Sing 2

What seems like yesterday, Illumination released Sing, with its polished looking animation and its highly entertaining group of animals singing some great songs. Well it wasn’t yesterday, it was actually five years ago, so I guess it’s true what they say about time when you get older. Some might also say songs make everything better and with its great job of blending new and old music together, maybe that’s what made Sing so enjoyable and popular enough to have another sing along. So you might ask what more could happen after Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and company get their own theater? Well something bigger of course.

After a successful run at their theater, Buster has higher hopes and when a talent agent comes from Calatonia ( think Vegas) looking for the next big thing, he thinks he has found his destiny. Though when she doesn’t think they have the koalafications ( because Buster is a koala, get it?) the team gets together and makes a run for the big time anyway. After some sneaking around, they are able to get a meeting with Mr. Crystal (Bobby Cannavale) who at first turns them down only to reconsider when they say they can get Clay Calloway (Bono) to be in the show. Excited at the notion that reclusive musician, Calloway being part of the show, Mr. Crystal gives the ok and Buster has his show. There is one slight problem as Calloway hasn’t been seen in fifteen years and Buster really doesn’t have a plan to change that. So with no plan you do the next best thing, and that is to send Miss Crawly (Garth Jennings), but that really doesn’t go too well. Jennings doesn’t just play the loveable Miss Crawly, he also writes and directs, something he did for the first film as well. He does an excellent job of setting up this story rather quickly, introducing us to new characters and catching us up with the old ones. While there is definitely some funny moments, as there should be, the main attraction, much like with the first one is the soundtrack, and Sing 2 doesn’t let you down there. With Bono in the film you are safe to assume you will get some U2 songs, and you do with the highlight being a duet of I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by Scarlett Johansson and Bono.

Sing 2 could have gone the wrong way and just settled on putting something out just to put something out, but they didn’t. Instead they deliver a film that is as equally entertaining as the first one. They decided to keep the story similar but with slightly different stakes. Because as they say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. That said, there are enough distinct differences to make Sing 2 stand out. The biggest one is the theme of the show called “Out Of This World”, with its great musical numbers and staging, they really make it worth the price of admission on their own. Thanks to that and the through line that reminds us that even when we are at our lowest, we still can still find our way up with the aid of those around willing to help. Sing 2 delivers the right chords for the entire family no matter what generation of music you love.