Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Trolls Band Together Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker January 26, 2024

'Trolls Band Together', the latest installment in the 'Trolls' franchise, makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Universal. Featuring a beautiful transfer and a rocking English Dolby Atmos, fans can enjoy both the Theatrical and Sing-Along versions. Loaded with a variety of special features from standard behind-the-scenes material to a pair of "how-to" segments, Trolls enthusiasts will have much to enjoy. This release comes packaged with a slipcover, a DVD disc, and a Digital Code.

Anna Kendric and Justin Timberlake return to the tiny and wildly colorful world of Trolls as Poppy and Branch. For Trolls Band Together, Keenan Thompson (Tiny Diamond) and Camila Cabello (Viva) are added to the mix bringing an additional infusion of energy to an already manic film. Timberlake is joined by Daveed Diggs (Spruce), Kid Cuddi (Clay), Troye Sivan (Floyd), and Eric Andre (John Dory) who comprise the other members of his band "BroZone", a group that went through a messy breakup and he is keen to keep in his past. But when John Dory receives a note that Floyd is in trouble, he sets out to get the band back together in order to save him, starting with (Baby) Branch. Along with Poppy, Tiny, Rhonda the sentient vehicle, and others, they embark on a rescue mission that will take them to a number of new corners of the Trolls world. For those more into the music than the story, the Sing-Along option is a perfect choice. The words to all of the songs are presented Karaoke-style at the bottom of the screen, so those who don't know all of the words don't need to worry about missing out on the fun.

In an effort to provide a little extra value for parents who may end up watching Trolls Band Together with their children, classic boy band jokes and references are littered throughout the film. Writers Elizabeth Tippet, Thomas Dam, and Kim Caramele find ways to humorously work in the names of a dizzying number of boy bands into jokey rants at various points. From 98 Degrees to New Kids on the Block to Menudo, some are groups viewers will remember well and others they have likely forgotten will come roaring back in these jaunts down memory lane. Additionally, a host of pop culture references are worked into the script and soundscape. There's a nod to a classic scene from Oliver!, Tiny flashes an ID card that harkens back to Superbad, a character wears something that is an obvious riff on Underoos, and Rhonda revs up and comes to life with a soundeffect that's a dead ringer for Chewbacca's trademark roar. There are others as well, but I won't spoil them all here.

The story this time around does not do much of anything to add to or enhance the standard "I'm putting the band back together" plot. Poppy and Branch travel from fanciful eye-catching location to fanciful eye-catching location, gathering up the former members of BroZone as they go. Even though they've been separated for years with no real contact, no one is particularly difficult to find, nor is it difficult to convince any of the former members to leave their lives behind and join the musical rescue mission. All along the way, peril is very mild when it exists at all. Even during the final confrontation Trolls Band Together is more limp than tense and the final outcome is never in doubt. In all instances, musical interludes and colorful and outrageous scenery take priority. This may be gloriously entertaining for younger audiences, but it is hardly compelling storytelling.

Our villains, Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells) are a prefab pop duo with little to no actual talent of their own. Instead, they owe their success to the fact that they have been able to capture Floyd and siphon the talent out of him to fuel their own performances and stardom. The pair are literally sucking the life out him, and by extension, out of music. Considering that this is a film about a Trolls boy band and that it is overflowing with references to other real boy bands, I found this to be incredibly ironic. People have been leveling that criticism at such groups for decades. As a music fan with a wide range of interests, I am inclined to agree and have long railed against these manufactured pop groups, from the Spice Girls to New Kids on the Block, and dozens more. Born of marketing and fueled by a desire for profit, they are carefully crafted products for consumption that consume bandwidth, divert attention from other more interesting and worthy artists, and turn music into a commodity, in a manner analogous to what Velvet and Veneer are doing. Considering Timberlake's long and increasing involvement with the Trolls movies, this may not be the message they intended to send, but it's there, nonetheless.

