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Trolls Band Together

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Trolls Band Together
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWalt Dohrn
Screenplay byElizabeth Tippet[1]
Based onGood Luck Trolls
by Thomas Dam
Produced byGina Shay
Starring
Edited byNick Fletcher
Music byTheodore Shapiro
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12) (Denmark)
  • November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$95 million[3]
Box office$209.6 million[4][5]

Trolls Band Together is a 2023 American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls from Thomas Dam. It serves as the sequel to Trolls World Tour (2020), and the third installment in the Trolls franchise. The film was directed by Walt Dohrn and co-directed by Tim Heitz (in his feature directorial debut), and written by Elizabeth Tippet.

Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Icona Pop, Anderson .Paak, Ron Funches, Kenan Thompson, Kunal Nayyar and Dohrn reprise their voice roles from previous films, with newcomers Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, RuPaul and Zosia Mamet joining the ensemble voice cast. In the film, Branch and Poppy, who are a couple, attempt to rescue Floyd while reuniting Branch's brothers after the boyband phenomenon, BroZone, was disbanded.

Ideas for a third Trolls film began prior to the release of Trolls World Tour in April 2020, when Timberlake expressed interest in participating during his Apple Music takeover. DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed the third film's development in November 2021. Despite being predominantly CGI animation, with some additional animation by DNEG, the film includes some 2D animation sequences with animation styles inspired by Yellow Submarine (1968) and Fantasia (1940). Theodore Shapiro returned to compose the score for the film.

Trolls Band Together was theatrically released in Denmark on October 12, 2023, and in the United States on November 17. The film has grossed $209 million worldwide and received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In a flashback, an infant Branch and his four older brothers John Dory, Spruce, Clay and Floyd perform as a boyband called BroZone. When their clashing egos prevent them from performing the "Perfect Family Harmony", a powerful ability that Trolls can achieve when they are in complete sync, the brothers argue and break up the band. Branch is left alone to be raised by his grandmother Rosiepuff.

In the present, Branch and Poppy attend Bridget and Gristle's wedding in Bergen Town. They are interrupted by John Dory, who reveals that Branch's closest brother Floyd has been captured by Velvet and Veneer, two Mount Rageon teenagers who wish to be pop stars. The siblings have trapped Floyd in a diamond perfume bottle, which they use to extract his essence and improve their singing, although the process could eventually kill him. As the Perfect Family Harmony is the only thing that can destroy diamond, Branch reluctantly agrees to help John Dory find their brothers and rescue Floyd. Along with Poppy and Tiny Diamond, they set out in John Dory's armadillo-like portable van named Rhonda.

They find Spruce at the Vacay Island resort, where he has changed his name to Bruce and started a family. Bruce is reluctant to help, until his wife and kids convince him to do so. The group later finds Clay, who quickly decided to help, at an abandoned Bergen miniature golf course, inhabited by a hidden colony of Pop Trolls who do not know that the Bergens are no longer their enemies, having been separated from the other Pop Trolls when they fled the final Trollstice.[a] The hidden troll colony's leader, Viva, reveals herself to be Poppy's long-lost sister. At first, Poppy is delighted, but the visit turns sour when Viva refuses to believe the Bergens have changed, and tries to stop Poppy's group from leaving the golf course. They manage to escape thanks to Clay, and Poppy and Viva separate with broken hearts.

Meanwhile, Velvet and Veneer continue to strip Floyd of his essence. Velvet reveals that she forged Floyd's handwriting and sent a note to John Dory, in order to bait Floyd's brothers to come and rescue him. Furthermore, Velvet and Veneer's assistant Crimp invents shoulder-pad suits that enhance the extraction, which the siblings plan to use when they capture all of BroZone.

The Trolls make it to Mount Rageous, but once again argue and fail to reach Perfect Family Harmony. When his brothers decide they will split up again after saving Floyd, Branch scolds them for still treating him like a baby, revealing to them that he lived his whole life alone after their grandmother got eaten. Branch, Poppy and Tiny locate Floyd on their own, but Velvet and Veneer capture John Dory, Clay, and Bruce, making a rescue even more difficult. Branch and Poppy confront Velvet and Veneer when they start mingling with a crowd of fans, prompting them to drive away in their limousine. During the ensuing chase, Velvet and Veneer begin using the shoulder-pads to extract the essence from Branch’s brothers in order to put on a show. Branch and Poppy are soon helped by Viva, who joined forces with Bridget and Gristle after they stumbled onto the golf course during their honeymoon.

