''Trolls World Tour'' (often named as ''Trolls 2: World Tour'') is a 2020 American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film produced by

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...

and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls created by

Thomas Dam Thomas Dam (May 15, 1915-November 12, 1989) was a Danish woodworker and fisherman associated with Gjøl in Denmark. Dam designed and invented the original troll doll also known as the "Good Luck Troll". He created the toy during a period of fina ...

. The sequel to ''

Trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

'' (2016) and the second installment in the

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

, the film was directed by

Walt Dohrn Walter Dohrn (born December 5, 1970) is an American writer, director, animator, musician, and actor. He performed the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in ''Shrek Forever After'', as well as various characters in ''Shrek the Third''. Dohrn has also worke ...

and co-directed by David P. Smith (in his

feature directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

), from a screenplay by

Maya Forbes Maya Forbes (born July 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter and television producer. She made her debut as a film director with '' Infinitely Polar Bear'' (2014). Her other writing credits include the screenplay of '' The Rocker'' (2008) and many ...

Wallace Wolodarsky Wallace Wolodarsky, also billed as Wally Wolodarsky, is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, and film director known for being one of the writers for ''The Simpsons'' during the first four seasons with his writing partner Jay K ...

, Elizabeth Tippet, and the writing team of

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Jonathan Robert Aibel (born August 6, 1969 in Demarest, New Jersey) and Glenn Todd Berger (born August 26, 1969 in Smithtown, New York) are American screenwriters and producers, who are best known for writing the ''Kung Fu Panda'' movies, '' The ...

, and a story by Aibel and Berger. The film features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

that includes the voices of

Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Satellite Award, five Teen Choice Awards, three MTV Movie Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award a ...

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

Rachel Bloom Rachel Leah Bloom (born April 3, 1987) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring as Rebecca Bunch in The CW musical comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' (2015– ...

James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey''. In the U ...

Ron Funches Ronald Kyle Funches (born March 12, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Born in California, Funches spent his early life in Chicago before relocating to Salem, Oregon, as a teenager. He began his comedy career in Portland, Oregon, at ...

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her deb ...

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...

, George Clinton, and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awar ...

. The film follows Poppy and Branch as they discover several more troll tribes that represent music genres other than their own. Troubles arise when the Queen of the Rock tribe plans to overthrow the foreign music genres to unite the trolls under rock music. A sequel to ''Trolls'' was announced in February 2017, with Kendrick and Timberlake returning their roles. Podcasters the McElroy brothers began campaigning for roles in the film in March 2017, with DreamWorks Animation confirmed it would make cameo appearances in September 2018. Much of the new cast were signed in May 2018 to June 2019. The marking custom animation to promote the film was provided from Minimo VFX and

Jellyfish Pictures Jellyfish Pictures is a British VFX company specializing in the creation of digital visual effects and animation. History The studio opened up in 2001 with a team of three artists and one producer, opening up their first studio around 2003 i ...

. ''Trolls World Tour'' was released in the United States in a limited number of theaters on April 10, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was simultaneously released on

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. ( d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fo ...

subsequently announced they would no longer distribute the studio's films, though this was later reversed after AMC and Universal agreed on a new contract. Like its predecessor, the film received generally positive reviews from critics. A third film is set to be released in theaters on November 17, 2023.

Plot

In the techno kingdom, King Trollex's tribe of

Techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often c ...

Trolls are attending a

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

, when

Hard Rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...

Trolls led by Queen Barb arrive and use weaponized guitars to destroy everything. Queen Barb demands Trollex to surrender and hand over his "string". Queen Poppy later receives a letter from Barb, inviting her to bring her "string" to unite the trolls. Former King Peppy explains there were once six magical

lyre The lyre () is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke ...

strings that represented major tribes of music - Pop, Hard Rock, Techno,

Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

, Classical, and Country. However, the six tribes took their strings and went their separate ways. Peppy, Branch, and the others don't trust Barb's invitation, but Poppy decides to sneak out with her string, to prove Barb is the same as any other troll. Branch (who is trying to confess his love) and Biggie (who stowed away) accompany her. At the same time, a giraffe-like Pop Troll named Cooper finds old illustrations of trolls his shape, and sets off to find them, eventually getting beamed up into a spaceship. Meanwhile, Barb sends bounty hunters of smaller music genres to find Poppy, promising to spare the tribe of the successful one. Poppy's group soon discovers the ruins of the Classical tribe's town, Symphonyville. A sentient flute, Pennywhistle, tells them that Barb wants to forcefully unite all trolls under Rock. They then head to Lonesome Flats to warn the centaur-like Country Trolls. Poppy feels their music is too downbeat and decides to try to cheer them up first, despite Branch's reservations. The Pop Trolls wind up imprisoned, but are rescued by a smooth-talking Country Troll named Hickory, who builds them a raft to take them to Vibe City to warn the Funk Trolls. They encounter Chaz, a