Trolls Band Together Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Trolls Band Together is a real looker. The film is an explosion of color with every scene providing bright and popping pinks, blues, reds, and greens that stand out in bright illuminated and dark scenes alike. The various textures of the Trolls world are a particular treat. Their felty "skin" is fuzzy, but it's a very precise fuzziness that is often accompanied by some amount of glitter. Pieces of clothing, like Poppy's sweater, provide a high level of fibrous detail with virtually every thread visible. Their wild and voluminous hair is also incredibly detailed and viewers are able to pick out individual strands of hair from even the most perfectly shaped hairdos. Rhonda's upholstery shows authentic frizz and wear, and the mini-golf courses exteriors depict a convincing and realistic amount of grime and age. Banding, which can often plague animated films is not present, nor are any other video defects. It's a very strong video presentation.

Trolls Band Together Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos track is deeply immersive during Trolls Band Together's frequent big musical numbers. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Bombastic are definitely highlights with their throbbing baselines. Most other moments of the film make good and frequent use of surrounds also, finding ways to drop sound effects, music, and other elements into the mix to keep us positioned squarely in the middle of the action more often than not. Dialogue is consistently crisp and intelligible and is never lost in the sometimes noisy and rambunctious proceedings. Directionality is very good and sound effects carry a high degree of convincing realism and weight. More than anything, and rather obvious considering on the title, music is the main thrust of the film. Voices and harmonies are delicate and accurate, demonstrating that for as muscular and raucous as the track can be, it is still capable of great finesse and nuance.

Trolls Band Together Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Trolls Band Together has a number of special features as detailed below:

It Takes Three: A short staring Tiny, Poppy and Viva that includes another quick musical number. (3:55)

Deleted Scenes With Intro by Head of Story Colin Jack: Three deleted scenes are included: Wall Climb - Broken Tooth, Bridget Gristle Honeymoon, and Crimp and Tiny Romance, and are a mix of storyboards and finished animation with lines delivered by the voice talent. (4:52)

Fun in the Production Booth: A series of side-by-side shots as actors are shown delivering lines and a few gaffes next to their animated counterparts. (3:49)

Hi, Hi, Hi: Go briefly behind the scenes with *Nsync as they discuss working on their song "Better Place" for this project. (3:27)

Building the Band: A multi-segment feature that focuses on the primary characters for this movie with input from the cast and crew. (12:36)

Together Again: The crew quickly covers the details regarding translating *Nsync into Troll versions of themselves. (2:38)

Animating Trolls: The crew talks about creating the look for Trolls: Band Together and new locations with their own identities like Vacay Island, the abandoned min-golf course, the city, and the nightclub. (4:22)

How To Draw: The artistically inclined can get quick tutorials on how to draw Baby Branck, John Dory, Spruce, Clay, Floyd, and Viva, from Wendy Sullivan (Story Artist/Director, Custom Animation). (23:09)

How To: Hug Time Bracelets: Crafy fans will learn how to make two bracelets with supplies found at their local craft store. (2:34)

Feature Length Commentary with Producer Gina Shay, Co-Director Tim Heitz, Head of Story Colin Jack, Production Designer Rueben Perez Reynoso, and Visual Effects Supervisor Marc J. Scott: The team covers a great deal of ground here, including how they created the look of the Trolls, the challenge of translating human elements to this tiny world without making things look creepy, clothing choices, jokes, and Easter eggs for fans who haven't missed any of the Trolls' adventures. There are occasional quiet moments in this relaxed conversation, but often they chuckle while while reminiscing about the sometimes unlikely inspiration for characters and dialogue. They also spend a good of time recounting how they created the look of the new sets and worlds our heroes explore in this film and making sure that they are always interesting but maintain a DIY look and feel. (1:31:29)

Trolls Band Together Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Trolls Band Together has a flashy and colorful video presentation with an immersive audio track stuffed with familair songs from the 1970s to today. The voice actors, especially Viva (Camila Cabello), provide energetic and entertaining performances that are sure to delight franchise fans. Anna Kendrick (Poppy) takes things to an entirely different and sometimes exhausting level with her crackling and rapid-fire line delivery and is easily the highlight of the picture. Special features are voluminous but generally light, with the feature-length commentary providing the most depth and detail for those willing to watch the film with the music pushed to the background. Those looking for deeper and more adult animated fare are advised to look elsewhere. Fantastic video quality and an excellent audio track make Trolls Band Together Highly Recommended for those looking for very safe and solid family entertainment that younger viewers will enjoy most, or for Trolls fans of any age.