Seeing that Floyd is just about out of essence, Branch tells his brothers that they all simply need to put aside their egos and work as a team. They, along with Poppy and Viva, perform the Perfect Family Harmony and break free of their prisons just as Floyd loses the last of his essence, but he is quickly revived. Veneer, who had been second-guessing Velvet's machinations, publicly confesses everything, and they are sent to prison.

The Trolls return to Vacay Island and witness BroZone's comeback concert, joined by Kismet, another band Branch was once part of.

Voice cast

  • Anna Kendrick as Poppy, queen of the Pop Trolls and Branch's optimistic girlfriend
  • Justin Timberlake as Branch, a survivalist Pop Troll and Poppy's boyfriend
    • Iris Dohrn as Baby Branch. Dohrn had previously voiced young Poppy in the first film.
  • Kenan Thompson as Tiny Diamond, a baby glittery Hip-Hop Troll and Guy Diamond's son
  • Walt Dohrn as:
    • King Peppy, the former king of the Pop Trolls and Poppy and Viva's father
    • Cloud Guy, an anthropomorphic cloud
    • Interdimensional Hustle Traveler
  • Anderson .Paak as Darnell, one of the princes of the Funk Trolls and Cooper's younger twin brother
  • Ron Funches as Cooper, one of the princes of the Funk Trolls
  • Kunal Nayyar as Guy Diamond, a glittery Pop Troll and Tiny Diamond's single father
  • David Fynn as Biggie, a large, friendly British Pop Troll and the owner of Mr. Dinkles
  • Kevin Michael Richardson as Mr. Dinkles, Biggie's pet worm
  • Eric André as John Dory, the oldest of Branch's brothers and the former leader of BroZone
  • Daveed Diggs as Spruce, the second oldest of Branch's brothers and a former member of BroZone
  • Kid Cudi as Clay, the third oldest of Branch's brothers and a former member of BroZone.
  • Troye Sivan as Floyd, the fourth oldest of Branch's brothers and a former member of BroZone
  • Camila Cabello as Viva, Poppy's long-lost older sister and the leader of the Putt-Putt Trolls
  • Zosia Mamet as Crimp, an assistant to Velvet and Veneer
  • Amy Schumer as Velvet, a Mount Rageon and Veneer’s older twin sister
    • Brianna Mazzola as Velvet’s singing voice
  • Andrew Rannells as Veneer, a Mount Rageon and Velvet's younger twin brother
  • Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Gristle, the king of the Bergens and Bridget's fiancé-turned-husband
  • Zooey Deschanel as Bridget, a former scullery maid, the queen of the Bergens and Gristle's fiancé-turned-wife
  • Aino Jawo as Satin and Caroline Hjelt as Chenille, twin Pop Trolls that are conjoined by their hair who loves fashion
  • RuPaul Charles as Miss Maxine, the wedding officiant for the wedding between King Gristle Jr. and Bridget
  • Dillon Francis as Kid Ritz, a DJ from Mount Rageous
  • GloZell Green as Grandma Rosiepuff, the grandmother of Branch and his brothers
  • Patti Harrison as Brandy, Spruce's wife on Vacay Island
  • Lance Bass as Boom, a member of the band Kismet
  • JC Chasez as Hype, a member of the band Kismet
  • Joey Fatone as Ablaze, a member of the band Kismet
  • Chris Kirkpatrick as Trickee, a member of the band Kismet