Smooth Jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

troll, who paralyzes them with his music, until Hickory, using gumdrop earplugs to remain immune, drives him off. Biggie deserts the group, angry that Poppy broke an earlier promise to keep him safe. The group reaches Vibe City, which turns out to be the spaceship that took Cooper. They reunite with Cooper, who reveals that he is actually the long-lost son of Funk Trolls King Quincy and Queen Essence, and twin brother of their son Prince D. Poppy maintains all trolls are the same, but Prince D explains that Pop Trolls once tried to unite all trolls under Pop, causing the initial split. The Hard Rock Trolls attack the ship, and Poppy's group is ejected to safety. Poppy and Branch argue over her refusal to listen; Branch walks off and is captured by

Reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

and

K-Pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, go ...

trolls, who fight over him until he convinces them to work together with him against Barb. A repentant Hickory reveals he is actually a

Yodel Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from th ...

troll, who disguised himself and his brother Dickory as a centaur to steal Poppy's string. He tells Poppy to run, but Barb arrives and captures her. Biggie, meanwhile, returns home to find Pop Village destroyed, and realizes he should have never left Poppy, rallying the other Pop trolls to rescue her. At Volcano Rock City, Barb forces her captives to attend a concert. She uses the six magic strings on her guitar to turn all her captives to Rock Zombies, including Branch when he and his new friends try to rescue Poppy. Poppy herself seems to have been turned, but then reveals that she used gumdrops to block out the music. She smashes Barb's guitar, restoring the zombies, but the strings are destroyed, ending music and turning all trolls gray. Cooper hears his heartbeat and starts

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

with Prince D, convincing other trolls to make sounds to create a rhythm. Poppy leads everyone into singing together from their hearts, restoring their music and color, including Barb, who accepts Poppy's offer of friendship, while Branch finally confesses his mutual love for Poppy, and the trolls all return to Pop Village to celebrate.

Voice cast

as Queen Poppy, the sweet and optimistic Queen of the Pop Trolls and Branch's love interest (later girlfriend). *

as Branch, an over-cautious, but good-hearted survivalist Pop Troll who is Poppy's love interest (later boyfriend). *

as Queen Barb, the feisty and misguided Queen of the Hard Rock Trolls. *

as Biggie, a large, friendly Pop Troll who accompanies Poppy and Branch on their journey. *

as Cooper, a giraffe-like Pop Troll who discovers he is really a long-lost prince of the Funk Trolls. *

as Delta Dawn, the mayor of the centaur-like Country Trolls. *

as Prince D, one of the princes of the Funk Trolls and Cooper's twin brother. *

as Hickory, one of the Yodelling Trolls who disguises himself as a Country Troll. * George Clinton as King Quincy, the King of the Funk Trolls and Cooper and Prince D’s father. *

as Queen Essence, the Queen of the Funk Trolls and Cooper and Prince D’s mother. *

Kenan Thompson Kenan Thompson (; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also th ...

as Tiny Diamond, a baby glittery Pop Troll and Guy Diamond's rapping newborn son. *

Kunal Nayyar Kunal Nayyar (, ; born 30 April 1981) is a British actor. He portrayed Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019) and voiced Vijay on the Nickelodeon animated sitcom ''Sanjay and Craig'' (2013–2016). Nayyar also ...

as Guy Diamond, a naked, glittery Pop Troll with a highly auto-tuned voice and Tiny Diamond's single father. *

Icona Pop Icona Pop ( ) is a Swedish electropop duo which formed in 2009, with electro house and indie pop music influences. Its two members, Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986), grew up in Stockholm and create what the ...

as Satin and Chenille, twin

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

ista Pop Trolls who are conjoined by their hair. *

J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...

