Sing 2 - Turbine Collectors Series 3D Blu-ray

As I’ve mentioned in previous animated film reviews like Inside Out 2 among others, I would absolutely go to the theater to see these films… provided of course if my son was interested in them. Moana 2 - not happening. Mufasa? Yeah… no. Sure, I could go without my boy, but as a 42-year-old man, it just feels creepy to hang around a matinee show of a kid’s film without a kid with me. And since my son’s reaction to Sing was “I don’t want to watch that again,” I missed out on Sing 2 in theaters. Not that I really missed anything, but I have a big love for animation and the Illumination films are generally good big fun flicks with impeccable theatrical 3D experiences. 

Thanks to Turbine’s new 3D Blu-ray disc, I got to check this one out the way I’d wanted to see it, and you know for a sequel to a modestly entertaining film, this one is pretty damn good. Not as good as the first Sing, but still fun. I even got my boy to watch a few minutes of it before I got his standard “I don’t like this” and I had to switch over to Paw Patrol. 

When I got to finish seeing it for myself, I found the return of Matthew McConaughey’s musical Koala Buster Moon and Friends to be a welcome diversion after a stressful week. Maintaining the first film’s theme of “You lose nothing if you try but lose everything if you don’t,” this film was a good silly bit of entertainment. Catchy songs abound with a nice appearance from Bono, the film did feel a bit on autopilot though. 

As Buster and his pals aim to take their act to Broadway, I felt like the storyline was more of an extended fourth act to the first film. I was legit hoping we’d be getting an animated version of Waiting for Guffman but it didn’t turn out that way. The stakes didn’t feel as important, the conflicts didn’t feel insurmountable, and a lot of it just felt like a familiar retake of previous events. Given the target audience, that’s perfectly fine. We got some new songs, big animated show numbers, and more than a few silly gags, all beautifully rendered in Illumination’s style of friendly character design. There’s just enough adult-friendly humor to keep Mom and Dad engaged while the kids have a gas.

Vital Disc Stats: The 3D Blu-ray
Sing 2 takes the three-dimensional stage as the 9th entry in the growing Turbine Collector Series line of 3D Blu-ray discs. Pressed on a Region Free BD50 disc, the disc is housed in a clear case with reversible insert artwork. The disc loads to an animated 3D main menu with a very simple menu structure allowing you to select the audio language and start the film.

Maintaining their impressive run, Turbine delivers another splendid 1080p 1.85:1 3D animated effort joining the ranks alongside their releases of Migration, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and The Bad Guys. As an Illumination release, the animation is big, colorful, well-detailed, and lends itself beautifully to 3D. It’s pretty damn wild when a singing elephant takes the stage and its trunk is popping out of the screen at you! Small details in our animal friends like the little wisps of hair and fur to their intricate clothing and the wilding musical staging let this world feel expansive. Z-axis depth ranges from those silly but effective pop-outs to clean middle ground and deep background objects. I never saw this film in 4K so I don’t have that as a comparison but the fine details in all of the character and world object animations are clear and well rendered without any issues. No ghosting or crosstalk or any of those shenanigans. From beginning to end, a very fun, colorful easy-on-the-eyes 3D experience.

And keeping with their previous eight 3D Blu-ray releases, Turbine delivers a lively and fully engaging Atmos mix to match the multi-dimensional visuals. As I mentioned in the video section, I don’t have another copy of this film on hand, this was a first-time experience, and I was quite impressed with the Atmos experience here. A lot of the focus and attention is spent on the big musical numbers (understandably) letting the breadth of the Front/Center, surround, and height channel activity deliver a rip-roaring immersive experience. Some of the sillier action gags and the big world-building effects help bolster that sensation while a lovely score from Joby Talbot ensures a wide-open soundscape. Dialog is clean and clear, but most importantly so are the song lyrics. The bigger the stage the more elaborate the mix and by the time we reach the climax performance the track has pulled out all the stops. 

Keeping with the previous Turbine Collector Series 3D Blu-ray discs, there aren't any bonus features. 

As with a number of sequels, Sing 2 shoots for bigger and louder while often rehashing some of the same themes and plot devices. There isn’t a lot of surprise at the outcome and the film doesn’t deviate from typical animated musical formula. Considering the target audience, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Not as great as the first but still enjoyable, the film lends itself to a big at-home 3D experience. Visuals were striking and exciting from the get-go and the Atmos audio is a rollicking good time giving those song and dance numbers some excitingly immersive qualities. If you're a junkie for 3D and animation, this is a slick looking disc through and through. Recommended