Sing 2

The singing animated critters sequel may lack ambition, but it's hard to deny it's a kid-pleasing romp filled with joyous musical numbers, bright colors and a hiss-able villain.

I think before having kids, I would not have enjoyed “Sing 2” very much. It’s an animated sequel to the 2016 piffle about a world filled with anthropomorphic animals — all of whom are dreaming of belting out a tune. Think “Zootopia” with Top 40 hits.

This movie is basically just more of the same: a whole lot of “you just gotta believe” wish fulfillment, a smattering of boingy action scenes and a whole lot of covers of pop tunes by movie stars with a few legit singers thrown into the mix.

But the thing about movies like this, written and directed (again) by Garth Jennings, is they are not made for (mumble-mumble)-year-old movie critics — or seniors, or teenagers, or twentysomething singles, or pretty much anyone not between the ages of two and tween.

These are kids’ movies, made to please them and them alone, and any enjoyment for their parents is in the traditional grin-and-bear-it vicarious way, like going to school recitals or watching little ones bat a soccer ball around a field haphazardly for an hour in a way that’s only slightly less thrilling than the professional kind.

But I do have kids, and so I am able to appreciate “Sing 2” for what it is, rather than wish for what it is not. (Gene Siskel’s First Rule of Film Criticism, that.)

If you’ll recall from the first go-round: Buster Moon (voice of Matthew McConaughey), a big-dreaming koala bear owner of a little theater, put on a singing competition that gathered a sundry array of talented animals. After many setbacks -- including an indoor flooding of said theater — and life lessons, they had a smash hit that allowed them to rebuild and be happy.

There’s Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), the harried pig mother of many piglets; Meena (Tori Kelly), a sweet-singing elephant with confidence problems; Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a punk-rock porcupine; Johnny (Taron Egerton), a crooning gorilla whose dad is a mob boss; and Gunter (Nick Kroll), an exuberant Germanic-sounding pig who becomes Rosita’s dance-mate.

(Kicked to the curb, without explanation, is Seth McFarland’s Sinatra-swinging mouse Mike, though that’s probably for the best.)

All are able singers, with Johansson having a slightly whiskey flavor to her voice, though of the group Egerton is the one with pipes legit enough that he could cut an album I’d pay for.

I still contend that the most impressive vocal calisthenics are performed by McConaughey, who doesn’t sing but somehow manages to pitch Buster’s voice up two octaves above his own without seeming to strain a whisker.

As the story opens the group has gotten tired of selling out their little town and aim to move up to the big time in Vegas-like Redshore City. After being turned down by a talent scout, they sneak their way into auditions for Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale), a white wolf who runs his own casino and entertainment conglomerate with carnivorous, domineering style. A flummoxed Buster sweet-talks Jimmy into believing he can recruit Clay Calloway (Bono), a legendary lion rock star, out of his retirement to star in a science fiction-themed show.

Buster’s not a bad sort, just a moony “let’s put on a show” type who tends to oversell the goods and then try to match what his mouth has mortgaged. So they start building elaborate sets and costumes while his elderly iguana assistant, Miss Crawly (Jennings himself), is dispatched to track down Calloway.

It turns out the lion gave up music 15 years ago when his wife died. Bono voices him with a regretful growl, the sort of thing actors do for superhero roles, but we know Calloway is eventually going to show up to sing one of his old songs. Because it’s Bono, you know that’s going to be U2’s iconic “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

(U2 also provides a pleasing original, “Your Song Saved My Life,” for the ending.)

A few other newcomers include Klaus (Adam Buxton), the tyrannical monkey dance instructor assigned as taskmaster to Johnny, in a possible case of simian envy; Porsha (Halsey), Jimmy’s spoiled daughter who demands a starring role in the show, despite her Bronx honk and acting inability; Eric André as Darius, a blond narcissist yackety yak assigned as Meena’s singing partner; she can’t stand him but instead takes a shine to Alfonso (Pharrell Williams), a sweet ice cream truck vendor.

If you’re looking for thoughtful storytelling and character development, look elsewhere. The talkie scenes are just there to set up the latest song or action caper. It’s sing, dance, chase, sing, dance, chase.

I could bemoan the lack of ambition in “Sing 2,” which just repeats the original’s formula of animals+singing+goofy humor = kid nirvana. But it is what it is, and doesn’t try to be more than that.

I had a good time watching this movie, mostly because my kids did. It’s well-crafted, colorful entertainment made to please and tap a toe. That’ll do, pig.