top of page
Tyler Harlow

Trolls World Tour


Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Sam Rockwell

Director: Walt Dohrn, David P. Smith

Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick), who was last seen saving the Pop Trolls, lives to have fun. Not having as much fun is Branch (Justin Timberlake) who harbors a crush on her but is unable to tell her as they have trouble making a connection. Poppy receives an invitation to join "The Queen of Rock" Barb (Rachel Bloom) on her One Nation Under Rock World Tour. All Poppy has to do to join is bring her string. Unsure of what this means, she learns that there are other kinds of musical Trolls in the world. These other Trolls (Techno, Country, Classical, Funk, Hard Rock and Pop) each were given a string that gave them the power to control all music. They soon became intolerant of each other's music which led to fighting, leading the different Troll groups to separate, taking their unique string with them to live in isolation. While Poppy would love to see the Troll world united in harmony, Branch is worried about what it will ultimately lead to. Knowing he is unable to stop her from sneaking away to join the tour, he, along with Biggie (James Corden) and the mysterious Country Troll Hickory (Sam Rockwell), accompanies her on her adventure. She quickly discovers the destruction that Barb's quest is causing each musical community and that there are many more new musical Trolls being affected. Will they be able stop Barb from collecting the strings and playing the power chord which will bring the downfall of the Troll universe?


Universal caused quite a stir in the movie industry when, in the wake of COVID-19, it announced that Trolls World Tour was going to open same day in theaters as well as VOD. When theaters closed, instead of pushing its release date as many films did, it stayed firm with its VOD release hoping quarantined families would jump at the opportunity to have a new film to entertain their kids in these uncertain times. It will be interesting to see how this film does on VOD. Films like The Lovebirds and the oft delayed My Spy have chosen to follow suit, skipping a theatrical release and choosing to debut on Netflix and Amazon Prime respectively.


This colorful sequel to 2016's Trolls has a manic energy that should have no problem entertaining the kids, even when they don't understand all the references. I happen to enjoy kids films and the inspirational messages they wear proudly on their sleeves. The themes of inclusion and togetherness coupled with the idea that all kinds of music unite us is a worthwhile one, especially with the current state of the world. Plus it has a rockin' soundtrack.


The film is good old fashioned fun, with the plot zipping by as it introduces all the different types of Trolls. Each Troll kingdom is unique and often comes with funny jabs at each type of music: Poppy thinking Country music is sad and doesn't know it's supposed to make people happy or her map of the different kingdom being out of date because it still includes Disco.


There are a couple original songs but they don't compare to the numerous musical mash ups of pop tunes. The music budget must have been insane. With its fast moving plot and with so many types of music represented, these musical numbers finish just as quickly as they arrive. It's a fun idea but the movie tries to accomplish a lot in a short time. I wish they had spent a little more time with each group and had some more numbers. You'd also think they would give Timberlake more opportunities to sing outside of duets or part of an ensemble. He instead sounds bored most of the time.


Outside of Timberlake and a very charming Anna Kendrick, the voice cast is insane. Outside of the leads, the voice cast includes Kelly Clarkson, Jamie Dornan, Ron Funches, Anthony Ramos, George Clinton, Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, Keenan Thompson, Gustavo Dudamel, Karan Soni, and Mary J. Blige. This embarrassment of riches also underscores a movie trying to do so much and it's a shame not everyone gets a true moment in the spotlight.


I didn't see the first Trolls, but this was a welcome diversion that made me smile on more than one occasion. It's easy to see why Universal wanted to make this available in home while families are forced to be indoors, and of their slate of films this one might not hurt their wallet as much. However it does make me sad that it didn't have a chance to be seen on the big screen.


Grade: B


Trolls World Tour is available VOD.



bottom of page