Everything You Need To Know About "Sing 2" - A Hyper Colorful Musical Sequel

Animated sequels have to be one of the most difficult projects a studio can choose to tackle. Extensive production cycles alone are enough of a hurdle, as the tastes of the audiences who flocked to a movie like Illumination Entertainment’s Sing back in 2016 may have changed in the time since. Five years later, writer-director Garth Jennings has returned with Sing 2, a follow-up that hopes to defy the odds that usually stand against animated sequels, not to mention jukebox musicals. What results is a hyper colorful entry that’s effortlessly energetic and engaging, as it revels in its love of big dreams and even bigger entertainment.

With the New Moon Theater thriving, and the contestants from the previous talent show forming a cast/family to keep things going, Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) is literally living his dream. That’s a dangerous place for a young koala to be, especially when he has set his sights on impressing and auditioning for the infamous Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale), a big wig wolf who has an eye for entertainment as sharp as his teeth. It doesn’t take long for things to get out of control, as Buster promises his cast and he can woo long retired rockstar Clay Calloway (Bono) out of retirement. 

Setting up Sing 2’s story almost feels like remaking the first film’s struggles into a brand new obstacle on the course of destiny. Thanks to the Vegas-style setting of Redshore City, some welcomed additions to the already all-star cast, and an assortment of music that everyone can enjoy, Garth Jennings’ return to animal musicality keeps the heart and the spirit of his previous film alive. That said, there are some minor drawbacks to the "bigger, better" playbook that's mined this time around. 

The jukebox is refilled with songs for children and parents alike in Sing 2. 

Jukebox musicals depend on songs that can easily be thrown together into one overarching story. In stories like Mamma Mia, the thematic structure is less giving, as the entire tale is governed by those tunes. Sing 2, much like its predecessor, already has the advantage of only relying on the show within the show to make sense, and there’s no problem adhering to that formula the second time around.