149. Trolls World Tour; movie review

TROLLS WORLD TOUR
Cert U
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very mild threat, rude humour, language

Blimey, what a disappointment.
While, I had earlier been thinking what a shame it was that we didn't see The Hunt at the cinema - it was relief that Trolls World Tour only made it to VoD.
The Coronavirus outbreak meant that Universal Studios switched it to streaming and TV services and made $40m in its first weekend - going a good chunk of the way towards the $200m it needs to break even.
Hold on a minute! TWO HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS on a cartoon about trolls having a music battle?
Of the first Trolls adventure in 2016, I wrote: "Trolls is utterly infectious. It makes you smile and tap your toes whether you are seven or 77."
Unfortunately, cannot say the same of this Walt Dohm sequel.
Its premise is that the pop trolls, led by Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) discover they are not alone in their world - there are several diverse lands in which other music is the lifeblood.
And it transpires that the rock trolls, led by a particularly angry young queen (Rachel Bloom) want to unite them all under their gritty sound.
Poppy, who seemed so endearing in the original Trolls film, is irritating in the sequel.
Basically, she sees the best in everyone regardless of how much she is advised caution by her best friend, Branch (Justin Timberlake).
Indeed, even though she is proven wrong over and over again, she carries on until the muck really does hit the fan.
Her naivety is irksome but so is the supposed villain - a rock chick who seems to be wrong almost as much as Poppy is.
The face-off between individual music categories is as dull as it sounds and even the songs aren't as fresh as during the original.
Ok, perhaps I am being too churlish. Mrs W and I were watching Trolls in our living room during Coronavirus lockdown.
Would we have enjoyed it more in a cinema, packed with gleeful kids? Probably?
Will it please its target audience? Well, they are trolls playing music, so highly likely.
Was it worth a $200m lay-out? Nope.

Reasons to watch: Follow-up to the breezy original Trolls movie
Reasons to avoid: Nowhere near as much fun

Laughs: Two
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4.5/10

Did you know? The first Troll doll was made in 1958 in Denmark by Thomas Dam and was initially filled with wood shavings. They were eventually made in different models. 

Final word. Justin Timberlake: "Something we’re all really proud of is that we are teaching young minds about all these different styles (of music) and how that can relate to life. Representing a celebration of individuality and how being different is pretty cool." Kidzworld

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