The third entry in the Trolls franchise shamelessly capitalises on the nostalgia of late 90s boy bands with corny romance lyrics and choreographed dance performance aimed towards young female audiences by introducing a new song from NSYNC after over 20 years. Trolls Band Together does not bring anything new to the table or are interested in taking big risks except for introducing CGI animation for the third entry and settling with playing on a formula that works for them in the previous two instalments.
Staying true as a movie targeted towards children, the pacing of the movie felt like it was done by one. Throughout the hour and half runtime of Trolls Band Together, the movie consistently interrupted every part of plot progression by turning it into a musical session whether the timing was appropriate or not. Adding on to the topic, many of the songs do not fit the scenario it transitioned from with the majority of the songs being overwhelmingly cheerful even if the scenario it accompanied has nothing to do with it.
While Trolls Band Together‘s target audiences are the younger viewers, their approach towards comedy might come across as questionable to parents as it contains both safe and adult humour. It should not come as a surprise if viewers have a mixed reception towards the movie’s decision with their comedy approach as many of their memorable jokes are ironically not suited or meant for children.
Despite the numerous flaws of Trolls Band Together including stringing together a plotline that is all so familiar and predictable to anyone who watched even one animated movie in their entire life, it still manages to instil necessary lessons to children with a message reminding them the bonds of familial love. While many of the struggles in the storyline resolved itself without the need for character progression, the simple message that Dreamworks Animation tries to deliver works perfectly for children.
Ultimately, Trolls Band Together settled with just being fine. It does not seek to experiment with unfamiliar storyline in a market already saturated with similar animated movies already and proceed with an end product that is just fine and satisfies their fanbase’s craving for another entry. With that being said, the loyal fanbase of the Trolls franchise will find enjoyment in a sequel that is easy to digest and pass your time with while it certainly would not win any new fans easily.
