My inner child is delighted.
There’s a slew of brightly-coloured, cute and sweet, not to mention very funny and heartfelt animated features coming the world’s way, all guaranteed to make things better after another tough year in the bowels of the COVID pandemic.
Happily, one of the three is Sing 2, the sequel to, yes you guessed it, Sing (2016), which I have fond memories after taking my nieces and nephews to see it after one of our very special post-Christmas cinema jaunts.
Sing is a film with lots of heart and soul and some ready wit, and it’s going to be a treat to see how the sequel measures up; meanwhile, Even Mice Belong in Heaven looks adorably meaningful and Back to the Outback, which seems a very interesting take on Australia, looks like a whole lot of quip-heavy, very silly fun.
I’ll take them all – animation has a way of healing wounds and I have every confidence all three of them will do just that.
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Buster (McConaughey) has turned the New Moon Theater into a local hit, but Buster has his eyes on a bigger prize: Debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City. But with no connections, Buster and his cast—harried mother pig Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), rocker porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson), earnest gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton), shy elephant Meena (Tori Kelly) and, of course, porcine provocateur Gunter (Nick Kroll)—have to sneak their way into the world-famous Crystal Ent. offices, run by ruthless mogul wolf Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). In a desperate attempt to get Mr. Crystal’s attention, Gunter spontaneously pitches an outrageous idea that Buster runs with, promising their new show will star lion rock legend Clay Calloway (Bono). Problem is, Buster has never met Clay, an artist who shut himself away from the world more than a decade ago after the loss of his wife. Even worse, Buster has failed to realize that Mr. Crystal is an egocentric gangster who would rather drop somebody off the roof of a building than be lied to. Sing 2 is again written and directed by British filmmaker Garth Jennings, of Son of Rambow, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the first Sing previously. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Sing 2 releases in USA on 22 December and Australia on 26 December.
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A film about two mortal enemies – a little mouse Whizzy and Whitebelly the fox, who after an unfortunate accident, meet in animal heaven. They lose their natural instincts and become best friends. Their wish to stay together after they return to earth comes true, but they are reborn into opposite roles. Thanks to the power of friendship they can even overcome what seems to be impossible. Even Mice Belong in Heaven, originally known as I mysi patrí do nebe in Czech, is co-directed by the Czech filmmakers Jan Bubenicek (director of Murderous Tales previously and a few shorts) & Denisa Grimmová Abrhámová, making their first film together. The screenplay is by Alice Nellis, in collaboration with Richard Malatinský; based on the novel Mysi patrí do nebe by Iva Procházková. This initially premiered at the Annecy and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals earlier this year. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Even Mice Belong in Heaven is currently screening at the Sydney Film Festival.
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Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, a ragtag group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plot a daring escape from their zoo to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged for their scales and fangs. Leading the group is Maddie (Isla Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider Frank (Guy Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Angus Imrie). But when their nemesis — Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), a cute but obnoxious koala — unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them. So begins a hair-raising and hilarious road trip across Australia, as they are pursued by a zookeeper Chaz (Eric Bana) and his adventure-seeking mini-me (Diesel Cash La Torraca). Back to the Outback is directed by filmmakers Clare Knight (editor of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda 1-3, The Lego Movie 2) & Harry Cripps (screenwriter of Paws, The Magic Pudding, WillFull, Penguin, The Dry), both making their directorial debut. The screenplay is written by Harry Cripps and Greg Lessans. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Back to the Outback premieres 10 December on Netflix.