as Tresillo, the leader of the Reggaeton Trolls. *

Flula Borg Flula Borg (; born 28 March 1982) is a German actor, comedian, musician, DJ, and internet personality who is also known simply as Flula (sometimes stylized as f, u, a) or DJ Flula. He lives in Los Angeles. Borg's acting career includes roles in ...

as Dickory, one of the Yodelling Trolls and Hickory's brother who helped with his Country Troll disguise. *

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name ...

as Legsly, a Pop Troll who can make her legs grow really long at will. *

Jamie Dornan James Peter Maxwell Dornan (; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model and musician from Northern Ireland. Formerly a character actor, he often portrays solemn, steady characters. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been ...

as Chaz, the Smooth Jazz Troll. *

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was ...

as Trollzart, the ruler and conductor of the butterfly-winged Classical Trolls. *

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

as Thrash, the retired King of the Hard Rock Trolls and Barb's semi-senile father who moves around in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries (paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebral p ...

. * Anthony Ramos as King Trollex, the kind, upbeat and protective King of the half-fish Techno Trolls. *

Karan Soni Karan Soni (born January 8, 1989) is an Indian-American actor and comedian. Often appearing in comedic roles, he came to prominence for playing Dopinder in the films ''Deadpool'' (2016) and its sequel ''Deadpool 2'' (2018). Born in New Delhi, ...

as Riff, a Hard Rock Troll and Barb's laid-back drummer. *

Charlyne Yi Charlyne Amanda Yi (born January 4, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Their performances include music, magic, games, and often audience participation. Their screenwriting debut, the feature film '' Paper Heart'', wo ...

as Pennywhistle, a small

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

who resides with the Classical Trolls. * Red Velvet as the K-Pop Gang, a group of K-pop Trolls: **

Wendy Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

as Wani, the blue member of the gang. ** Irene as Baby Bun, the pink member of the gang. ** Seulgi as Gomdori, the yellow member of the gang. **

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

as Ari, the green member of the gang. **

Yeri Yeri may refer to: * Yeri, Cyprus * Yeri, Tajikistan *Yeri (singer) Kim Ye-rim (; born March 5, 1999), known by her stage name Yeri, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Early life Kim ...

as Kim-Petit, the purple member of the gang. *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as: ** Mr. Dinkles, Biggie's pet worm. ** Growley Pete, a grumbly-voiced Country Troll and Delta Dawn's deputy. ** Sid Fret, a rather dim-witted Hard Rock Troll ** Mr. Dinkles God. *

as: ** Smidge, a small, inordinately strong female Pop Troll with a masculine voice. ** Cloud Guy, an eccentric

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

cloud that serves as the narrator of the opening prologue. ** King Peppy, the former King of the Pop Trolls and Poppy's father. He was previously voiced by

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom '' The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank King ...

in the previous film. ** Fuzzbert, a Pop Troll whose legs are the only thing visible besides his hair ** Death Metal Dinkles ** Announcer ** Country Troll Baby ** Country Troll Farmer. * David P. Smith as: ** Country Music Rooster ** Desert Sun ** Eighth Goats ** Licky Bug ** Scrapbook Troll *

Da'Vine Joy Randolph Da'Vine Joy Randolph (born May 21, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She first gained recognition as Oda Mae Brown in the Broadway production of '' Ghost: The Musical'' (2012); she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a ...

as Bliss Marina, a magenta-colored Techno Troll. * Sheila B, a flower-faced balloon. *

Betsy Sodaro Betsy Sodaro is an American actress from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. Sodaro is best known for her appearances on comedy programs such as ''Another Period'', '' Duncanville'', '' Clipped'', ''Animal Practice'', '' Nailed ...

voices Clampers, a young Country Troll who lives in Delta Dawn's hair and has huge teeth. * Marcella Lentz-Pope voices Carol, a seasoned Hard Rock Troll who is often seen eating cheese from a spray can. * Berenice Amador and Jamila Hache voice Marimba and Tambora, two of the Reggaeton Trolls and two of the many bounty hunters hired by Barb. *

Justin McElroy Justin Tyler McElroy ( , born November 8, 1980) is an American podcaster, comedian, and former video game journalist. He is known for his work on podcasts (such as '' My Brother, My Brother and Me'', ''The Adventure Zone'', and '' Sawbones'') an ...

