Trolls Band Together is the boy band fever dream millennial parents have been waiting for.

Parents know that when you're choosing a film for family movie night, there are a host of factors to consider. Because your choice will make or break the entire experience. 

Choose wrongly and the fun Friday night you had planned will be unsalvageable, no matter how much buttery popcorn you throw at it. It's a layered process. You need to find something the kids are into, bonus points if it appeals across age brackets. It needs to have a kid-centric storyline that parents will also get a kick out of (add in a hint of nostalgia for added adult appeal). Add in a host of relatable characters and engaging animation and you’re onto a winner. 

And this summer, Trolls Band Together ticks all those boxes as the boy band fever dream to watch at home with kids, and is here to get any millennial parent feeling nostalgic.

Here's why Trolls Band Together is exactly what we've been waiting for to keep the whole family entertained.

Watch: the video clip for Trolls Band Together.

1. If there's one thing the Trolls franchise nails, it’s a storyline.

Every. Single. Time. Each instalment has taken the audience on a brand-new adventure with enough twists (and tbh, awesome tunes) to keep both kids and adults compelled to keep watching. 

Trolls Band Together is no different. The newest addition to the gang sees us learn more about Branch (voiced by boy band OG, Justin Timberlake) and his backstory, and without giving the game away, we quickly find that despite what we might have already thought, Branch is no solo stick in the wind. He's part of a brood of brothers who rocked the socks off a generation of trolls as boy band, BroZone. Think: *NSYNC-coded dance moves, singing harmonies with the highest notes Ariana would appreciate, and possibly the best of all, styled in a way to mentally transport any millennial parents back to any social event between 1996 and 2000. Frosted tips anyone?

Branch’s involvement and reaction to the breakdown of the band as a young troll sets the scene for what happens next. The brothers must unite to save one of their own, Floyd (Troye Sivan), who’s being kidnapped and used by the teen pop duo Velvet and Veneer (voiced by Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells) to cover their own lack of talent. Naturally Branch is supported by the girlboss Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick), and a host of other faves as they journey to release Floyd. 

Trolls Band Together cast Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Eric André, Ron Funches, Anna Kendrick, Camila Cabello, Zooey Deschanel, and *NSYNC members Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Justin Timberlake at a screening of Trolls Band Together in California. Image: Getty.

Whether you’re Team Poppy or Team Branch, a fan of King Gristle and Bridget or more a Guy Diamond stan, the depth and variety of characters in the Trolls universe can never be disputed. For those whose youth was spent worshipping at the altar of the boy band, the addition of Branch’s brothers and the BroZone action will bring back strong '90s energy and see the boys move swiftly up your favourite character rankings.

2. The music (and *NSYNC's reunion).

If you’ve ever bemoaned the (ahem) "music" that your tweens listen to and found yourself uttering the words, ‘Let me show you what good music sounds like’ then Trolls Band Together is the perfect movie to kick off that music education. Primary subject: pop, speciality: nostalgic boy band.

While the absolute highlight that will no doubt send millennial hearts fluttering is the reunion of *NSYNC and the release of their first song in TWO WHOLE DECADES, Better Place, there is plenty of classics to ensure a solid, well-rounded pop-orientation that will show the tweens on your family what ‘proper music’ really sounds like. Add in some more recent hits from artists your kids will have sung along to on YouTube and you’ve got the perfect mix of old and new.

We loved the opening sequence with the reimagined melody of classic tunes: Keep It Comin’ Love / We Are Family / Push It / Good As Hell / Hello and its combo of old-school pop meets Lizzo (a favourite in our house with the slightly changed lyrics of Feeling good as 'Till, a nod to our youngest daughter, Matilda). But toes were really tapping when the opening notes from those two titans of Boy Band history: The Backstreet Boys and the Bee Gees hit our ears.

Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) melting into Stayin’ Alive is the double up we didn’t know we needed, but now we’ve heard it, it’s like listening to boy band poetry in motion. You may even find yourself muttering, ‘They just don’t make songs like this anymore’ and you’d absolutely be right. 

And a special shout out to my personal hero, Dolly Parton and 9 to 5, a song I sing to the kids at least once a week. Finally, a favourite of mine is finally finding its way to 10-year-olds, though they now realise I didn’t invent the lyrics and am not the musical genius they may have once thought.

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3. The themes are always on point.

As someone who has watched a lot of movies pitched to the six to 12-year-old crowd, their broader themes, or lack thereof, are where a lot of kids' movies let themselves down. There’s often not much to be felt below the surface, meaning we're struggle to really connect in the movie and leave us with takeaways to talk about for longer than the day we saw it. 

Trolls Band Together presented relatable challenges throughout the story, alongside the wider themes around the importance of (chosen and biological) family. In Branch’s family, we see the band of brothers being raised by their aunt; for Poppy, it’s her father; for Viva, she's reflecting on how she became separated from her family, and the impact that's had on her life. Even the familial relationship between Velvet and Veneer, and Veneer’s eventual turn towards the good side is reflective of the different dynamics between siblings throughout their lives. The one thing that's tying them all together is an idea that Poppy voices in the film, 'family is always worth it', a sentiment that resounds for families of all shapes and across generations.

Save this recommendation, millennial parents: you really need to be watching Trolls Band Together this school holidays with your kids. You might even find your own inner boy band fever ignited alongside your kids'.

Be the first to buy or rent Trolls Band Together digitally at home or on-the-go this summer.

Feature Image: Universal Pictures/Instagram/@nsync