I was not won over by the original Sing back in 2017, but this sequel is so much fun and is so entertaining that it even makes me wonder if I need to go back and re-evaluate the first film.

Premise: Koala Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) and his troupe of unconventional performers travel to the entertainment capital of the world in the hope of staging an epic musical unlike anything the city has seen before.

Review:

I’ll be honest – I was not impressed by the original Sing film back in 2017. With hindsight, my personal dislike for reality TV and X-Factor style “karaoke” singing competitions may have been part of the reason why the film left me cold, but I don’t think it was just that. The plot was non-existent, the characters were all one-dimensional archetypes, and I don’t remember there being a single gag that made me smile in the whole film. It was, as I remember, just two hours of animated animal karaoke, and I only gave it 3-stars rather than two because I accepted that I probably wasn’t the target audience, and my young children really enjoyed it. But to say that I wasn’t looking forward to watching the sequel was an understatement.

Maybe it’s because my expectations were so low … but I actually loved Sing 2. I didn’t expect to, and to be honest, the opening few scenes in and around Buster Moon’s theatre made me fear that this sequel would just be more of the same, as it opens with a catchy but not-as-good-as-the-original-version cover of “Let's Go Crazy” by Prince, and features a snooty talent scout. But once the storyline moves to “Redshore City” (which appears to be a mash-up of Las Vegas and New York) it really took off, and half-an-hour into the movie, it had completely won me over despite my cynicism.

“…genuinely laugh-out-loud funny…”

First of all, Sing 2 is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. As well as there being plenty of amusing, make-you-smile moments throughout, there are also a dozen or so genuinely chuckle-inducing sight gags and one-liners. For me, the comedy MVP was Miss Crawly, the elderly iguana with a glass eye who is voiced by the film’s writer/director Garth Jennings, but in truth, plenty of characters get their comedic moments to shine.

Secondly, this film feels like it has a plot that actually justifies it being an animated movie. What I mean by that is, one of my many problems with the first Sing film was that if your plot is nothing more inventive than a disillusions housewife, a rebellious teenager and a shy girl with stage fright enter a talent competition at a local theatre, you could just as easily have set the film in the real world with live-action actors without having to change a single plot thread. Sing 2, on the other hand, includes a break-in at a media mogul’s skyscraper, action sequences set in a prestigious hotel complex, and the staging of an extravagant musical show that would bankrupt most producers. While the plot is still fairly flimsy and reasonably predictable, it does at least justify its existence as an animated movie, while also providing a platform for the entertaining comedy moments.

“…feels like it would still work as a movie even without the songs, thanks to all of the humour…”

Thirdly, this film actually feels like there’s something to it other than just being two hours of animated karaoke covers. I admitted at the time that a lot of the covers in Sing were toe-tappingly catchy, but for me, that simply wasn’t enough to carry an entire film. The cover versions in Sing 2 are just as catchy, but with more of a storyline this time, they also have a bit more of an emotional impact and connection too (especially the judicious use of some classic U2 songs in the storyline involving the reclusive Clay Calloway, played by Bono). But most importantly, Sing 2 feels like it would still work as a movie even without the songs (thanks to all of the humour), whereas the first Sing film felt like the cliched plot was just there to link a series of karaoke performances together.

Both films, in fairness, have had dream voice casts. Returning from the original film are Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Nick Kroll and Tori Kelly, and joining them this time are singers Halsey as the spoilt daughter of a media mogul, Bono as a reclusive musical legend, and Pharrell Williams as an ice-cream vending elephant, alongside voice actors Bobby Cannavale as the ruthless media tycoon, Chelsea Peretti as a haughty talent scout, Letitia Wright as a street dancing lynx, and Eric André as a vain and self-obsessed yak.

“…I laughed all the way through…”

I know as well as anyone that it’s easy to be cynical about these films, and it’s probably fair to say that the plot of Sing 2 doesn’t hold that many surprises that you don’t see coming. But the joy of Sing 2 isn’t the plot (although it’s nice that this film has a plot), it’s in the humour and the characters, with the catchy cover songs being the icing on the cake (rather than the entire meal). I laughed all the way through Sing 2, and even now, remembering certain moments puts a smile on my face – so what more can you ask for in what is essentially a kids’ movie (which, incidentally, my kids also loved).