Sing series

(On Cable TV, July 2022) The motley crew of amateur animal signers is back in Sing 2, and this time the bar gets higher: After mastering the art of musical comedy in their own moderately sized town, the ensemble cast of this musical jukebox series goes for the big leagues in auditioning for their world’s equivalent of Las Vegas. Luck and chutzpah improbably get them going on a sci-fi musical show, but much of the film’s plotting is built on a foundation of lies and “in-progress” work. If you liked the first one, this is more of the same—albeit at a slightly faster tempo, considering that the character introductions are largely completed. Some of the plotting is obviously mechanical, with some characters regressing just so that all can have their obstacles to overcome during the final show. Still, the fun factor of the first film is still there: the jukebox-musical aspect will have most humming along (or wondering how much they’re out-of-touch with the newest hits) and the execution of the animal characters will bring the entire family together. A few highlights for this instalment include Bono voicing a retired rock superstar (with the soundtrack tailored to a few earlier hits), Ms. Crawly turning out to be a competent (if commanding) stage manager, a case of nepotism that’s not completely hopeless, starting the film on Prince’s high-energy “Let’s Go Crazy” and a climactic dance/battle sequence. It’s also surprisingly darker at times, even if the ending makes it clear that this remains a comedy. (Lowlights include a subplot on romantic consent that’s uncomfortable at best.)  Still, it all comes together into a visually impressive, toe-tapping package. Sing 2 may not be exceptional, but it’s solid and makes for a smooth follow-up to the first film, even improving on it in some ways.