A certain 2021 movie musical has garnered massive amounts of love on TikTok over the past few weeks. And no, it isn’t tick…tick…BOOM! or even Spielberg’s West Side Story.

   Surprisingly, it’s the animated film Sing 2 that has captured the hearts of moviegoers across the social media platform. The film, Illumination’s follow up to 2016’s massively successful Sing, hit theaters on December 22, 2021 and brought a resurgence of love for the franchise along with it. 

   Soon after Sing 2’s release, TikTok became a breeding ground for user’s opinions of the film, and it’s safe to say that people were more than pleased with it. Most of the videos made about the movie have had the same premise: just go see it. While most people seem to be at a loss for words over the film, several users even went as far as calling Sing 2 a “cinematic masterpiece.” So with all of the outpouring of love on social media, I thought it was only fair that I check the movie out and give my personal thoughts on it. 

   And may I say… TikTok did not disappoint me on this one.

   Sing 2 follows the same cast of characters as the first movie, only now we see them produce a Sci-Fi musical extravaganza rather than a standard concert. Not only does this new setting provide a bigger sense of production for the movie, it also presents the characters with a larger set of obstacles that they must overcome, including convincing a reclusive, aging rock star to come out of retirement.

   As for my thoughts on the film, I truly enjoyed Sing 2. There was a degree of skepticism on my mind as I entered the theater, as the first Sing film didn’t really strike me as anything special. However, almost from the start of the movie, you can tell that despite being from the same franchise, the two films share little characteristics besides the Sing name. 

   Sing 2 takes just about every aspect of its predecessor and turns it up to eleven. The film’s new setting adds a beauty to the sequel that was lacking in the first movie. It’s not that the animation in the first was poor, but it almost felt as if the animators of Sing 2 were kids in a candy shop, utilizing every feature they could to create a stunning result. 

   While actors Seth MacFarlane and John C. Reilly didn’t reprise their roles for this sequel, the movie is in no way lacking star power. In addition to the returning core cast of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, and Taron Egerton, Sing 2 also marks the additions of Bobby Canavale, Eric Andre, Halsey, Pharrell Williams, and Bono to the franchise. Sing 2’s choice to add more real singers to the cast as opposed to singing actors pays off in a heart-warming way, specifically with Bono’s character Clay Calloway (the reclusive, aging rockstar from a few paragraphs ago). 

   Maybe it’s the U2 fanboy in me, but Clay Calloway was by far my favorite part of Sing 2. What was so special about the character was how dark his story was for a movie seemingly written for children. It’s soon revealed that the reason Clay left the public eye was because of his wife’s passing.

   Obviously death has been portrayed in children’s movies many times, but I’ve rarely seen a character written to be as emotionally drained by a loss as Calloway in a family film. 

   He didn’t have a cheesy monologue proclaiming his love or any scenes crying in the rain shouting his wife’s name. He was quiet, bitter, and above all, angry like a real person would be… even though he may have been a walking rockstar lion. However, the reason Bono plays the character so well  is because of how they used his own catalog to create an incredibly emotional climax for him, which didn’t leave a dry eye in the theater. 

   Finally, what would a movie named Sing 2 be if it didn’t have a knockout soundtrack? In case the rest of the film’s features haven’t sold you already, the soundtrack to this movie will no doubt win you over before you leave the theater. 

   Even though I didn’t love the first Sing, I thought its choice of songs fit very well with each character’s motivations and storylines, leading to emotional moments. Sing 2’s soundtrack continues this trend, and becomes even more personal. 

   Clay Calloway’s character arc was something very special to see, mainly because of how they used Bono’s own music to further his characterization. Even though none of the other artists sing their own songs in the film, the writers still chose the perfect songs to further each character’s journey, leading to truly emotional payoffs for just about all of them.

   While I wouldn’t say it’s the cinematic masterpiece that TikTok would’ve led me to expect, Sing 2 is just as funny, emotional, and enjoyable as almost any movie I’ve seen from the past year, and one that I’d totally recommend.