Trolls Band Together
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Did we just eat twenty pounds of chocolate and Skittles? Because the walls seem to be moving and we are bouncing off of said walls. No, we aren’t going crazy with a sugar rush. This is Trolls Band Together: the third of the Dreamworks Trolls films that refuse to quit, which is cute and admirable on the one hand but a reminder of just how far the lazy formula of jukebox animated films can go. Once again, the majority of joy and artistic integrity comes from the karaoke covers of songs created by others. It works for children under ten and those who think that music can solve anything and everything, but I think everyone else can see through this shtick once and for all now. While sweet and wholesome, Trolls Band Together is still only the premise of an interesting plot (more on that shortly) and the same-old sing-along numbers full of tooth-decaying visuals (which, admittedly, are nice and always have been nice, but I wish the story was as imaginative as the hard work put in by the Dreamworks animation team in these films). We get on-the-nose jokes, very little narrative progression, and everything you expect from a family film in between popular song after popular song.
Trolls Band Together is all about reuniting family, which is rich coming from a film whose promotional single is supposed to be an NSYNC reunion when it sounds like every other Justin Timberlake Trolls song whilst being autotuned to death to the point that you can barely even tell which member is which. Branch is found by his older brother John Dory as an effort to try and congregate each of their other brothers as a means of rescuing sibling Floyd. This seems like news to everyone, but it’s the kind of premise that is expected in a franchise that refuses to die (we can turn a blind eye and believe that, sure, we didn’t know that this troll had family members who were never discussed before today). Each brother resides in their own realm which is a great incentive for Trolls Band Together to take us to colourful worlds with different properties, but before we can really enjoy what is going on, the film plops a playlist of usual suspect tunes and sprints to the next sequence. It’s at this point that I figured out what bothers me about these kinds of films the most. You never really explore what makes these songs, scenes, characters, or storylines good. You just enjoy them temporarily and then are pressed to move on to the next thing. I’m an album sort of guy who appreciates listening to music from top to bottom. I’ve never been a Top 40 listener. I like curation. Films like this are just an ongoing conversation filmmakers have with audiences, and it goes like this:
”Hey. You like this song? Me too! You know what other songs I like? This one, and this one, and th…”
They’re so excited to see you excited.
While Trolls Band Together does try to actually have a plot, it really doesn’t shine through the songs, colours, and cutesy silliness. Do we really understand how these trolls function as family members outside of them looking alike and being in a band? Do we ever sense any actual character development, triumph of obstacles, or literally any storytelling fundamentals? It feels like someone came up with an ongoing theme between these randomly selected songs and were grasping at straws during the process. Sometimes a film can’t just settle with “That’ll do.” Trolls Band Together does understand its audience: the kinds of kids that conjure up fantasies while listening to their favourite pop tracks, where they wind up in another world with these idols who are now their best friends. They ride on neon waves. They bathe in seas of soda. Life couldn’t be better. Trolls Band Together may be well-intentioned and wholesome, but it also is almost patronizing in its best efforts to provide kids and families with a good time: as if they cannot handle even an ounce of tribulation in the name of a stronger, more memorable film. I am all for escapism in films, particularly ones that are fit for the whole family, but you can also make films that treat their audience with a little shred of dignity above loud colours, crowd-pleasing songs, and the rehashing of the same ideas and tricks that worked twice before in other Trolls films. Yes, folks. Twee glee club is back, and that is either great news or a nightmare, depending on who is reading this.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.