DreamWorks Animation presents Trolls World Tour, a music- filled, exciting adventure that’s sure to make the whole family sing, dance, and have fun again and again. Ralph Potts reviews the Ultra HD Blu-ray release from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )

Film:
Extras:
Audio/UHD Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )

91
Details:

Studio and Year: Universal - 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 91 minutes
Genre: Family

Disc Format: BD-100
Encoding: HEVC
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 2160p/24

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos/True HD 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Rachel Bloom, Jamie Dornan, Kenan Thompson, James Corden, Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, Sam Rockwell
Directed by: Walt Dohrn
Music by: Theodore Shapiro
Written by: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wally Wolodarsky, Elizabeth Tippet
Region Code: A,B,C


Release Date: July 7, 2020
"Sing. Dance. Laugh. Repeat! Again"
Synopsis:

“DreamWorks Animation presents Trolls World Tour, a music- filled, exciting adventure that’s sure to make the whole family sing, dance, and have fun again and again.” – Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

My Take:

Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick), Branch (Justin Timberlake), and the rest of your favorite Trolls are back for another musical adventure that’s bigger—and louder—than ever before! In Trolls World Tour, Poppy and Branch discover that their kingdom is only one of six musical realms—Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop, and Rock—that were once united in perfect harmony. When the power-hungry ruler of the Rocker Trolls threatens to silence all other music so her tribe can reign supreme, Poppy and Branch must embark on an epic quest to unite the realms of Trollskind, before the songs in their hearts are lost forever!

Trolls World Tour features a solid cast, musically spun/contemporary themes, and an elementary plot aimed at younger viewers. It keeps things simple, and builds upon the already established connection we have with its characters, while adding a bit of adventure and pop music, designed to get the toes of adult viewers tapping. There are entertaining characters, excellent production elements and a few charming moments, but there is nothing here that we haven’t seen before, and quite frankly the laughs and too infrequent. Trolls World Tour is cute enough but, never really grabbed hold tight enough to keep me completely engaged. I do think that little ones will get more out of it, so in that light, it may have something tangible to offer.

The Dance Party Edition includes an interactive dance party mode where viewers are introduced to dance moves to learn while they watch the film, lyrics to sing along, and surprises featuring their favorite characters! This special Dance Party Edition includes bonus content, such as an exclusive original short film starring the unforgettable Tiny Diamond, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes exclusives with the power-house musical cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and many more.


Replay Value: 2.5 Stars


Parental Guide:

The rating is for some mild rude humor.


AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


UHD Presentation(HDR-10): 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)



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UHD Presentation (Dolby Vision): 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)



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Dolby Atmos Rating: 88
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)



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Trolls World Tour comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 2160pHEVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound.

Trolls World Tour in Ultra HD is rendered from a 2K DI and up-converted to 4K. In terms of resolution the differences between this and the 1080p version are appreciable as there is a noticeably finer texture in the minutia, especially in the characteristics/physical makeup of the stop-motion animated characters. This also applied to the hand-crafted sets/backgrounds which emphasized depth of field and fine detail. The image has lots of pop as the expanded color gamut and emboldened dynamic range draw out the film’s bright chromatic palate and use of contrast. Whites are gradational and bright and the monochromatic grays, blues and black featured in the sequences with limited lighting are multi-staged and dimensional in appearance. As good as Trolls World Tour looks in 1080p, the Ultra HD rendering, while not heads and shoulders above it, enhances its attributes, making for a visually stimulating and pleasing video presentation.


Dolby Vision vs HDR-10:

I utilize the TCL 55P607 UHD Dolby Vision HDR flat panel in my review system to enable me to compare the visual quality of titles that contained the Dolby Vision metadata versus its HDR-10 counterpart on the same disc. All titles are first watched via my JVC front projector. I then select specific scenes which are watched on the TCL, first via HDR-10 then via Dolby Vision. The TCL isn’t among the top tier flat panels with DV, however it came recommended by AVS Senior Editor Mark Henninger, and calibrates/performs extremely well for a set at its price point.

* The cumulative A/V score will still be based upon the HDR-10 rating, with the DV rating serving as informational only for now.*

Comparing the DV and HDR10 presentations for Trolls World Tour, I found the HDR to be close, but felt that the DV rendering edged out the HDR10. Much of this came when comparing the same scenes, and finding that the rendering of color was not only slightly deeper, but seemingly more delineated. This film uses a broad chromatic palette and I felt that it shone brighter via Dolby Vision. Aside from that I found both renderings to be essentially identical.


