Have you sat down and really thought about how much better music is when an Anthropomorphic cast is involved? Well, thanks to Universal Studios and Illumination, we get to revisit the Sing Universe and follow Buster Moon and his rag-tag gang in the pursuit of stardom in Sing 2. Realised in stunning 3D animations, this family-centric themed movie has something for everyone, and with a blend of modern-day and timely classic musical hits, you might just catch yourself singing along.

Created, written, and directed by Garth Jennings, he certainly had his work cut out for him putting this movie together with a considerable number of characters, especially considering it was voiced by an all-star cast to boot. Matthew McConaughey returns as the titular Koala, Buster Moon, who has put together a smash hit musical rendition of Alice in Wonderland that is selling out in his small-town theatre, night after night.

Reese Witherspoon and Tori Kelly are headlining the show as Rosita the pig and Meena the Elephant, with backup performances from Taron Egerton’s Piano connoisseur, Johnny the Gorilla. Seeing the crew thriving was great to see but their hard work isn’t quite enough to impress the Talent scout Suki from Red Shore city.

Keeping with the theme of Buster Moons’ insatiable dreams of chasing stardom from the original Sing, he promptly assembled his former stage crew with returning member Ash, the Rockstar porcupine played by Scarlett Johansson, before embarking for the entertainment capital. Sing 2 carried an exciting and hopeful undertone early on as the characters had already proven themselves once in the original Sing. This same feeling was amplified by the wow factor of the Las Vegas-inspired city of Red Shore, with incredible set pieces, flashing lights, and breathtaking aesthetics.

Things aren’t all smooth sailing, however, as they haven’t been formally invited to audition for Jimmy Crystal, a big-time media mogul who effectively runs the entertainment world. This was where more of the comedy chops got to shine through with an Ocean’s 11 style heist set to Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” to infiltrate Crystal Entertainment. A handful of laugh-out-loud moments were had, especially when they had the montage of auditions with snippets of popular songs. The horse in the spotlight with the huge flowing mane and a sorrowful embrace on the mic as she belted out Adele’s “Hello” caught me off guard and had me laughing for some time afterward.

Safe to say, to add a few high stakes, the audition was canned immediately and it wasn’t until the comedic relief Gunter, made a quick spiel about his space-inspired musical starring Clay Callaway that caused Jimmy to book them on the spot. For a bit of exposition, they mentioned that the megastar hadn’t been seen in over 15 years, so the thought of getting him back would be a colossal hit.

Of course, neither Buster Moon nor any of his cast actually knew Clay, so a subplot of having to track him down before Jimmy found out kept tensions high. I loved the idea of highlighting the cutthroat industry being headed by a borderline psychotic Wolf. The symbolism might be missed on a younger audience but was appreciated nonetheless.

It was also noticeably clever to have Bono play the mystery Lion Clay and have the final musical-themed after U2’s successful yet lesser know hits. It gave a sense of mystery to the younger audience while giving a subtle nod to the older generations. During the movie, a carefully tailored selection of music was dished out across the cast that all fit the narrative of how they felt. Even during the darker moments of the film the, soundtrack scaled to match the mood and gave hope when it was needed.

Each character was given ample screen time and a general theme of trying to believe in themselves after being humbled. Johnny has been tasked with a dance number, but he struggles to embrace the music and let it flow through him. Rosita, originally cast as the lead, is pushed out of the limelight by Jimmy Crystal’s own daughter, a spoiled little princess played by Halsey. Meena trying to channel a love-inspired performance when she has never been kissed, and Gunter, played by Nick Kroll, seemingly facing no issue and just having the time of his life putting together his wild play. While not being particularly too deep per story plot, it had to remain accessible to the younger audience as there were already plenty of characters to follow and each character had their own payoff.

For a musically jam-packed adventure, with feel-good and continuous laugh-out-loud moments, I couldn’t recommend a better film for the holidays. With an open ending, this may not be the last time we see the Animal Stars singing their hearts out for us, but if it is, each story thread was wrapped up in a neat little bow and left a nice warm feeling.

Written by: Shane Fletcher