The Ending Of Trolls Band Together Explained

"Trolls Band Together" is a wonderful mishmash of boy bands, Troll families, and good times. The third film in the franchise follows Branch (Justin Timberlake) and Poppy (Anna Kendrick) once again, but this time Poppy has a bit of a back seat as Branch's story takes front and center. Specifically, his tale of being in a boy band with his four brothers from pretty much his first breath, only to see them break up and go their separate ways. It's a heartrending (and sometimes hilarious) story that explains a lot about Branch. In this new chapter, Branch's brother, John Dory (Eric André), comes to find him at King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget's (Zooey Deschanel) wedding.

John Dory starts them on an adventure that takes them to all sorts of new places, from an island community and an abandoned mini golf course to the wild world of Mount Rageous, where the would-be popstars Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells) are hatching a scheme. It's all in service of getting Floyd (Troye Sivan) back, the one brother Branch might actually go out on a limb for. Do he and his brothers manage to come together to reclaim their missing sibling and their boy band glory? And what does the finale of the film mean? This is the ending of "Trolls Band Together" explained.

Since "Trolls Band Together" relies on characters from the first movie ("Trolls") who didn't appear in the second one ("Trolls World Tour"), first we'll cover what you need to remember from the film that started it all. In "Trolls," the story covers the Trolls' relationship with the Bergens, miserable creatures who eat Trolls on the holiday Trollstice in order to feel a little joy. But on the day Prince Gristle is set to eat his first Troll from the caged tree where they live, King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor) and the other Trolls escape.

Twenty years later, a Bergen kidnaps some of the Trolls from their homeland after a loud party, and Poppy — with Branch in tow — goes to rescue them. Poppy finds Bridget, a Bergen scullery maid, and makes a deal to help her get a date with Gristle (who is now the king) in exchange for helping them. In the end, Poppy reveals to the Bergen that Bridget and King Gristle were happy after going on their date, using this as proof that the Bergen don't need to eat Trolls to be happy. Because of this, the Trolls and Bergen end their war and Poppy becomes best friends with Bridget.

"Trolls Band Together" starts with a flashback to BroZone getting ready for a gig. John Dory, the eldest, is the leader of the group and orders everyone around. Floyd is the sensitive one, and he makes the baby, Bitty B — or Branch, as we know him — feel better about going on stage. They get out there, but when their perfect boy band formation falters, their act falls apart. All the brothers go their separate ways, leaving Branch alone to take care of their grandmother (who's eventually eaten).

Back in the present day, Poppy and Branch are at the wedding of King Gristle and Bridget when John Dory appears and stops the ceremony. He explains that his and Branch's brother, Floyd, has been taken by Velvet and Veneer. They're singers who spritz themselves with Floyd (he's trapped in a diamond perfume bottle) to make themselves talented. John Dory believes he can get Floyd out of the bottle by hitting the perfect family note, but he needs to get the band back together to do so.

Branch and John Dory take off with Poppy and Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson), who insists he's a man now. They get Branch's other brothers, Spruce — or Bruce (Daveed Diggs), as he's now known — and Clay (Kid Cudi). Clay is co-running a mini golf course with the sister Poppy didn't know she had, Viva (Camila Cabello). Viva tries to make them stay with her, but Clay quickly overcomes her and the group takes off for Mount Rageous.

Branch gets frustrated with his brothers' fighting and walks out on them to go get Floyd himself, but then Branch realizes his brothers have been caught by Velvet and Veneer. One brother goes in each of Velvet and Veneer's shoulder pads so they can take hits off them on the go, slowly draining their talent.

At the same time, the Bergens, Bridget and King Gristle, are caught by Viva at the mini golf course. They would have been killed had Viva not recognized Bridget from Poppy's pictures of her. She frees Bridget and King Gristle and they go to get Poppy and Branch. Branch, Poppy, and Tiny Diamond are chasing Velvet and Veneer all around Mount Rageous. Branch and Poppy are picked up by Bridget, Gristle, and Viva, and they manage to dislodge three of the brothers, but Floyd is still in Velvet's shoulder pad.

