Trolls Holiday (2017) Review
Opening with a bright and cheery fuzzy felt scrapbook retelling of the story of the “Trolls” movie, “Trolls Holiday” picks up where that story left off, with the Bergens seeking a replacement for Trollstice.
When Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick) realises the Bergens now have no holiday, she’s determined to set things straight. With her usual enthusiasm and the help of her friends, she sets out to help King King Gristle Jr (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) find the best holiday ever.
Like “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”, “Trolls Holiday” is a Christmas special in all but actually mentioning the word but only the most tiny-hearted, narrow-minded individuals would find anything to complain about in that. Inclusivity was at the heart of the first movie and this lightweight festive special offers the same eye-popping kaleidoscope of colour and cute character design. Sure there’s fun to be had as Poppy and a reluctant Branch (Justin Timberlake) pitch holiday after holiday after holiday to the increasingly distressed and be-glittered Bergen royals but, despite its brief 22-minute runtime, it still feels very light on story, although there is a great gag referencing the Trolls’ plastic toy origins during a journey through a psychedelic ‘wormhole’. Some of the gags are recycled from the film and the special’s best musical number, Branch’s ‘Friends’ medley, is cut short in favour of more frantic slapstick holiday action.
Ultimately, this is intended as a stocking stuffer/ TV schedule filler and still feels a little overpriced at £4.99 (although that’ll drop soon enough no doubt, especially now it’s on Netflix). It’s nice to see Poppy and the gang again, but this half-hearted holiday hootenanny only serves to reinforce how far the “Trolls” movie exceeded expectations.
4/10 
