Zooey Deschanel Archives

November 4, 2023

by Carla Hay

John Dory (voiced by Eric André), Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake) in “Trolls Band Together” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

Directed by Walt Dohrn; co-directed by Tim Heitz

Culture Representation: This animated film sequel, whch is the third film in the “Trolls” movie seires, has a racially diverse cast (white, African American and Latino) voicing characters based on troll dolls.

Culture Clash: A troll doll named Branch has his secret past exposed as a short-lived boy band member with his brothers, who must all reunite to save one of the brothers, who has been kidnapped by fraternal twin pop stars.

Culture Audience: “Trolls Band Together” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the “Trolls” movie series, the movie’s cast members, and pop songs from the 1970s to 2000s.

Pictured clockwise, from upper left: Spruce (voiced by Daveed Diggs), Bitty B, also known as Baby Branch (voiced by Alan Kim), Floyd (voiced by Troye Sivan), Clay (voiced by Kid Cudi) and John Dory (voiced by Eric André) in “Trolls Band Together” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

Although not as good as the first two “Trolls” movies, “Trolls Band Together” has its charms with high-energy entertainment and appealing characters. The movie’s biggest flaw: The story is overstuffed with subplots and stunt-casting cameos. There’s nothing award-worthy about “Trolls Band Together,” but it’s the type of animated movie that delivers what it’s supposed to deliver to its intended audience. “Trolls Band Together” (which is the third movie in the “Trolls” series) seems much more geared to children under the age of 8, compared to the first two “Trolls” movies.

Directed by Walter Dohrn and co-directed by Tim Heitz, “Trolls Band Together” is a sequel in the movie series that began with 2016’s “Trolls” and continued with 2020’s “Trolls World Tour.” The movies are based on Good Luck Trolls (toy figurines) created by Thomas Dam. The returning characters in “Trolls Band Together” include Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), who go on a mission to reunite Branch with his brothers, who were all in a boy band together. They have to reunite in order to rescue one of the brothers, who has been kidnapped by villainous fraternal twin pop stars. Elizabeth Tippet wrote the “Trolls Band Together” screenplay.

The movie begins with a flashback from about 20 years earlier, to show the boy band BroZone, consisting of five brothers: the leader John Dory (voiced by Eric André), heartthrob Spruce (voiced by Daveed Diggs), the “fun” one Clay (voiced by Kid Cudi), the sensitive one Floyd (voiced by Troye Sivan), and the “baby” Bitty B, which was Branch’s stage name as the youngest member of the group. During a performance where Bitty B/Baby Branch (voiced by Iris Dohrn) made his stage debut with BroZone, the five group members form a pyramid with their bodies, with Bitty B at the top of this pyramid.

Unfortunately, Bitty B loses his balance, the pyramid collapses, and it causes a domino effect of various mishaps on stage that lead to the concert being cancelled. The brothers are so angry about this embarrassing incident, they argue backstage and decide to break up immediately. Bitty B/Baby Branch gets much of the blame for the fiasco that happened on stage.

The brothers go their separate ways and lose contact with each other. Branch feels so guilty about what happened, he doesn’t tell people in his current life about his brothers and about his past as a short-lived member of BroZone. However, Branch’s past catches up to him when John Dory makes a surprise appearance at the wedding of King Gristle (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget (voiced by Zooey Deschanel), who is Poppy’s best friend. Branch is also a guest at the wedding. This is how Poppy finds out about Branch’s brothers and their BroZone past.

John Dory tells Branch that their brother Floyd has been kidnapped by twin pop stars Velvet (voiced by Amy Schumer) and Veneer (voiced by Andrew Rannells), who are jealous that Floyd has talent, but the twins do not. Velvet and Veneer secretly lip synch their songs. Of the twins, Velvet is the one with the nastier personality. She frequently bullies Veneer and their personal assistant Crimp (voiced by Zosia Mamet).

John Dory found out where Floyd is being held captive and was able to talk to Floyd, who is being held in a diamond cage. Floyd tells John Dory that the cage can only be broken by the sound of perfect family harmony. And you know what that means: A mission to get the band (namely, BroZone) back together.

The rest of “Trolls Band Together” is the expected mix of musical scenes (with pop songs from the 1970s to 2000s), new characters being introduced, and more secrets being revealed. “Trolls Band Together” is also an obvious promotional vehicle for the reunion of *NYSNC, the boy band that made Timberlake famous. The *NSYNC reunion song “Better Place” (co-written by Timberlake, Shellback and Amy Allen) is heard in two different versions near the end of the movie. Other original songs in “Trolls Band Together” are “Family,” “Perfect” and “It Takes Two,” all co-written by Timberlake, Mike Elizondo, Michael Pollack and Emily Warren.