That's when Crimp (Zosia Mamet), Velvet and Veneer's horribly treated assistant, cuts off their mics and Branch starts to perform. He and his brothers dislodge Floyd from Velvet's shoulder pad with the sweet sound of their music. At the end of the song, Floyd appears to die for a moment but then he comes back and all is right with the world. Branch and his brothers have reassembled as BroZone, and Branch introduces them to his other band, which isn't named in the movie but looks a lot like *NSYNC.

Bruce's wife, Brandy (Patti Harrison), one of the Vacay Islanders, and Velvet and Veneer, like all the beings in this world, are humanoid — but they appear to be different from Trolls and Bergen, and different from each other, too. The Trolls are the smallest (and most musical and happiest) of the bunch, but Bergen and the other two species are about the same size. Bergen, however, are chunkier than the other two, with the distinction being explained in the first movie. The species names of the Vacay Islanders and Velvet and Veneer are left unnamed in "Trolls Band Together," though.

The Vacay Islanders, who are shown in the scene where the protagonists collect Branch's brother Bruce, are taller than Trolls. Bruce's kids (ten of them, to be exact) take after their mother because they appear to be growing up in her image. These beings resemble Anything Muppets, which can become almost anything in their look and feel. They have thin arms and legs and paunchier heads and bodies. Velvet and Veneer's species, on the other hand, are thin all over, with twig legs and arms and hair made of individual strands coming together as one. Despite the lack of species names, these beings are obviously different from the others we've met and they expand the "Trolls" universe even further. The "Trolls" movies are all about finding common ground, and the ending of "Trolls Band Together" reinforces this idea.

For all we know, Floyd went to Mount Rageous simply because he wanted to visit. After all, the place does have a musical energy that he would no doubt be attracted to. He could have been happily minding his own business when he ended up getting caught by Velvet and Veneer in that diamond perfume bottle. At the time, Velvet and Veneer weren't known, so if anyone had seen anything they wouldn't have been able to identify the perpetrators.

This seems the most likely scenario, because if there's one thing we know from Velvet's rants, it's that she and Veneer are pretty lazy. Velvet, the more diabolical of the two, did send John Dory a letter that asked him to come and get Floyd, but that's about as proactive as they get. Sure, it's possible that they ventured out from Mount Rageous to find a Troll who was in a famous boy band so they could steal his talent, but it's far more likely that Floyd just dropped into their laps and they took advantage.

While Poppy's father Peppy worries about what her reaction will be to the news she has a sister, he really doesn't need to. Poppy and Viva find out about each other during the movie and handle the revelation just fine. Poppy is tickled just to have a sister, the thing she's been dreaming about for a long time, and Viva is happy to learn that everyone's alive and well, including her dear old dad. In fact, the pair even share a joke about it, saying that it's so like their father to not mention Viva to Poppy.

Poppy and Viva may not be above joking about their father, but they don't hold grudges. As a result, both Viva and Poppy manage to have a joyous reunion with their father with none of the baggage. It's hard not to wonder if Poppy will stay queen, however. After all, Viva is the older sister, which is why Viva remembers Poppy but Poppy doesn't remember Viva. As a result, technically, Viva should be queen. At the end of "Trolls Band Together," Viva is seen playing with her father without a care in the world, but the question of who should be queen isn't addressed. That's an uncomfortable conversation waiting to happen.

It's revealed at the end of "Trolls Band Together" that Branch was part of BroZone and another, unnamed group that happens to bear a striking resemblance to *NSYNC, the boy band that Justin Timberlake shot to fame with. Although *NSYNC recorded a song for the movie, it's hard to take their characters as canon. The idea that Branch was in BroZone and an additional band stretches belief to breaking point, because so much of Branch's life has been spent not singing.

