Trolls World Tour Review - Tooned Up #2
Welcome, everyone, to the latest episode of RPC’s animation podcast, Tooned Up! Join hosts Mike, Cameron, Josh, and Kristal as they take us on a journey through the world of cinematic animation, covering the most recent announcements in the world of theatrical and independent animation! There have been many delays in the theatrical world due to the worldwide pandemic we’re all dealing with and suffering through, but some new and upcoming releases have cropped up (like Disney’s just-announced Robin Hood remake), with the most recent being the focus of this episode, Trolls World Tour.
Rather than do the usual show notes post, I thought I’d give my own short take on both Trolls and World Tour, particularly since I wasn’t on this podcast. (ed’s note: This is Keona speaking, guys.) So, let’s talk about Trolls, which is based on the dolls originally created by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam. This particular movie, Trolls World Tour, is the sequel to 2016’s Trolls, starring Anna Kendrick as Princess (now Queen) Poppy and Justin Timberlake as her romantic interest, Branch. Poppy is the prototypical carefree, happy-go-lucky Troll, while Branch is her opposite, overly cautious and a bit of a square, if I’m being completely honest. Luckily the two of them embark on a journey of self-discovery and character development and evolution over the course of two well-written and gorgeously animated films.
Actually, that’s a lie. Or, at least, a half-truth, considering there’s not a whole lot of character evolution here. The Trolls films, at their core, are a direct response by Dreamworks Animation to the Lego Movie and its ilk, the kinds of films that are sort of descendants of the old 1980s cartoons-as-toy-commercials school of thought. Here we have thinly-veiled character archetypes singing catchy covers of popular songs while inhabiting a stylized, ridiculously well-animated world. And believe me, if these movies have a highlight, it’s the colorful and flashy universe in which they reside.
Poppy and her Trolls.
Am I being a bit too harsh here? After all, it’s a kids’ movie, and it’ll definitely entertain the crap out of the children. But anyone coming to Trolls or its sequel for something more than candy-coated fluff might be surprised at the message these films attempt to convey. For instance, even though I personally didn’t get much satisfaction from watching World Tour, I could see the value in its lesson of tolerance for the opposing perspective and being open to other people’s preferences, especially when they do not match your own. It’s as timely a message as its ever been, and I actually liked the climax of the film because it felt sincere, as much as these cinematic exercises are.
The bottom line is that Trolls and World Tour are both decent enough family films with some top-notch animation, gorgeous CG environments, great voice acting, and charming musical numbers. They’ll entertain kids for a few hours and are definitely safe to watch for their target audience. As an adult who doesn’t have kids, I didn’t derive much enjoyment from the predictable humor and plots (why are rocker Trolls deemed the narrow-minded bad guys in World Tour?), but I am not the target demographic, so I can’t be too unforgiving here.
For more perspectives on the movie and the latest animation news, just click the play button above or visit our main podcast page and check out our previous episodes! Follow us on Instagram! And be sure to browse more here on our website and join our Facebook Group! ‘Til next time, Renegades!
