"Trolls World Tour" is a Colorfully Animated, Harmless Sequel Made for the Outbreak

By: Keaton Marcus

trolls-pic.jpg

63/100 “sweet/sour”

Behold the perfect movie to watch again and again with your family during quarantine, the sequel to the beloved animated movie, dubbed Trolls World Tour. It may be far from the most impressive movies of the year, but it ends a solid diversion for the younger kids, and perhaps a bit more. With dazzling animation, a talented voice-cast and an over caffeinated set of tunes, there's not a lot to dislike here. Of course, the plot is utterly manic and there isn't much going on in the head, but for kids, it's more than enough. Though not quite as good as the 2016 original, the sequel does bring some new stuff to the table and carries one of the sweetest messages ever heard of. That's expected though, right? Yes, you could argue that this movie is just more of the same, though they do get a little more creative than that, even if it's just a bit. Glitter, colors, K-POP trolls, what's not to like?

This sequel completely diverges from the path set from its predecessor, for better or for worse. The movie focuses once again on Poppy (the delightful Anna Kendrick) who has been crowned as Queen of the Trolls. The Trolls are once again living in harmony, however, when Poppy learns that there are other types of Trolls out there, her and Branch (Justin Timberlake) decide to go into the unknown. The queen of the dubbed Rock Trolls named Barb, though, wants to destroy all other types of music and unite every troll under rock. Oh yeah, they get really crazy with the different types of music, we got smooth jazz, funk, pop (K-POP as well) and even classical. And of course, they call the king of Classical Trolls "Trollzart". Combine that nifty storyline with non-stop singing and energetic voices, you have the fluffy fun World Tour is.

The voice-cast, as always, is a delight for the children. Leading the group once again is Kendrick, who portrays Poppy, the sweet, loveable Troll that can't stop dancing. Literally. Kendrick's adorable chemistry with Justin Timberlake's Branch and their solid voices make them an on-screen couple worth watching. The list of popular stars goes on! We've got James Corden, Kelly Clarkson and Jamie Dornan heading the supporting cast. Yeah, they threw in both Chance the Rapper and Sam Rockwell in there as well. Despite the performances not matching up to the great animated actors, the cast has this manic energy that will entertain kids and maybe a few adults willing to turn their brains off.

Much like the eye-popping original, World Tour is just as colorful. They spent some good money on it as well, with a price tag coming at about 100 million dollars. Sure Dreamworks will lose a lot of cash due to the lack of theaters open, but the money put into the production paid off visually. Even I adored looking at those pinatas like explosions of candy-colored glitter. It's fun, don't get me wrong, though you do get a little fatigued near the end of 90 minutes of non-stop dancing, colors, and singing. Still, for most of the film, you should be very entertained. Also, I gotta mention it again, during pressing times like these, this brightly animated sequel may be the cure we all need.

The final opinion is: Trolls World Tour may be more of the same, but it's still a colorfully-animated, well-acted follow-up that should please fans of the original...$TREAM IT (well that's all you can do nowadays)

Rent on Prime Video for $19.99