Sing 2

It's time for more singing cartoon animals. Sing 2 arrives five years after the original made the box office do just that. Let's see how it is.

Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) the koala thrives with his troupe at the New Moon Theater. But he wants them to make it to Redshore City (Las Vegas, definitely Vegas). They go there themselves after they fail to impress a talent scout. They want to appeal to the big bad wolf boss Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale) himself. Crystal decides to fund Gunter (Nick Kroll) the ham's sci-fi show idea when he promises them Clay Calloway (Bono), a reclusive rock star. 

Now they need to find Calloway and get the show together. The troupe have their own issues to deal with. Rosita the sow, cast as the lead astronaut, is demoted and replaced by Crystal's vapid daughter, Porsha (Halsey). Johnny the Gorilla deals with a strict choreographer; he finds his own in Nooshy the street dancer. Meena the elephant deals with stage fright and a self-absorbed scene partner. Buster tries to appeal to Calloway, but Ash the porcupine has better luck. The deadline - and Crystal's patience - wears thin.

It doesn't start with a compelling set-up (i.e., saving the theater from closure, like in the first film). But once again, the animal cast and their subplots make it worth it. Let's take our villain, for example. Jimmy only acts tough to motivate Buster, but he's a nice guy, right? We see later he's deadly serious about making sure Buster fulfills his contractual obligations. Meanwhile, Porsha's a pleasant, albeit self-absorbed girl, who wises up at the end. These subplots all come together nicely when they perform the show, Out of this World. 

Once again, the soundtrack is filled with recognizable plot standards. Its use of Bad Guy by Billie Eilish is particularly amusing, given its use in the trailer for Dreamworks's The Bad Guys, which you'll more than likely see before the main feature. Clay's comeback singing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For could've been stronger if it wasn't heavily featured in this film's own trailers. At least Bono and U2 have a new song, Your Song Saved My Life, an Oscar-shortlisted number which ends the film on a nice note.

Let's talk about the outstanding visual design. Redshore City is as alluring as the real Las Vegas; it's the next best thing to visiting Vegas right now. Rosita and Porsha swinging around on harnesses provides some stunning cinematography. The space effects in Out of this World feel like an IMAX movie on a normal screen (guess it helps having a front row seat). The sets and costumes for the show are wonderfully surreal. 

Sing 2 is a harmless family film if one wants a matinee with the kids. There's plenty of slapstick and seriousness throughout its 110 minutes. It'll entertain adults too as long as they don't overthink it. I overthought it at first but then I had fun with it. It's a lot better than being cooped up in the house all day. It's a good way to liven up a rainy day or otherwise slow day. See it soon and you might agree with me.