Sing 2 Movie Review: Nothing spectacular about this song and dance anime show

A still from Sing 2

Sing 2
Dir: Garth Jennings
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton
Rating: 2.5/5

Sing, the 2020 released film, had a multi-generational approach to entertainment delivery - mixing songs for older viewers with kid-friendly, cute, animal personified animation. As per the Box office takings, it did work wonders while giving Garth Jennings, its debutant director a patina of success that has helped power this new sequel offering.

Sing 2 stays close to that aforementioned success guaranteeing formula. The adorable characters of the first film continue to make music with its targeted audience in this one too. The story flies off into a new-fangled musical spectacular showcasing the diminutive showman Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), the koala bear in a sharp suit and bow tie, picking up the pieces following a spectacular and ignominious collapse of his original theatre. He has managed to realize his long-gestating dream of mounting a hugely popular and successful show at his New Moon Theater.

And is now on the look-out for bigger opportunities for his ragtag coalition originally brought together for an amateur singing competition which has now blossomed into a full-fledged company of professional singers and dancers after successive houseful shows of a psychedelic Alice in Wonderland-themed production. But Suki Lane (Chelsea Peretti), a veteran canine talent scout, doesn't think they have what it takes to audition in exotic Redshore City, and make it in the big leagues.

The film is about big dreams bearing fruit with talent and perseverance. It's a derivative story trying rather too hard to hit the right notes. So popular rocker Ash (Scarlett Johansson), teen sensation Meena (Tori Kelly), gorilla piano prodigy Johnny (Taron Egerton) and the porcine pair of Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) and Gunter (Nick Kroll) along with reclusive star attraction Clay Calloway (Bono) put on an ‘out-of-this-world' show for the discerning and demanding white wolf Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale) - a triumphant ending that enlivens the experience enough to notch up an average entertainer score.

All the principal actors sing their own parts. U2's Bono shows up in his first animated film role and we get additional serenades from chart-topping musicians Halsey and Pharrell Williams. The film opens with a four-minute musical number featuring Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" with a plethora of rock, rap and pop artists like Billie Eilish, BTS, Cardi B, Camila Cabello and Taylor Swift performing cover versions of Top 40 hits. This movie also features several classic U2 tracks and drops the new single "Your Song Saved My Life," the band's first release since 2019.

While the music and animation has some endearing features, much of it is rather uninvolving. Visuals of anamorphic cartoonish characters lip-syncing lyrics might be a wondrous sight for tiny tots but for their accompanying parents it's bound to be a bore even with the familiar music. The familiar predictability and extravagance of creative inputs fails to muster together a harmonious entertainer. The lack of story, overpopulation of characters and the jumbled-up nature of the acts hamper the entertainment here.