Review of Trolls World Tour (2020) by Davrosdaleks1 — 11 Apr 2020

I liked this sequel.

I admit that this may not be the most ambitious children's film ever made. I remember people complaining that the last film was predictable. I didn't see that. Here though, ... yeah. You get a quest for magical macguffins. You get a whole new brand array of trolls in order to sell merchandise. Plus, there is a formulaic "guy tries to express his feelings to his love interest but can't quite get it out" trope going on. However, what the movie lacks in originality, it makes up with presentation.

The writers were clearly having fun in this. There are a couple jokes where I laughed out loud. With the trolls traveling across the land meeting more trolls, I felt there was more going on than in the first film. I expecially liked the new villain Barb (voiced by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Rachel Bloom). In comparison to the villain in the first film, who was mostly just served to move the plot along, Barb is more morally ambiguous and relatable with some amusing lines.

The movie's message about accepting people's differences and different likes and cultures may not be the most original, but it is well done.

I admit that due to the busy cast of characters, a couple of characters' storylines don't get a whole lot of conclusion. In particular, the writers didn't really seem to know what to do with Biggie (voiced by James Corden).

World Tour continues with the fantastic-looking felt scrapbook look. This is even better looking than the first film. There's even a little visual experimentation in a couple parts.

Overall, I think I might rewatch this more than the first Trolls because this is a general pleaser that delivers a lot.