By Morgan Oberwiler
“Sing 2,” the sequel to Illumination’s animated box office hit, “Sing,” has taken the world by storm. The exuberant sequel by the returning director, Garth Jennings, portrays a tight-knit troupe attempting to impress a daunting talent scout with a hit show idea: a space-themed musical. This show would feature a surprise appearance by secluded lion rock star legend, Clay Calloway.
Buster Moon, voiced by Matthew McConaughey, a determined koala bear director, is back along with many of the first film’s characters. Moon tirelessly tries to propel his troupe from their local success at New Moon Theater to the Glitzy Entertainment Capital in Redshore City, where they would constantly work to impress an entertainment mogul, Jimmy Crystal, voiced by Bobby Cannavale. However, this will not come easy. Moon must come up with an extraordinary concept to satisfy Crystal, who’s searching for an unprecedented show to put on in his elite venue. Moon and Gunter, voiced by Nick Kroll, a creative Austrian pig, pitch an “out of this world” idea capturing Crystal's attention. But there is one catch: Moon must find the reclusive lion rock music star, Clay Calloway, and have him perform.
Artwork by Ashwathi Chemban
Buster Moon's upbeat personality brings his cast to be the best they can be.
“Sing 2” features many other well-known names including Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Pharrell Williams and Halsey. With this enticing lineup, many students in NHP were drawn to this movie.
“I really loved the colorful cinematography and light-hearted story line. I didn’t know such famous actors were going to be in the movie! It was one of the best animated films I’ve ever seen,” junior Julia Fulgieri said.
With its creative and upbeat plot, “Sing 2” was able to acquire mass success. As of January 24, 2022, the movie had grossed a worldwide total of $241.6 million. It was the first animated film to pass $100 million at the box office since “Sonic the HedgeHog” in February 2020.
However, some students of NHP feel the upbeat sequel did not meet their expectations. Many feel the movie was unrealistic and juggled too many characters while throwing in various quick side plots.
“I just thought there was too much going on. Between the musical itself and Jimmy Crystal trying to ruin everything, I found it very hard to pay attention. It definitely wasn’t as good as the previous movie,” junior Teresa Puccio said.