Production

On April 9, 2020, Justin Timberlake expressed interest in participating in the future Trolls films during his Apple Music takeover, "I hope we make, like, seven Trolls movies, because it literally is the gift that keeps on giving".[6] On November 22, 2021, it was announced that a third Trolls film would be released in theaters on November 17, 2023.[7] Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake were confirmed to reprise their voice roles as Poppy and Branch, respectively. On March 28, 2023, with the release of the first official trailer, new cast members of the film were officially announced, including Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, RuPaul, and Zosia Mamet. Walt Dohrn returned to direct the third film after doing so for its predecessor, while Gina Shay returned to serve as producer. Tim Heitz was later announced as co-director. The same day of these announcements, DreamWorks Animation revealed the official title, Trolls Band Together.[8]

According to Shay, the idea for the film came about right after Trolls (2016). Although Trolls Band Together was predominantly CGI animation, the film includes some 2D animation sequences done by Titmouse, Inc.,[9] with animation styles inspired by Yellow Submarine (1968) and Fantasia (1940).[10] Additional animation was done by DNEG.

Music

Main article: Trolls Band Together (soundtrack)

On March 6, 2023, Theodore Shapiro was confirmed to compose the score for Trolls Band Together, returning from its predecessor.[11] On September 14, 2023, following the release of the second trailer, DreamWorks announced that NSYNC would perform an original song for the film, called "Better Place" marking the group's first song in 22 years.[12]

Release

Marketing

Universal and DreamWorks collaborated with several brands and product partnerships to promote the film for its marketing campaign, including ShineWater Beverages,[13] ICEE,[14] Shake Shack,[15] Southwest Airlines,[16] Candy,[17] CAMP Store,[18] and Puma,[19] as well as the international brands such as Zing Flowers.[20]

A video game based on the film, titled Trolls: Remix Rescue, was released on October 27, 2023 by DreamWorks Animation and Game Mill Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC. In this game, which takes place after the events of the second film Trolls World Tour, Poppy, Branch, and the player character must embark on a quest to save the Troll Kingdom from Chaz the Smooth Jazz Troll when he tries to take over the place by hypnotizing the residents with his saxophone.[21]

Theatrical

Trolls Band Together began releasing in international markets, starting with Denmark on October 12, 2023,[4] and was later released in the United States on November 17. After Trolls World Tour (2020) was simultaneously released on video on demand in addition to a limited number of theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this film returned to being released exclusively in theaters.[7]

Home media

Trolls Band Together was released on VOD on December 19, 2023.[22] The film was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD on January 16, 2024.[23]

It was added to Peacock on March 15, 2024.[24] As part of Universal's deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months starting on of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten starting in July 2024, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four starting in April 2025.[25][26]

Reception

Box office

Trolls Band Together grossed $103 million in the United States and Canada, and $106.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $209.5 million.[4][5]

In the United States and Canada, Trolls Band Together was released alongside Next Goal Wins, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and Thanksgiving, and was projected to gross $27–32 million from 3,800 theaters in its opening weekend.[27][3] The film made $9.4 million on its first day, including $1.3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut $30.6 million, finishing second behind The Hunger Games.[28] The film made $17.8 million in its second weekend (a drop of 40.6%), finishing in fourth.[29]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 91 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Trolls Band Together serves up another amusing, eye-catching outing that should entertain young fans of the franchise while remaining perfectly painless for parents."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, same as the first film, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 85% overall positive score, with 67% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[28]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, writing, "Elizabeth Tippet's screenplay garners laughs thanks to the sheer volume of jokes (the hit-to-miss ratio is pretty unbalanced), and there are several amusing one-liners about the music business."[32] Tatiana Hullender of Screen Rant rated the film 2.5 out of 5 score, writing "Trolls Band Together shows clear signs of franchise fatigue, but a few new songs and vivid animation choices keep it afloat a little longer."[33]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Grammy Awards February 2, 2025 Best Song Written for Visual Media "Better Place" – Shellback, Justin Timberlake, and Amy Allen Pending [34]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 15, 2023 Original Song – Animated Film Better Place – Shellback, Justin Timberlake, and Amy Allen Won [35]
Song – Onscreen Performance (Film) NSYNC – "Better Place" Nominated
Music Supervision – Film Angela Leus Won
Music Themed Film or Musical Trolls Band Together Won
Soundtrack Album Trolls Band Together Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards July 13, 2024 Favorite Animated Movie Trolls Band Together Nominated [36]
Favorite Female Voice from an Animated Movie Anna Kendrick Won
Favorite Male Voice from an Animated Movie Justin Timberlake Nominated
Favorite Villain Amy Schumer Nominated