Travis McElroy Travis Patrick McElroy ( , born November 8, 1983) is an American podcaster, writer, and comedian. He is known for his work on podcasts such as '' My Brother, My Brother and Me'', ''Shmanners'', ''The Adventure Zone'', and '' Can I Pet Your Dog?' ...

, and

Griffin McElroy Griffin Andrew McElroy ( , born April 17, 1987) is an American podcaster, actor, writer, composer, and former video game journalist. He is known for his work on podcasts such as '' My Brother, My Brother and Me'' and ''The Adventure Zone'', as w ...

as Skyscraper Troll, a four-headed Pop Troll where three of his heads are sticking out of his hair alongside the heads' associated arms. ** Justin McElroy also voices a Techno Beat-Drop button that is loyal to King Trollex and a tumbleweed in Country Troll territory. ** Travis McElroy also voices Rocker Tear. ** Griffin McElroy also voices Country Music Tear. *

Christopher Mintz-Plasse Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse (; born June 20, 1989) is an American actor and comedian. He has performed roles such as Fogell (McLovin) in '' Superbad'' (2007), Augie Farcques in ''Role Models'' (2008), and Chris D'Amico in '' Kick-Ass'' (201 ...

as Gristle Jr., the King of the Bergens. *

Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel (; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She made her film debut in '' Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known for he ...

as Bridget, the Queen of the Bergens and Gristle's wife.

Production

On February 28, 2017,

and

announced a sequel to the 2016 film ''

'', with

and

reprising their roles as Poppy and Branch. In March 2017, podcasters the McElroy brothers began campaigning for roles in the film via a podcast titled "The McElroy Brothers Will Be in Trolls World Tour". Following the campaign's success, DreamWorks confirmed in September 2018 that the McElroy brothers would make cameo appearances in ''World Tour''.

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

, Anthony Ramos,

and

were added to the cast in May 2018. Corden, Icona Pop, Funches, and Nayyar returned to reprise their roles. On June 12, 2018, the film was retitled as ''Trolls World Tour''. In October 2018, it was confirmed that

had joined the cast, and will perform an original song. In June 2019, along with promotional posters, new cast members have been announced, which include:

, George Clinton,

and

. The marking custom animation to promote the film was provided from Minimo VFX &

, who would do the animation for ''

Spirit Untamed ''Spirit Untamed'' is a 2021 American computer-animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan Jr. (in their feature direct ...

'' and have produced assets for '' The Boss Baby: Family Business'' and '' The Bad Guys''.

Music

Along with Timberlake, Clarkson, .Paak, Blige and Clinton, songs are provided by

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, t ...

and SZA. The first single from the movie's soundtrack, " The Other Side", by Timberlake and SZA, was released on February 26, 2020. The '' Trolls World Tour: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' was released on March 13, 2020.

Release

Theatrical

had originally planned to release ''Trolls World Tour'' theatrically in the United States on April 10, 2020. It was later pushed up to February 14, 2020 before being pushed back to April 17, 2020. Following the delay of ''

No Time to Die ''No Time to Die'' is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, starring Daniel Craig in his fifth and final portrayal of fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Cary J ...

'', it was once again pushed up to the original April 10 release date. It was also set to be released on March 20 in the United Kingdom, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

, its release date was pushed back to April 6. On March 17, Universal announced that the film would be released simultaneously in theaters and for digital rental on April 10 in the United States and Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, ''Trolls World Tour'' had only been released in Russia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Other films distributed by the studio, such as ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in ''Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devote ...

'' and '' The Hunt'' were also released digitally before the end of the usual 90-day theatrical run. As the lockdown measures receded, the film was released in three

Santikos Theatres Santikos Entertainment (formerly Santikos Theatres) is an American movie theater and entertainment center chain based in San Antonio, Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United ...

locations in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

on May 1, 2020. Theatres in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta ...

also started to show the film a week later on May 8, 2020. In Russia the film was made available in

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

cinemas. In Austria and the Netherlands, it was released in both

4DX 4DX is a 4D film format developed by CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV. It allows films to be augmented with various practical effects, including motion-seats, wind, strobe-lights, simulated-snow, and scents. First int ...

and

Dolby Cinema Dolby Cinema is a premium cinema created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. The technology competes with IMA ...

Home media

''Trolls World Tour'' was made available for an early

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

purchase on June 23, 2020. The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of stori ...

, and

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Blu ...