Dolby Atmos:

In listening to the Dolby Atmos surround mix I found it to be of the moderately active variety that makes steady use of the platform. Its use of audio objects placed above is a mix of atmospherics, music and discrete sound effects. This is done very well and creates a tangible level of immersion that coincides with the onscreen events nicely. The mix effectively places effects/sounds within the soundstage which place you within the scene, in turn, adding an enriching element that heightens the feeling of immersion. While this isn’t what I would regard as an aggressive Atmos mix I enjoyed the balance of atmosphere combined with discrete object placement. I think that it complimented the source material and made for an entertaining listening experience.


For those not familiar with the details regarding Ultra HD Blu-ray you can refer to my article that includes some pertinent data on the subject. Here is the link:

Ultra HD Blu-ray Has Come to AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews

Blu-ray Video:


Video: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)



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Audio: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


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  • DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element): NA


Trolls World Tour comes to Blu-ray Disc from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound.

This is a reference quality video presentation that boasts vivacious colors that are rich in saturation and bold in depth. Detail is superlative as the video has definitive three-dimensional quality with crisp texture and excellent fine articulation. Contrast is strong and well balanced so that whites are crisp and colors pop without distortion or loss of detail. Blacks are deep with excellent dynamic and enriching gradational highlights. This is a beautiful and pristine quality digital transfer that sparkles on Blu-ray.

The 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack makes excellent use of the entire surround platform and offers detail rich sonic clarity, crystalline dialog and plenty of room filling bass. This mix doesn’t bombard you with constantly aggressive surround sound. It applies it when appropriate and combines discretely placed directional cues with rear channel ambience that fills the listening area nicely. The LFE channel is actively engaged throughout and offers bass response that is punchy and clean. This is a well-rounded overall presentation that I thought complimented the source material.


Bonus Features:
  • Disc 1: Trolls World Tour (Dance Part Edition) Ultra HD Blu-ray
  • Disc 2: Trolls World Tour (Dance Party Edition) Blu-ray
    • DANCE PARTY MODE – As Queen Poppy makes her way across the lands, this on-screen experience encourages the viewer to sing and dance along as they customize their own musical journey. With sing-along and dance elements, interactive pop ups and more, it’s sure to be a world of fun!
    • TINY DIAMOND GOES BACK TO SCHOOL – In this exclusive original short film, journey back to school with Tiny Diamond as he tries to figure out how to be the cool kid and ‘fit in’.
    • TROLLS DANCE ACADEMY – Compilation of How-To-Dance pieces from Dance Party Mode
    o Pop
    o Waltz
    o Country
    o Funk
    o KPop
    o Reggaeton
    • TROLLS WORLD TOURIST MAP – Cloud Guy provides a quick "tourist guide's" view of the six realms that make up Trolls Kingdom.
    o Trolls Village
    o Symphonyville
    o Lonesome Flats
    o Vibe City
    o Volcano Rock City
    o Techno Reef
    • DELETED SCENES WITH INTROS BY DIRECTOR WALT DOHRN, PRODUCER GINA SHAY AND CO-DIRECTOR DAVID P. SMITH*
    o Cooper's Destiny
    o Let's Go Save the World
    o Bicycle Built for Two
    o Breaktime
    o Meet the Bounty Hunters
    o Making New Friends
    o Cloud 9
    • TROLLS PERFECT HARMONY – Hear from the star-studded cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Kunal Nayyar, James Corden and the filmmakers about the history of music featured in the film. From classical to country to rock, pop and techno, the cast and filmmakers reveal their favorite types of music.
    • TROLLS WORLD TOUR BACKSTAGE* – A behind-the-scenes making of featurette showcases Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, Ron Funches, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Sam Rockwell and Kenan Thompson as some of the talent behind the Trolls and the process of bringing the them to life.
    o Opening Act
    o Headliners
    o Encore!
    • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR WALT DOHRN, PRODUCER GINA SHAY AND CO-DIRECTOR DAVID P. SMITH
    * Exclusive to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ & Digital
  • Digital Code
Final Thoughts:

Trolls World Tour is a mildly entertaining, formulaic, family adventure, that will appeal more to young viewers, while, aside from a decent selection of throw-back pop music, will leave their parents rather bored. It comes to Blu-ray in this Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment featuring excellent Ultra HD quality, sparkling high definition video, rewarding lossless surround sound, including a solid Dolby Atmos mix, and a fan friendly assortment of extras. Trolls World Tour wasn't especially my cup of tea but, should make for an entertaining evening for the kids, especially on Blu-ray.

 
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman color calibration software and Portrait Displays C6 HDR2000 colorimeter from  Portrait.com )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/Roomie Remote V6 Universal Remote Control
SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (Gloss Finish)
SVS Ultra Center Channel (Gloss Finish)
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Niles Audio In-Ceiling/In-Wall Series Speakers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems