Trolls World Tour (2020)

Film: Trolls World Tour (2020)
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Ron Funches, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Rockwell, Jamie Dornan
Director: Walt Dohrn
Oscar History: No nominations
Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

It feels kind of sad that there wasn't a proper "movie of the summer."  I know that history might write it as Tenet, as that was one of the few movies to actually come out this summer (and is potentially the first truly "important" film of 2020, even though I'm not brave enough to see it yet), but if there actually was a movie that could boast this title, it was Trolls World Tour, a film that would've been an afterthought in a normal summer & was actually released in April.  When Universal released the movie with a $20 cover charge, I resisted (proving the constant erasure of single people in the media, I heard most proclaim this a "bargain") but now that it's on Hulu, I wanted to enjoy a big, glossy, first-run movie from 2020, and this fit the bill better than any.  Plus, I liked the first movie, so this wasn't even a sequel I would've avoided, though I will admit four years after the fact I remembered very little of the original.

(Spoilers Ahead) The film takes place a bit after the last movie, with Queen Poppy (Kendrick) finding harmony & success as her kingdom's leader, while Branch (Timberlake) struggles with how to tell her about his feelings.  Disharmony is coming to the kingdom, though, as Queen Barb (Bloom) from a separate, rock-devoted kingdom, is trying to find all of the secret "strings" of other (until now unknown) kingdoms, including Pop, Funk, Classical, Techno, & Country.  Assuming that Queen Barb is sweet-and-all-caring like her, Poppy initially tries to invite her to the kingdom, but after seeing the Classical world destroyed by Queen Barb, Poppy & Branch both try to stop her, but have different opinions on their approach, and because of Branch's feelings about Poppy (which he won't share to her), their friendship is frayed.  In the end, as with most animated films, the two reconcile & find that they are both in love, and Queen Barb remains her distinctive self, while respectful of other music, and thus (please forgive me, but it must be said) harmony is achieved.

Trolls World Tour is not breaking a lot of ground in terms of animation.  This isn't a thought-provoking tale from Pixar, nor is it an instant classic like some of the recent Disney films, but that's not really what Dreamworks Animation does.  Dreamworks at its best is just really fun, and Trolls World Tour is genuinely fun.  The characters are one-dimensional, but that doesn't mean that they don't pop. Kendrick's always delightful playing a cheery parody, and some of the cameo work by people like Kelly Clarkson is delicious.  Also, Rachel Bloom as a rock villain is a brilliant idea-Bloom is an actress who understands the fundamentals of musicals (and she can sing), so while this is all bubble gum, it's bright & flavorful.

The soundtrack is unusual because it relies less heavily on classic songs (though you still see medleys featuring everyone from Cyndi Lauper to George Clinton), and get more original work from Justin Timberlake, writing all of the new music.  None of the tunes are as instantly iconic as "Can't Stop the Feeling," but "The Other Side" is surely their attempt at an "Into the Unknown" style Oscar nomination, and Timberlake gives enough music that if your jam is country, you've got a real ballad in "Born to Love" while if you're more into Funk, "It's All Love" is there to groove upon.  All-in-all, Trolls World Tour does something I assumed would be impossible in 2020 considering independents & comedies are all that are on streaming platforms-we get a high-budget, toe-tapping musical.