Notes

  1. ^ As depicted in Trolls (2016)

References

  1. ^ "Trolls Band Together - Production Notes". Universal Pictures. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "Trolls Band Together (G)". Irish Film Classification Office. September 20, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (November 15, 2023). "Box Office: 'Hunger Games' Prequel 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Targets $50 Million Debut". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Trolls Band Together - Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Trolls Band Together (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (April 9, 2020). "Can't Stop the Sequels! See How Many 'Trolls' Movies Justin Timberlake Wants to Make". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 22, 2021). "'Trolls 3' Lands Release Date, DreamWorks Animation Title Will Be Exclusive Theatrical". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 28, 2023). "Universal & DreamWorks Set Cast, Official Title For Trolls Threequel Bowing This Fall". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ McLean, Tom (October 2, 2023). "How the 'Trolls Band Together' Team Tuned Up a World-Expanding DreamWorks Reunion". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Zahed, Ramin (March 28, 2023). "Watch: DreamWorks/Universal Release Trailer, Poster for Trolls Band Together". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "Theodore Shapiro to Return for DreamWorks Animation's Trolls 3". Film Music Reporter. March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  12. ^ Hall, Gerrad (September 14, 2023). "It's official: NSYNC are reuniting with new music for 'Trolls Band Together'". Entertaining Weekly. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "ShineWater Limited Edition Trolls Cans are Arriving Now". TrendHunter. November 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  14. ^ "The ICEE Company® Announces Partnership with DreamWorks Animation's Trolls Band Together". PR News Wire. September 15, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  15. ^ "Shake Shack Bands Together with DreamWorks Trolls Band Together For Holiday Trio of Shakes". Shake Shack. November 1, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "Southwest Airlines has a Trolls-themed plane — and it's flying out of Dallas today". Dallas Morning News. October 6, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Candy announces brand partnership with new Trolls film Band Together". RetailTimes UK. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  18. ^ "DreamWorks & CAMP Partner for Immersive Experience to Celebrate Trolls Band Together Release". NBC News. October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "All That Glitters is Trolls! to Celebrate Dreamworks Animation's Trolls Band Together Universal Products & Experiences Adds Puma to Best-in-Class Partners". Licensing International. October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "Don't forget to see DreamWorks' Trolls Band Together, in cinemas now! Celebrate the release of this new adventure with our colourful and loveable Brozone Bandtastic Letterbox Flowers #TrollsBandTogether #JoyThatBlooms". X. October 31, 2023. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  21. ^ "DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue review (PS5)". Press Play News. November 7, 2023. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "TROLLS BAND TOGETHER Digital Streaming Premiere Date Set". When to Stream. November 30, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "The Music Continues as 'Trolls Band Together' Sets Digital & Blu-ray Release Date". www.collider.com. January 9, 2024. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 15, 2024). "'Trolls Band Together' Sets Peacock Premiere Date". Deadline. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  25. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  26. ^ Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 15, 2023). "'Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Looks To Sing $100M+ Worldwide Opening – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  28. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 17, 2023). "'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Begins With Thursday Previews At $5.75M – Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  29. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 26, 2023). "'Songbirds & Snakes' Reigns Supreme Over Thanksgiving Stretch With $42M 5-day; 'Napoleon' Steps On Disney's 'Wish' With $32M+ — Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  30. ^ "Trolls Band Together". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 26, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  31. ^ "Trolls Band Together". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  32. ^ Scheck, Frank (November 14, 2023). "Trolls Band Together Review: Groan-Worthy Threequel Mines Justin Timberlake's Boy-Band Past". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  33. ^ Hullender, Tatiana (November 14, 2023). "Trolls Band Together Review: Slick But Soulless Production Still Appeals To Kids". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  34. ^ Atkinson, Katie (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  35. ^ "2023 HMMA WINNERS AND NOMINEES". Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  36. ^ Petski, Denise (June 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Timothée Chalamet, Ayo Edebiri Among 2024 Kids' Choice Awards Nominees – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
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