Movie review
October 12, 2023 · 91 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie features prominent rainbow flags lining the streets for a Bergen wedding scene that match Pride flag designs. RuPaul, a drag queen, voices the wedding officiant Miss Maxine and delivers suggestive lines about having hundreds of lovers. The story keeps pushing family acceptance, sibling reconciliation, and "be yourself over perfection" messaging the whole way through, with Branch's brother Floyd coded as the sensitive one. Queer voice casting (Troye Sivan as Floyd, Andrew Rannells as the flamboyant villain Veneer) adds more signaling in this kids' film.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Trolls Band Together.
Woke representation / casting
Visible LGBTQ+ signaling via Pride-style rainbow flags in a major scene, RuPaul (drag queen) as wedding officiant, and multiple openly gay voice actors in prominent roles.
Woke political dialogue
No explicit political or activist dialogue.
Identity-driven story themes
Family acceptance, reconciliation, and "be yourself" messaging are central to the brother-reunion engine, with subtle queer-coding on the sensitive brother.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No modern activist critique of patriarchy, toxic masculinity, or systemic oppression; standard family-comedy parody of boy-band egos.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Niche conservative/Christian coverage called out LGBT symbols and RuPaul in a children's movie; backlash present but not widespread.
Creator track record context
Co-director Walt Dohrn and writer Elizabeth Tippet previously worked on Trolls World Tour with inclusivity messaging; franchise pattern of subtle social themes.
Production