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...

on July 7, 2020. All releases include an original short film entitled "Tiny Diamond Goes Back to School". By July 19, the film had totaled $23.6 million worth of DVD and Blu-ray sales. The movie was also available to stream on the streaming service Peacock.

Controversy

In response to Universal releasing the film without consulting theater owners, as well as comments from

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primari ...

CEO Jeff Shell suggesting that future Universal releases would premiere on streaming simultaneously in theaters,

stated that they would not license films that also premiere at the same time on digital release; "Going forward, AMC will not license any Universal movies in any of our 1,000 theatres globally on these terms."

Regal Cinemas Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens ...

followed suit in a statement not just directed at Universal, saying "we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows". However, in July 2020, AMC and Universal announced they had come to a deal to shorten the minimum theatrical window to 17 days (down from the usual 90), and that AMC would receive an undisclosed share of subsequent PVOD sales, resulting in a termination of AMC's ban on Universal's films. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' wrote that some of the cast, including Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, were not aware of the film's VOD release, and that their representatives were trying to secure the actors' bonuses they would have received had the film performed well theatrically.

Reception

Box office

In the U.S., the film made about $60,000 in its opening weekend from 25

drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view mov ...

s, amid extensive movie theater closures due to restrictions targeted at the COVID-19 pandemic. By May 12, despite no official reports,

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wi ...

said media outlets including Box Office Mojo had underreported the figures and estimated the film was approaching $1 million from theatrical grosses. By June 7, Deadline said the film had amassed $3.6 million from the domestic box office, and likely had been the first place film every weekend since its release. It continued to play in drive-ins in the following weeks.

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray beg ...

reported the domestic gross at only $450,000 and reported the total worldwide gross at $48 million. The-Numbers.com did not count any domestic gross, and put the worldwide total slightly higher at $49 million.

VOD sales

Following its debut digital streaming weekend, it was reported by FandangoNow that the film had set the record for most streams on a release weekend by the company. The film also finished number one for

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

, Comcast,

Apple TV An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ...

Vudu Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of films, ...

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, and

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, with Universal reporting it was purchased 10-times more than its previous day-one rental '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'', which had made $2–3 million on its first day. Altogether, the film made at least $40 million over the weekend. Through the first 19 days of release, it was estimated between three and five million people had streamed the film, resulting in about a $95 million gross ($77 million of which went to Universal, more revenue for the studio than the original film made during its entire theatrical run). After three months of release the film remained in the top-five across most services, and occasionally returned to the top spot on Amazon Prime, FandangoNow, and iTunes. By August, ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

'' estimated the film had made about $150 million from rentals. ''

'' estimated that due to the film's approximate $95 million production cost, plus another $30 million spent on marketing (although rival studios claim Universal spent more than that, as high as a normal $80–100 million campaign), the film could

break-even Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance, (sometimes called point of equilibrium) is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. Any number below the break-even point constitutes a loss while any number above it ...

if 9–12 million people rent the film, resulting in about $200 million in revenue. ''

'' wrote that "in the opinion of some industry veterans,

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

may never make a dime" although "Universal believes it can make $40 million or more in profit from all revenue sources." In October 2020, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said the film was the second-most popular PVOD title amid the COVID-19 pandemic, behind ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

''.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 160 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A fun follow-up for fans of the original, ''Trolls World Tour'' offers a second helping of colorful animation, infectious energy, and sing-along songs." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc D ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine gave it a mixed review, calling it a "music-drenched fairy tale" and "for all its surface pleasures, it's a likable but underimagined one, with more enthusiasm than surprise and, at the same time, an overprogrammed sense of its own thematic destiny."

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cultu ...

gave a mixed review, calling it "

Infinity War ''Avengers: Infinity War'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to '' The Avengers'' ( ...

with lower stakes"

Accolades

Sequel

On April 9, 2020, Justin Timberlake expressed interest in participating in 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". On November 22, 2021, it was announced that a third ''Trolls'' film would be released in theaters on November 17, 2023.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Cartoon, Animation, Comedy 2020 films Trolls (franchise) 2020 computer-animated films 2020s American animated films American 3D films American computer-animated films Films about trolls Films based on toys Jukebox musical films Films scored by Theodore Shapiro Films with screenplays by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger DreamWorks Animation animated films Universal Pictures animated films Universal Pictures films 2020s children's animated films Animated films about music and musicians Animated films based on Norse mythology 2020s English-language films