Making return appearances are Guy Diamond (voiced by Kunal Nayyar) and his son Tiny Diamond (voiced by Kenan Thompson), two glittery and talkative Trolls. Tiny ends up being the automobile driver for the mission to reunite BroZone. A princess character named Viva (voiced by Camila Cabello) has a surprise connection to one of the main characters. It’s a subplot that really didn’t need to be in the movie and just distracts from the main story.

“Trolls Band Together” is packed with celebrity voice actors, but at least half of them have screen time that’s less than five minutes each. To its detriment, “Trolls Band Together” went a little too overboard with this stunt casting. One of these cameo appearances is RuPaul Charles as Miss Maxine, the sassy officiator at the wedding of King Gristle and Bridget. The other members of *NSYNC have voice roles as their Troll alter egos who appear briefly toward the end of the film: JC Chasez is Hype, Joey Fatone is Ablaze, Lance Bass is Boom and Chris Kirkpatrick is Trickee.

“Trolls Band Together” isn’t great, but it isn’t horrible either. The visuals are attractive but not groundbreaking. The movie’s main saving grace is the talent of the voice cast members (Kendrick continues to be a standout), who make parts of the movie engaging by sheer personality when these parts of the movie could be just average if less talented voice actors had these roles. As long as viewers don’t have high expectations for “Trolls Band Together,” the movie can be enjoyed for being a crowd-pleasing animated film.

Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation will release “Trolls Band Together” in U.S. cinemas on November 17, 2023. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in select U.S. cinemas on November 4, 2023.

May 4, 2023

Zooey Deschanel discussing salad shopping in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

The following is a press release from Max (formerly known as HBO Max):

The Max Original six-episode unscripted series WHAT AM I EATING? WITH ZOOEY DESCHANEL debuts TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023 on Max. The series is produced by ATTN:, a Candle Media company.

Logline: Zooey Deschanel is on a mission to solve everyday food dilemmas by asking the tough questions we all have about what we eat. In the supermarket and in our own kitchens, Zooey explores common food mysteries and reveals the shocking truths big food manufacturers want to hide as she uncovers simple solutions to the question, “What am I eating?”

Will Lydgate explaining growing process to Sophia Roe in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Zooey Deschanel mixing ingredients with Jessie Sheehan in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Zooey Deschanel and Brandon Shahniani preparing a phosphate drink in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Zooey Deschanel at Munchies in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Paola Velez and Alex Weiser tasting rye grain in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Zooey Deschanel and Stephanie Tantillo in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Francis “River” Sullivan of Grow Good Urban Farm with Zooey Deschanel in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Kevin Curry and Tirzah Love in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

David Allen Burns and Austin Young of Fallen Fruit with Zooey Deschanel at Stoneview Nature Center in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Kevin Curry talking to Sara Hays Conner about IMF in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Zooey Deschanel and Anna McGorman in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Carlos Parisi and Lauren Cornell in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Dariany Santana, Kristopher Gean and Molly Gean in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Carlos Parisi and Cid Da Silva in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Sophia Roe and Valentine Humer in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Chef Timothy Hollingsworth of Otium Restaurant in “What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel” (Photo courtesy of Max)

Episode Descriptions:

Episode 1: “Big, Fat Lies” – Let’s face it. Fat. Is. Delicious. Turns out, it’s also nutritious, and we may have all been lied to for decades. Zooey Deschanel works with correspondents Carlos Parisi and Sophia Roe to give us the skinny on the right fats and oils we should be buying.

Episode 2: “Down To Fruit?” – Fruit can be organic, conventional, fresh or preserved, and the options are overwhelming! Zooey Deschanel joins Dariany Santana and Carlos Parisi to uncover which fruits should be our new BFFs and if non-organic is the friend we never knew we had.

Episode 3: “Cereal Thriller” – From sugar bombs to fruity circles, modern cereal has strayed far from its healthy origins. Zooey Deschanel gets some help from correspondents Carlos Parisi and Kevin Curry to discover new ways to get cereal back on the breakfast table.

Episode 4: “Stop Ghosting Greens” – In a world that thinks greens are gross, tasteless, and boring, Zooey Deschanel gets some pro tips from Dariany Santana and Kevin Curry that uncover the most delicious trends in the “greeniverse” and pinpoint the dream greens we should all be eating.

Episode 5: “No Pain, Eat Your Grain” – With diets avoiding carbs like the plague, grains have gotten a bad rap for years. Zooey Deschanel and correspondent Paola Velez flip the script as they explore ways to help us decide which grains should become our new grocery aisle buddies.

Episode 6: “Is Chocolate The Lover You’ve Been Neglecting?” – Zooey Deschanel considers eating chocolate every day as she decodes the mysteries surrounding one of the world’s most beloved sweets. Plus, correspondent Sophia Roe visits a chocolate farm to prove chocolate should be sliding into your DMs.

Tag: Zooey Deschanel

Review: ‘Trolls Band Together,’ starring the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Andrew Rannells, Amy Schumer, Troye Sivan and Kenan Thompson

Max debuts culinary unscripted series ‘What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel’