Trolls Band Together soundtrack: Director on NSYNC reunion and choosing tracks
The director of the latest animated Trolls film talks to RadioTimes.com about its soundtrack – which you can find in full below.
Trolls Band Together, the third film in the monster franchise, has landed in cinemas, with Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake returning to voice Poppy and Branch.
Music has always played a big part in the franchise, and the same is true for the latest instalment, which boasts a soundtrack featuring the released collaboration between Camila Cabello and Anna Kendrick, It Takes Two, as well as the highly-anticipated musical reunion for NSYNC, Better Place – a brand new original song for the film.
Talking to RadioTimes.com about NYSNC's reunion single, director Walt Dohrn said ahead of the film's release: "It was such a thrill, such a gift to the movie and to the world, and [it was] so much fun to be a part of that.
"We'd been working on the movie for a while with Justin, kind of talking about him pulling his experience of that in – he's got a very healthy attitude and we wanted to celebrate kind of the history of boy bands, but also have good fun with them, you know, poke fun a little bit."
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He added: "So, as we were kind of working on that, we started pulling in boy bands throughout the decades, and I think Justin got really excited about this being the perfect time and an organic way to bring the guys back together.
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"So he texted Gina, our producer, and said, 'Hey, what do you think about me getting the guys back together?' And then kind of our heads exploded, as we say. We said 'Sure. That'd be cool. That'd be cool!'"
Dohrn went on to describe the process of finding the right tracks for the film as "complicated, but incredibly fun".
He said: "Just working with the music has been one of my favourite things, even though it's a challenge, especially our medleys which are so complex. It really starts with songs we like, at first it's like, what songs fit the narrative?
"And also working with Justin, like where would be a good place for an original to help move the narrative forward? But also, there are things like 'Would it be funny to have a song here? Does it help the comedy does it help the story? Does it help the mood? If it's a villain song does it have that sense of eeriness in a playful way?'"
The previous Trolls film was released right at the start of the first lockdown, and although it was a huge hit and gave families some much-needed entertainment at a tough time, Dohrn is delighted that the new one allows young fans to watch it on the big screen once again.
"There's nothing that compares to experiencing this with your community, with your family, or just everyone in the theatre laughing together and back into like dancing in the aisles," he said.
"In Trolls one, people really got up and danced. So that feeling – and I think even the quiet moments where you feel all connected emotionally to the characters.
"And we mix and build these movies to be so visually dynamic that you get immersed and transported into this wild and unique world. So I'm extremely excited that we're back in the theatres."
Read on to find out all the songs that feature in the soundtrack, as well as what director Walt Dohrn had to say about NSYNC's reunion single.
Trolls Band Together soundtrack
You can find the full list of songs featured in the soundtrack below:
- Better Place performed by NSYNC & Justin Timberlake
- Perfect performed by Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi & Troye Sivan
- Let’s Get Married performed by Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Anderson .Paak, Kenan Thompson, Kunal Nayyar, Icona Pop & Ron Funches
- Watch Me Work performed by Andrew Rannells & Brianna Mazzola
- Vacay Island performed by Daveed Diggs, India Carney & Ty Taylor
- BroZone’s Back performed by Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs & Anna Kendrick
- Lonely People performed by Troye Sivan
- Hustle Dimension performed by Joseph Shirley
- It Takes Two performed by Camila Cabello, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs & Kid Cudi
- Mount Rageous performed by Andrew Rannells & Brianna Mazzola
- Better Place (Family Harmony) performed by Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Anna Kendrick & Camila Cabello
- Better Place (Reunion) performed by *NSYNC, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan & Kid Cudi
- Family performed by Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Camila Cabello, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi & Troye Sivan
- 9 to 5 performed by Zosia Mamet
Trolls Band Together is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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