Sing 2
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton, Bono
Directed By: Garth Jennings
Rated: PG
I know, you’ve all been on the edge of your seat waiting for me to watch Sing 2. I’m sorry for the delay, but the time has finally come to talk about these animated singing animals voiced by Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, and Bono.
Sing 2 is the sequel to Illuminations beloved hit Sing. If you aren’t familiar with the SCU (Sing Cinematic Universe) It’s all about a group of animals who pursue their musical dreams with the help of a showbiz suit-wearing koala, Buster Moon. Against all the odds, they open a successful theatrical show. A sequel means a new adventure. This time around a talent scout comes to visit their show from Redshore City (clearly a takeoff of Los Vegas.) The scout is less than impressed when she doesn’t invite the crew to audition for a theater show at the Crystal Palace. Buster decides the group has to go to Redshore City on their own and audition for the show at the Crystal Palace to make their dreams come true.
So what’s the complication? The owner of the Crystal Palace is Jimmy Crystal, a threatening character who can make or break the crew’s dreams. Do you know what else is interesting about Mr. Crystal? He bears an uncanny resemblance to my dog. While watching Sing 2, I was amazed by how much Jimmy looked like my Samoyed, Winnie. I wondered to myself if I put Winnie in a suit, would she turn into a power-hungry casino owner set on ruining a tiny koala’s showbiz dreams? Probably not, but one has to simply wonder what the filmmakers of Sing 2 were insinuating when they designed the character.
The villain of Sing 2 Jimmy Crystal (left) who may or may not be inspired by my Samoyed Winnie (right). She denies this claim.
Plot-wise, Sing 2 is a stereotypical animated kid’s movie. There's a road trip, a set goal, and then the beloved characters meet a lot of roadblocks that get in the way of achieving their end goal. Just when you think a problem has been solved, something else goes wrong (you know the formula.) For all of the film’s predictability, it’s certainly entertaining. The candy-coated spectacle is eye-catching and never dull to watch. From roller-skating flamingos to sci-fi-themed musical numbers, the animation is beautiful. The music is pretty fun too. There’s plenty of it to go around. Just when one song ends another begins so there’s something that everyone can enjoy. There’s no doubt if I was a kid this would be a movie I’d want to watch.
The voice cast is stacked with talent. Every time a new character came on the screen, I tried to figure out what A-lister was voicing the singing animal. There’s Matthew McConaughey as the overenthusiastic Buster Moon, Reese Witherspoon as Rosita the Pig, Scarlett Johansson as Ash the punk-rock porcupine, Taron Egerton as Johnny the Gorilla with a surprisingly soulful voice, and Bono as Clay Callaway, the famous lion who has given up on music. Each actor brings their own unique personality to these characters.
Sing 2 isn’t exactly treading new territory when it comes to animated films. However, this is a family-friendly film with a lot of heart highlighting the importance of following your dreams and sticking close to the ones you love.
My Rating: 6/10