REVIEW: ‘Sing 2’ takes its all-star cast of singing animals on the road for more family-friendly movie fun

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Five years ago, the original Sing movie from Illumination Studios and Universal Pictures surprised me by how much I enjoyed the tale of the dapper Koala bear Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) saving his old theater from being torn down, while saving a bunch of different characters through their music.  But I wasn’t sure it could surprise me again.

It did not.

However, that does not mean the movie is without enjoyable moments or strong points.

THE STORY

In Sing 2, Buster and his crew of Meena the elephant (Tori Kelly), pigs Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) and Gunter (Nick Kroll), Johnny the gorilla (Taron Egerton) and porcupine rocker Ash (Scarlett Johansson) prepare for a bigger stage and a brighter spotlight as they leave the Moon Theater to try and make it in the big time.

That would be the Crystal Tower Theater in Redshore City, sort of a combination of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.  They manage to beat out several other acts and get the greenlight for a new show from big-time producer wolf Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Canavale doing his best Al Pacino impression)—on the condition they get reclusive legendary rocker Clay Calloway, who hasn’t done anything in public for years, to participate (U2’s Bono, in his first animated voiceover role).

So Buster has to invent a show from scratch, navigate the treacherous waters of big-time entertainment, get his team ready for a bigger stage than they’ve ever had, and get a famous rock star to join them.  No problem, right?

THINGS I LIKED

Because this is from the team at Illumination, the creators of Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets, it’s quickly evident once again that they know their way around a family-friendly animated movie.  This new chapter in the series brings back original writer/director Garth Jennings and along with the original voice cast, and this time they add in the talents of Letitia Wright, Chelsea Peretti, Seth MacFarlane, Canavale, Nick Offerman, and singers Pharrell Williams, Halsey and Bono.

The story was fine, even coming up with a bit of an emotional punch at the end.  Kids will get a kick out some silly moments and some parents will feel old when they realize how long some of these songs have been in pop culture.

But it’s really the music that’s the star of a movie called “Sing”.  You’ll hear hits from Prince, Elton John, Billie Eilish, Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, and of course, U2, among many, most of them remixed or shortened to fit inside a two-hour animated kids film.  There will likely be songs that parents recognize that kids are hearing for the first time, and vice versa.

WARNINGS

Sing 2 is completely family-friendly.  It’s rated PG for some rude material and mild animated violence and peril.  There’s no language in the film that parents should be worried about.  The run time is 1 hour and 52 minutes.

FINAL THOUGHTS

SING 2 is exactly what it looks like, a bunch of silly fun for the family, with a lot of toe-tapping pop songs throughout.  The music is the real star of the show and there’s stuff that everyone in the family will recognize and enjoy.

I give Sing 2 TWO AND A HALF out of FOUR stars

There are lots of funny moments, as well as some that are kind of poignant.  It’s not a bad way to spend a couple of hours together as a family.  I enjoyed it and I’m sure your kids will love it.

 

WHERE TO WATCH

Sing 2 is playing only in theaters.  It is not available on any streaming services as of yet, and when it does (likely in March or April), it will be on Universal’s Peacock service, per their licensing agreement.