Trolls Band Together
DreamWorks AnimationWith many of their established franchises coming to an end, Dreamworks Animation was in desperate need of a new series to take over and propel the studio into financial success and social relevance. After a rough few years of non-starters which failed to create a memorable impact, hope was found in 2016 with the release of Trolls. Scoring an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and pulling in a box office of $346.9 million, it became clear that this was going to be one of Dreamworks’ most promising assets moving forward. While the sequel, Trolls World Tour, found mixed returns due to the impact of the still-developing COVID-19 pandemic and the simultaneous video-on-demand release strategy that many larger theatrical releases were forced to adjust to, the studio still had faith in the franchise. This leads to the release of the third film in the Trolls franchise, Trolls Band Together.
Continuing the narrative ties between the lives and adventures of the trolls with the power of music, Trolls Band Together dives into the past of Branch (Justin Timberlake). It is revealed that Branch, who originally was introduced as a depressed troll who hated singing because of the pain it brought his family, actually was a full-fledged member of a boy band named BroZone which was made up of him and his brothers. Torn apart by an inability to hit the legendary perfect family harmony, BroZone fractured Branch's family, but now, it seems one of the brothers is in trouble and the group must get back together to save them. Tragically, he is kept in a glass jar that can only be broken with the perfect family harmony! Can BroZone finally get on the same page and hit this or are they doomed?
It is safe to say that the plot of Trolls Band Together is easily the worst of the franchise to date. Completely contrived and lifeless, it almost feels like a parody at times of what the animated medium represents in film. From a completely random and forced retcon of Branch's backstory to the incredibly basic and lazy conflicts throughout the feature, there is nothing here of actual cleverness or value. While the other films in the franchise have been far from narrative masterpieces, they at least felt like they were trying to do something unique with world-building and message; Trolls Band Together is simply empty. This unnecessary laziness continues into the predictable plot that takes no risk and has no desire to go against any expectation. It is hard to imagine that kids, much less adults dragged to the theater with them, will find anything of interest in the film's 92-minute runtime.
The one card the film seems actually interested in playing is trying for a desperate attempt at creating a sense of nostalgia toward boy bands. This is an odd choice for a few reasons. Clearly aimed at young audiences, it is odd to think that a sense of nostalgia would be found in music and references to bands that were in their prime over 20 years ago. Do young children have a connection to NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys? It seems like a smarter option to focus on more modern connections like BTS or even One Direction, but the film thinks otherwise. Even in the film's cast, there are puzzling choices like the inclusion of Troye Sivan and RuPaul. How many kids going to see Trolls Band Together are dancing along to Rush or streaming RuPaul's Drag Race? The concept and logic behind the identity of the film are clearly flawed and confused, setting an immediate problem for the production that only grows from here.
When it comes to actually crafting comedy, the film is far from proficient. Nearly every joke lands flat and the editing continues Dreamworks’ horrendous trend of trying to appeal to the shorter attention spans of younger audiences seen earlier in the year with Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Using rapid cuts and shifts in focus, the final results feel difficult to follow and genuinely headache-inducing at times. It is wild to see Dreamworks follow up the supremely crafted Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with these cheap efforts. One can only hope the drastic difference in reception between the projects promotes a mindset more supportive of what Puss in Boots: The Last Wish offers over this.
When it comes to successes, there are few. The biggest, as with the previous films of the series, is the animation. While simply having solid rendering is nothing impressive at this point for the art form, the Trolls series has continually played around with texture and color in a way that is creative and memorable. Specifically in this entry, there are a few memorable sequences of experimenting with various styles and ideas that do stand out as the most impressive sequences of the feature. Beyond this, it really is difficult to find something that consistently works throughout the film. For every funny joke, there are 10 that land flat. For every decent performance, there is an awkward cameo that feels unnatural. The film continually struggles to find momentum or consistency with every other aspect of its existence which is a sign of just how messy and disastrous the film actually ends up being.
While the Trolls franchise has never been a notably strong series, Trolls Band Together is the lowest point it has ever reached. Failing on every level, from concept to execution, there is nothing within the film that truly works or stands tall. In the context of Dreamworks' filmography, one can only pray that 2023 will be remembered as a rotten egg for the studio sandwiched between the cleverness of their 2022 releases, The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and the promise of what is to come in 2024 with the release of Kung Fu Panda 4.
