When an unusual invite arrives to Poppy's Kingdom, she and her tribe realize there are many more trolls in the world. Hers are Pop Trolls. But neighboring kingdoms have trolls defined by Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, and Rock music. Each of these kingdoms contains a relic, a magical string that keeps the songs humming. However, the Rock Trolls' queen, Barb (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's tour-de-force Rachel Bloom), is on a "world tour" to claim all the strings. Once collected, she plans to play a power chord that'll turn all trolls into "rock zombies." And if you're wondering how that rebellious music form became the "conformity is good" bad guys, you're overthinking Trolls World Tour. This plot isn't remotely concerned with making sense.For instance, don't get too hung up on "there are only six kinds of music" thing. Poppy and her posse soon learn that's untrue as they cross paths with bounty hunters representing smooth jazz, K-pop, reggaeton, and yodeling. Then in a Frozen 2-like twist, Poppy learns that the history lesson unspooled by her father is willfully papering over her ancestors' colonizer crimes. ("Scrapbooks are made by the winners.") Then, that shocking reveal is glossed over when the Funk contingent instantly forgives them with a hip-hop song about love and unity.
The music is the rollicking heartbeat of this movie, sometimes literally. Trolls World Tour is easily entertaining, bouncing across an array of familiar songs, including, Daft Punk's "One More Time," Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train," and Spice Girls' "Wannabe." Some songs are covered with a sparkling spirit by the likes of Kendrick, Timberlake, and Bloom. More musical talent is brought on board with cameos, which include Hamilton star Anthony Ramos, a country-singing Kelly Clarkson, R&B diva Mary J. Blige, funk icon George Clinton, rapper Anderson .Paak, and Ozzy Osborne, who plays a trolls version of himself.Speaking of silliness, Trolls World Tour is stocked with daffy characters new and old. James Corden, Ron Funches, and Kunal Nayyar return to bring some laughs and shine as Poppy's pre-established pals. Kenan Thompson joins as Tiny Diamond, a newly spawned Pop Troll who bursts out of his father's head in egg form, then bursts into a rap song introducing himself. As the mohawked bad troll Barb, Bloom slays it, offering an avalanche of attitude and pipes that don't quit. Sam Rockwell brings swagger as a suave cowpoke called Hickory. Charlyne Yi plays a maudlin pennywhistle, while Deadpool's Karan Soni lends his voice to a rocker minion, and Jamie Dornan of Fifty Shades of Grey plays a brainwashing creep called Slow Jazz Chaz. It might sound like my mind has snapped, but this is just the zany spectacle of Trolls World Tour.
For grown-ups who might want more than slapstick, loud sounds, and toilet humor, the sequel folds in comical allusions to more mature cinema like Mad Max: Fury Road, Monty Python's Holy Grail, and Laurence of Arabia. But that's about it.
Originally posted:
Apr 10, 2020 9:15 pm
Verdict
Trolls World Tour is dedicated to being a fluffy kids movie, and at that it succeeds. It doesn't matter that the plot has as many holes as Queen Barb's fishnets or that the themes about cultural differences are as heavy-handed as a guitar-smashing rock star. It's for kids and it's cute. It's also an absolute eyesore, crassly overstuffed with retina-scorching color combinations and explosions of glitter. Frankly, it's disappointing that an animated movie with so much talent attached didn’t strive to be more than just "cute for kids." But hey, at least you can dance to it.
