Matthew McConaughey says Sing 2 is just what the world needs right now

From toddlers to grandmothers and everyone in between, Sing 2 is a much-needed dose of optimism, says its star Matthew McConaughey.

The dream is alive and well for Matthew McConaughey.

After a tough couple of years the world over, the Academy Award winner is ready to share the love and positive vibes by way of his new big-screen offering, Sing 2.

“It is fairytale. We can use that right now, we need a break, we need a family event that is all-inclusive general admission,” McConaughey says.

“We need some optimism built on resilience and having a dream and doing whatever you can do by hook or by crook to go and get it.

“That is the fairytale, that dream is what a lot of people over the last couple of years kind of need some help and boost believing in again.”

Sing 2 is the all singing and dancing animated follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed Sing.

McConaughey returns as the ever optimistic impresario koala Buster Moon, alongside a spectacular ensemble of voice talent that includes Reese Witherspoon as Rosita the pig, Scarlett Johansson as porcupine punk rocker Ash, and Taron Egerton as Johnny the gorilla.

Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon at the premiere of Sing 2 in Los Angeles. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty

Bono, Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Tori Kelly, Eric Andre and Bobby Cannavale also voice characters, while Garth Jennings returns as director.

“There is something in here for your toddler all the way up to your grandmother and grandfather and everyone in between,” father-of-three McConaughey says.

“Everyone is going to have a favourite song; everyone is going to have a favourite character, different favourite singing. Even if you see it two or three times, you have different characters that you like. My kids like all different ones to my favourite characters.”

Sing 2 is a simple, yet beautiful story based around Moon and his troupe of performers seeking to stage a live show in Redshore City, a place that looks very much like Las Vegas.

McConaughey, 52, who recently stated he would not be running as a candidate for Texas governor, had just seen the film for the first time.

“It was better than I thought it was going to be and I had extremely high expectations,” he says.

His Oscar came for Dallas Buyers Club, a gritty intense movie about the early days of the AIDS epidemic. It was a long way from the joyous animated movie he is talking about today but that ability to jump from intense indie flicks to big-budget Hollywood juggernauts has been the hallmark of his career.

“It has got a killer soundtrack,” he says of Sing 2.

“But the thing in our movie is it is not just in the background, it is part of the story. The characters perform the actual songs, the songs get longer play and you are getting a visual reference with the song that you know because it is being performed on a stage, which is a double bang for the buck.”

The animated cast of Sing 2. Matthew McConaughey plays koala Buster Moon.

As is the case with many animated feature films, McConaughey and his co-stars barely crossed paths while making the movie. The pandemic made the process all the more distant, not that it shows on screen.

“I didn’t do any of the scenes with any of the other actors,” he says.

“It was more remote for me than it was even doing Sing (one) because I wasn’t even in the same studio as the director. We had to record everything remotely, in my sound studio connected to his where he was. You see it and you’d never know that we weren’t all in the same room doing the scenes together. That is one, a good performance, and two, it is great editing and great directing because that is a lot of the challenge.”

It is not a coincidence that McConaughey voices a Texan koala in the film. He famously spent time in Australia on exchange on the Central Coast as an 18-year-old.

“I played around with an Australian accent when I was playing with Buster but I decided to do it in my own approach of what Buster’s voice would be,” he explains.

“Hopefully all of the Australians will appreciate that I am playing a koala and hopefully they will enjoy old Buster Moon anyway.”

Matthew McConaughey said Sing 2 has exceeded his high expectations. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty

The connection with Australia has continued for McConaughey, who has visited for holidays and work many times since his exchange.

He describes the link as “inherent”.

“Texans, Australians and myself have a lot in common,” he says.

“First off it is a real no-frills attitude. I really love the outdoors, Australians love the outdoors, you have to at least respect and understand it if you are going to live over there because everything bites in the sky, the sea or the land.

“And you’ve got a great sense of humour.

“You love having a good crack at someone else but you love even more having a good crack at yourself at your own expense.”

When his next visit will be is up in the air.

“I am always looking for what jobs will take me there. My son has just gotten into surfing and can’t wait to get over there and has all of these breaks he wants to get to. Will it be a vacation? Will it be work? We will see. Maybe it will be a parlay of both.”

Sing 2 opens in cinemas nationally on Boxing Day

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