Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation have set a Thanksgiving release date for Trolls Band Together, the latest chapter in the Trolls franchise.
The threequel will hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023, as Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return as the voices of Queen Poppy and Branch, now officially a couple. They’re on a mission to save one Troll Village’s legendary boy bands, BroZone, and Branch’s long-lost older brothers, voiced by an ensemble cast that includes Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs and Troye Sivan.
Universal Pictures has chosen to premiere the animated event film at the multiplex after the second movie in the franchise, Trolls World Tour, broke the theatrical window for its release amid the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Theater owners criticized Universal for opting for a PVOD release for Trolls World Tour and urged that the decision be a one-off and not a new normal for Hollywood. Exhibitors argued a film’s home entertainment potential was based on an initial run in theaters, a model that Universal is returning to for its latest Trolls franchise release.
The original movie in the Trolls franchise was released in 2016 and earned almost $350 million at the global box office.
Led by returning director Walt Dohrn and producer Gina Shay, Trolls Band Together is also co-directed by Tim Heitz. The film’s ensemble voice cast also includes Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, RuPaul Charles, Zosia Mamet, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kenan Thompson.