyd (Sivan) is kidnapped by pop megastars Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells) – who are sucking the life out of poor Floyd to boost their own talents – it’s time for the brothers to get back together to save him.
There are a couple of side plots – Bridget and Gristle Jr from the first movie get married, and Branch’s now-girlfriend Poppy (Kendrick) discovers a long-lost relative – but the main adventure has Branch seeking out his brothers (the others voiced by actor/singers Kid Cudi, Eric André and Daveed Diggs), and hopefully getting them to put their differences aside long enough to stop Velvet and Veneer.
It’s all brightly done, with some fun, quirky animation and – as with the previous movies – an upbeat selection of pop hits for the Trolls to sing while they are on their adventure.
But it’s not as entertaining, engaging or interesting as the original movie, there are a couple of questionable moments that parents of young kids may raise their eyebrows at (see notes below) and, worst of all, the chance to reunite 90s boy band star Timberlake with his former *NSYNC bandmates is completely fumbled. They thankfully show up at the end – and contribute a new song to the soundtrack – but why they weren’t cast as Branch’s brothers and featured throughout the film is the only thing you’ll be thinking about as the end credits roll.
Is Trolls Band Together suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
There is a very mild bondage joke – Bridget and Gristle Jr are captured and joke about expecting to be tied up in a different way on their honeymoon – that kids will probably miss, but it does feel awkward.
At Bridget and Gristle’s wedding, the pair ‘make out’ quite graphically for a cartoon aimed at the under 10s.
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