Review: Trolls Holiday in Harmony

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Poppy is planning a “secret gift swap” for all of Trolls Kingdom. When both Poppy and Branch end up drawing each other’s names, things take an unexpected turn as they scramble to find the perfect gift for one another. Meanwhile, Tiny Diamond attempts to come up with a holiday rap for his dad, Guy Diamond.

Our Take:

This franchise has come a long way since the brand’s revival five years ago. From its all-star cast to the funky and vibrant jukebox musical numbers, the color-haired, spunky trolls created by Thomas Dam had surprisingly made themselves relevant again in a unique and fun way. Whether you enjoy this contemporary take on the toy line or not, it’s easy to admit that these singing and dancing trolls aren’t going extinct anytime soon. Its ongoing series on Hulu, Trolls: TrollsTopia, is already waiting for its upcoming fifth season. Until then, we have ourselves another television special to help us celebrate the holiday season with the trolls early.

Holiday in Harmony is the second holiday special based on the Trolls films, following Trolls Holiday back in 2017. From what I can remember, I thought Trolls Holiday was a pretty decent addition to DreamWorks Animation’s collection of holiday-themed television specials based on iconic films like Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon. So I was highly interested in seeing how this one will fare compared to the other specials, especially since I have a soft spot for the movies and shows.

Unlike Trolls Holiday, Holiday in Harmony focused on two subplots. One involves Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) searching for perfect gifts for each other. The other has Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson) attempting to find his flow to create a rap for Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar). Unsurprisingly, these subplots had enough merry-making and energetic joy to impress many young fans of the franchise and maybe some adults too.

The special didn’t provide any fresh lyrics for its familiar song sheet. The plot is something that we’ve seen plenty of times in other Christmas-themed episodes of television shows. Despite that, the story in Holiday in Harmony is a well-paced and heartfelt expansion of the Trolls universe that suitably explores Poppy and Branch’s relationship further and delivers a solid message about the true meaning of gift-giving. Poppy and Branch had spent the entire special trying to go big on their presents, only for them to realize that the greatest gift is “through the clutter”, as explained by Tiny Diamond.

Everything that worked in the movies and Trolls Holiday is applied here, including the voice cast and the animation. Most of the actors from the previous entries returned to reprise their roles, such as Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, and Ron Funches. As usual, they delivered plenty of infectious spirit into their performances, especially Kendrick and Timberlake as Poppy and Branch, respectively. These two trolls have been providing lovable chemistry since 2016 due to the main actors’ vocal performances and their distinct personalities, and I’m happy to see that this magnetic element still hasn’t missed a single note.

Another character that I enjoyed was Tiny Diamond, who was first introduced in the 2020 sequel, Trolls World Tour. Voiced confidently by Kenan Thompson, Tiny Diamond is a delightful supporting character whose quest to find his flow is as charming as his rapping. The special also included a couple of new characters that made a decent impression for themselves design-wise, such as the Rhyme-a-Saurus, voiced by rapper Travis Scott.

The animation in Holiday in Harmony was just as bright, colorful, and creative as one would expect from Trolls. It beautifully resembled something you would see in a scrapbook when taking the character designs, musical numbers, and environments into account. It may not be as immersive as the films, but the style still proves the franchise remains strong in providing imagination that’s as joyful as arts and crafts.

Overall, Trolls Holiday in Harmony is a harmonious follow-up to Trolls Holiday. It is also another entertaining special that should fit snugly into DreamWorks Animation’s holiday-themed catalog. While it didn’t offer anything unique to its predictable plot, it has enough moments in its voice cast, animation, and music to get the young fans of the vibrant and charismatic franchise singing in perfect harmony. Now, all we need is a Trolls Halloween special, and the franchise’s collection of holiday adventures will be complete.