Well, this was an interesting watch for me. Even though I liked Trolls for the most part back in 2016, I still admitted that it was very average. Over time, I have looked back on it as being more and more mediocre, even though it had some fun moments. Upon seeing the trailers for the sequel Trolls World Tour, I did nothing but shake my head, thinking it looked like utter garbage. To my surprise, I watched it and actually thought it was a better film than the first. Sure, there are some heavy-handed messages and not everything works, that's for sure, but I think it's a great movie for kids to watch. Here's why (shockingly) I think all families/kids should check this one out.
Trolls World Tour pretty much uses music as a metaphor to replicate the real world for kids to understand. Instead of countries and certain characteristics dividing people in our world, it's the different genres of music. Spread out throughout the world, there's Country, Rock, Funk, Pop, Techno, and Classical, with many others in between. The writers decided to make Rock the villain, having their leader wanting to take over the world of music. Barb who runs Rock, wants to turn everyone into a rocker, to look and sound the same. Our main characters from the first film in Poppy and Branch, go on a mission to prevent this from happening. There are a few more complexities to the story that make for some great lessons for kids, so I won't dive into those.
I thought the messages throughout this movie were far better than the ones in the first Trolls, but like most movies made for kids, the metaphors themselves can get a little lost in translation. It's very clear what they are going for, but when younger audiences watch this movie, they probably won't quite get everything. Still, it makes for a basic outline of how our world sort of works, which is absolutely a plus. I thought the messages were a little too lost to the point that it actually hurt the movie overall, but there was still a lot to enjoy.
I will admit that the overuse of popular music in all genres was a little generic, but I guess the target audience probably doesn't even know most of the music being played, so I can also give a pass to that. Trolls World Tour has two goals in mind and I believe it accomplished both of them. It aims to be a pleasing, fun experience for kids, while also providing some very solid life lessons. If a film that's aimed at kids can pull off both of those, I truly believe it earns its place.
In the end, Trolls World Tour probably won't win over those who couldn't find any enjoyment in the first film, but it was a better film overall in my opinion. The animation is vibrant and fun to look at, the characters all have new arcs, and the world was expanded on, all of which are things a good sequel needs. Now available to watch at home, instead of releasing in theatres, Trolls World Tour may just be the perfect movie for families with little kids to enjoy together.
Trolls World Tour pretty much uses music as a metaphor to replicate the real world for kids to understand. Instead of countries and certain characteristics dividing people in our world, it's the different genres of music. Spread out throughout the world, there's Country, Rock, Funk, Pop, Techno, and Classical, with many others in between. The writers decided to make Rock the villain, having their leader wanting to take over the world of music. Barb who runs Rock, wants to turn everyone into a rocker, to look and sound the same. Our main characters from the first film in Poppy and Branch, go on a mission to prevent this from happening. There are a few more complexities to the story that make for some great lessons for kids, so I won't dive into those.
I thought the messages throughout this movie were far better than the ones in the first Trolls, but like most movies made for kids, the metaphors themselves can get a little lost in translation. It's very clear what they are going for, but when younger audiences watch this movie, they probably won't quite get everything. Still, it makes for a basic outline of how our world sort of works, which is absolutely a plus. I thought the messages were a little too lost to the point that it actually hurt the movie overall, but there was still a lot to enjoy.
I will admit that the overuse of popular music in all genres was a little generic, but I guess the target audience probably doesn't even know most of the music being played, so I can also give a pass to that. Trolls World Tour has two goals in mind and I believe it accomplished both of them. It aims to be a pleasing, fun experience for kids, while also providing some very solid life lessons. If a film that's aimed at kids can pull off both of those, I truly believe it earns its place.
In the end, Trolls World Tour probably won't win over those who couldn't find any enjoyment in the first film, but it was a better film overall in my opinion. The animation is vibrant and fun to look at, the characters all have new arcs, and the world was expanded on, all of which are things a good sequel needs. Now available to watch at home, instead of releasing in theatres, Trolls World Tour may just be the perfect movie for families with little kids to enjoy together.