Sing 2 Review

Illumination returns to their musical world of singing animals with a sequel to their 2016 hit Sing.

Buster Moon’s (Matthew McConaughey) theatre has reopened, and their Alice in Wonderland show is the talk of the town. Buster hopes to take the show to Redshore City, the entertainment capital of the world, and when he and his troupe audition in front of the ruthless owner of Crystal Entertainment, Buster does what he does best, lie and blag This time Buster promises to produce a sci-fi epic show and saying he will bring back the reclusive rock star Cal Calloway (Bono).

Illumination has a reputation for making profitable animated films. They can keep costs down whilst keeping a high standard of animation and they make sure their films have broad appeal. This was the studio the Minions built, and Illumination has been reliant on franchises and popular properties. Sing is now Illumination’s third film series.

Illumination’s output doesn’t have the emotional resonance of Pixar, Disney, or even Dreamworks, but they obviously have done something right to be considered one of the major animation studios. Illumination knows how to make films for younger audiences and Sing 2 can be described as joyous family fun.

Sing 2 was a simple, fun jukebox musical. People can enjoy renditions of various pop songs. My favourite was this film’s version of “Could Have Been Me.” There was plenty of physical humour as well. Miss Crawley (Garth Jennings) was the comedy MVP of the film, having hilarious moments like when she drives a sports car and when she had to act like a drill sergeant when directing the show. There were plenty of moments where the adults laughed and chuckled, let alone the kids.

Sing 2 did have some fantastic animation. The film opened with an energetic performance of the Alice in Wonderland show. Many of the sequences had a flow to them and there were no faults in the animation. There were great little design details in the film like Cal’s fur mixed with his grey mane and Nooshy the street dancer (Letitia Wright) having a nose ring. It made the work of animators even greater.

The Sing series has attracted some big-name voice talent. McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, and Taron Egerton all reprise their roles, and joining them were the likes of Bono, Letitia Wright, Bobby Cannavale, Pharrell Williams, and Halsey. It was a cast that was stacked with acting and singing talent. There were some notable absences like Seth McFarlane and John C. Reilly but considering how unlikeable McFarlane’s character was he wasn’t a big loss.

Where the film falters was with its writing. It repeated some of the character arcs. Johnny (Egerton) had to learn a new skill, this time he had to learn dancing, and his confidence gets shaken by the mean dance instructor. Meena (Tori Kelly) still needs to overcome her shyness, this time she struggled to talk to a boy she liked. Rosita’s (Witherspoon) issue was to overcome her fear of heights. It was all standard screenwriting as all the characters are given an obstacle to overcome.

Sing 2 also repeated some of the set-pieces and themes of the first film. Both films have an audition sequence where the performers’ acts varied in quality. This film had a similar theme to its predecessor where all that matters is performing the best show possible.

Ash (Johannsson) was the character that changed the most from the previous film. In the first film Ash had to overcome her scummy boyfriend who put her down and prove she’s a great solo performer. In the sequel she was more confident because she refused to take bad treatment from a club owner, and she acted as Buster’s co-producer. Her main role in the film was to convince Cal to perform once again.

Cal’s arc was the filmmakers’ attempt to give Sing 2 some heart. He had become a recluse after his wife died and even after 15 years he was still grieving. It was well-intended.

Sing 2 was a film that the whole family can watch together. It was a simple story told well.