Movie review
March 11, 2020 · 91 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie keeps pushing diversity and identity themes the whole way through. Troll tribes stand in for different cultures via music genres, and the story constantly lectures about Pop Trolls stealing other tribes’ music, rewriting history as the winners, and how “denying our differences is denying the truth of who we are.” It reframes the entire fantasy history into modern cultural appropriation and equity messaging with explicit dialogue plus a dedicated song on the topic. The resolution hammers home respecting distinct identities over forced sameness or domination.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Trolls World Tour.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse voice actors for tribes with genre/cultural ties (e.g. Funk with Black performers); noticeable but fits the fantasy music premise without forced mismatch.
Woke political dialogue
Recurring explicit lines and songs on appropriation, winners writing history, and rejecting “we’re all the same.”
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative engine is tribal cultural identities clashing then achieving harmony only by respecting distinct differences.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Fantasy history reframed as Pop dominance and cultural appropriation with modern activist-style equity and listening lessons.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some conservative backlash labeling it woke/PC for diversity/equity push; not dominant.
Creator track record context
Producer emphasized diversity and used experts; no strong pattern from director or writers.
Production
