The animal gang that sang their way into our hearts is back and trying to make it big in the animated sequel Sing 2. Written and directed by Garth Jennings, Sing 2 finds Buster Moon the koala (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) in charge of a hit show running in his New Moon Theater. But Buster’s not satisfied just entertaining the local crowd. He wants to take his all-star animal performers to Redshore City (think Las Vegas), certain they can make it in the big time.
After a talent scout (voiced by Chelsea Peretti) warns him he’ll never make it in the big leagues, Buster Moon becomes depressed and wonders if maybe he and his group of performers have gone as far as they can with their talent. A few choice words from Nana (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) later and Buster Moon becomes convinced all he and his gang need is a chance to audition for Mr. Crystal (voiced by Bobby Cannavale) at his Redshore City theater.
So, Buster gathers up Rosita (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), Meena (Tori Kelly), Johnny (voiced by Taron Egerton), Gunter (voiced by Nick Kroll), and Miss Crawly (voiced by Garth Jennings) and heads off to Redshore City. After some funny and clever sneaking around, they end up on stage ready to audition for Mr. Crystal.
It doesn’t go well and just as he’s about to boot them off the stage, Gunter reveals his idea for a science fiction musical and Mr. Crystal immediately latches onto the possibility of a sci-fi musical extravaganza. To seal the deal, Buster Moon gives the impression they’ll be able to get permission to use the legendary lion rock star Clay Calloway’s (voiced by U2’s Bono) songs. Plus, they can even get him to star in the production.
That means Buster Moon and the gang are faced with writing, choreographing, and putting on an epic musical in just three weeks. They also not only have to find Clay Calloway but convince the musical legend, who’s been a recluse for the last 15 years since the passing of his wife, to agree to star.
Vibrant, energetic, and funny, Sing 2 is a likable and charming sequel that takes Buster Moon and his talented performers to the big time and outshines the original film. It raises the energy level and the bar with spectacular musical numbers, some laugh-out-loud slapstick, and even a few heartbreaking moments.
Matthew McConaughey reprises his role as master showman Buster Moon and is once again perfect as the short in stature, nearly always optimistic koala who believes in his performers and is willing to do almost anything to succeed. He brings Buster Moon to life with the right mixture of energy, likeability, and self-doubt.
Scarlett Johansson shines as the voice of Ash, the porcupine with a magnificent voice who rejoins the gang and becomes Buster Moon’s fiercest ally in trying to convince Clay Calloway to star in their musical. The scenes between Ash and Clay are sweet and even a bit emotional, and Johansson and Bono bring these two characters to life wonderfully. It’s their scenes that give the film its soul.
The big musical productions in the film’s third act are visually impressive and feature some terrific songs. The finale using U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” is a show-stopper.
Sing 2 is a feel-good, crowd-pleasing, enjoyable film that will have the audience humming and toe-tapping as they exit the theater.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: PG for some rude material, mild peril, and violence
Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Release Date: December 22, 2022
Studio: Universal Pictures