He tells us in the first film that he took care of his grandmother, but when she was eaten by a Bergen because it heard him singing, he decided not to sing anymore. It's not clear exactly when this was, but it seems like it was probably pretty early in his life. After all, when his brothers left and broke up BroZone, he was only two or three. The time after his brothers left and before he declared he wasn't singing anymore could have been when he was in the other band, but they wouldn't have stuck around for long when he refused to sing.

The other time when he could have been part of another band is when Poppy lights up his world and he starts singing again. This seems more likely, although, as we saw in the finale of "Trolls Band Together," this band seems awfully good for being together for only a few months. Of course, it's really just a meta joke that indicates the film isn't to be taken too seriously, though it could well put a spanner in the works for future writers should the Trolls return.

Walt Dohrn, the director of "Trolls Band Together," has had a lot to say about the movie and its ending. Speaking to /Film about the third act, he said that he wanted to take the franchise to new heights with the big chase scene. "We could do kind of a musical chase concert comedy extravaganza and a rollercoaster ride. How do we do all those things? We just pitch it out, everyone gets excited, and then slowly but surely, we build it step by step." Part of him expected the idea to get shot down, but the powers that be were game to go for it. "It still blows my mind that we actually did it," he added.

But what lesson is Dohrn trying to teach viewers with the ending his film? He answered this question in an interview with Movieguide. Explaining the arc of the brothers, the filmmaker said, "The miracle is being able to see past their differences." Once they manage to do that, viewers get a finale that's all about what it really means to be a family. "They're able to see past their differences, sing together again, create this perfect family harmony that's not perfect. That's the whole point — there's no such thing as perfect, but just by singing together they're able to save their brother, Floyd." According to Dohrn, the overall message of the movie is: "Don't worry about being perfect, just be together, and miracles will happen."

There are many places they could take future "Trolls" installments based on the ending of "Trolls Band Together." Other movies could take on things like Branch and Poppy getting used to their siblings being back in their lives, Poppy and Viva sorting out their line of succession, or Branch and Poppy getting closer as a couple. One of the installments could even focus on Poppy and Branch getting married now that they're officially a couple. Branch actually makes a joke about getting married to Poppy in "Trolls Band Together," so is this being set up for the future? It's possible, according to director Walt Dohrn. "I wonder! We don't want to rush it," he told Movieguide. "I think it's fun to see their relationship evolve." Now that they're officially a couple, the creative team will "slow down" and "see how that goes," Dohrn said.

While we may have to wait a while for the big wedding, Dohrn's comments do make it seem as though there are more potential "Trolls" installments in the pipeline. Some of these ideas could even be the basis for a new animated series. The first series, "Trolls: The Beat Goes On!," took place after "Trolls," and the second series, "Trolls: TrollsTopia," took place after "Trolls World Tour." It would therefore be fitting that a third series would take place after "Trolls Band Together." It could focus on Viva and Branch's brothers getting comfortable in Poppy and Branch's colony, and could perhaps explain to us what species Velvet and Veneer are. However the creators approach it, there are many jumping off points for further movies and animated shows.

Fans of the franchise will no doubt be thrilled to learn that both Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake have expressed a desire to do more "Trolls" movies. In 2020, Timberlake said during an Apple Music takeover (via Billboard) that he'd like to make at least seven "Trolls" films. He called the movies "the gift that keeps on giving," adding that he loves "being able to work in film as an actor and being able to work in music as a performer, singer, songwriter, producer, whatever — it's just one of those things that I never thought those two worlds would mesh in an animated film."

Similarly, Kendrick has expressed her love of the "Trolls" universe and of her character. "I'm excited to come back as Poppy because Poppy is my happy place," she said in an interview with Major Film Events. "If I get an email saying they want to schedule a new 'Trolls' session, I get really excited. It's like this unabashed, joyful, scrappy, punky little character that I get to come in and be ridiculous in." Both Kendrick and Timberlake clearly love their roles and would like the franchise to continue. If the third movie makes money domestically (at the time of this writing it "has already earned $67 million at the international box office," reports Variety), they might just get their wish.