#it is time-

[lupusboreas]

   currently doing his about because i didn't do it since i'm lazy <;/3

[justawannabearchaeologist]

Since we established that TFA!Op can both sing and play instruments, and being more musically oriented than anybody would give him credit for, I simply CAN'T help but see him as Johnny from the Sing movies. I think that “I'm Still Standing” would really suit him. Also, the gang watching both movies, I need their reactions

Hey! :)

Oh, this is a good one.

[SPOILERS]

What I like about the first “Sing” is that it’s not just a Jukebox Musical that feels like it was forcefully written around the chosen songs.

The individual struggles of each character is explored, and it’s shown why they really need to be a part of this performance. There are real stakes, and not just monetary stakes!

Buster Moon has to save his father’s theatre.

Rosita wants an escape from a tiring life buried in repetitive housework and responsibility.

Meena wants to confront her stage fright.

Johnny wants to sing and perform instead of following in his criminal father’s footsteps.

Ash has to get out of a toxic relationship.

Mike is a street performer who is irresponsible with money, and he makes poor choices.

They’re animated as animals, but these are real and relatable problems that people face.

They all have problems in their lives that make them struggle to focus, and they meet several challenges along the way in both the form of the show and in their own personal lives.

The flyer is misprinted with a huge sum of money offered as a prize, so Buster has to beg for sponsorship.

Rosita has to find time, and realizes that her place can be taken by a mechanization without her family noticing.

Ash’s dismissive boyfriend cheats.

Johnny’s father gets arrested because Johnny isn’t there to getaway drive.

Mike assumes that he will win, loans out lots of money, and spends it all.

The theatre is demolished and the lot is repossessed by the bank.

In the end, the show goes on—not for the money, but because it’s what people need.

It’s not a happy ending for everyone, notably Mike—but Rosita’s husband becomes more attentive, Johnny reconciles with his father, Meena is able to sing, Ash performs an original song, and the outdoor show is a hit and a sponsor buys the lot in order to rebuild Buster’s theatre.

And yeah, Johnny’s “I’m Still Standing”? Still my absolute favorite part of that movie.

And yeah, that song would totally hit Optimus in some kind of way. Give him a minute-

Now, I actually hadn’t seen the sequel before I received this Ask—so, I took a look.

Gotta admit, I was really confused with that horror-esque Alice in Wonderland-type opening that turned into a music video. 😂

However, it was good to see these characters back—and maintaining their solid character development from the last film.

A lot of movie sequels will regress the character development from the previous film in order to try and “recapture the magic” or fuel the plot—but right away, we can see that Meena, Rosita, and Johnny have maintained the confidence and passion in their ability to perform.

Meena especially displays this change, and it’s great to see her maintaining her growth—and that she and Johnny seem to be friends after all of this time spent performing together.

It’s always the character relationships and development for me. You know this-

And then, Buster shows himself to be a great stage manager and encouraging presence—even making sure to complement a background dancer he noticed had put extra effort in.

As it turns out, the main cast—that is: Buster, Johnny, Meena, Rosita, and Gunter (Rosita’s dance partner)—are anxious over the attendance of a talent scout, Suki. They’re hoping that her approval will get them to Redshore City, the “entertainment capital of the world”.

However, Suki leaves before the second act—claiming that the show is cute and good for a local thing, but would never survive in a big city. Buster learns that her boss will be holding tryouts the following day, and… we know from the last film that he’s nothing if not tenacious.

He needs a big of encouragement from his sponsor, a former operatic singer named Nana Noodleman who goes from annoyed distant relative to wine aunt very quickly. She gives him some brutal encouragement that Edna Mode would probably approve of, and he decides to hit “fuck it” and bring his cast to the city to get them a shot at some major league performing.

He gets them together and even tracks down Ash to bring her along, as she’s become a soloist at a local rock venue which doesn’t pay her what she believes she deserves. As soon as Buster comes to get her, she quits—maintaining her character development as well, and not underestimating her own worth and sticking around in a bad place.

I really, REALLY like this about the film.

Johnny and Meena are intimidated by Suki’s disapproval, but Ash and Gunter are defiant. Buster’s confidence has been boosted, so he reassures them—and Rosita makes sure that the bus doesn’t leave without them, pressing them to follow their dreams (and not waste her one full day away from home, thank you very much). Miss Crawly, Buster’s elderly secretary, also tags along with the group to help them out.

They spend the whole night rehearsing at the back of the bus, and it’s nice to see that the passengers were entertained rather than aggravated. It’s a nice little moment. You can see that this group is special, and that what they do will reach really people outside of their town if they are given the opportunity to try.

They reach Redshore City, a Las Vegas-type landscape, and head into Crystal Entertainment—but they have no appointment, so Buster gets them to disguise themselves and sneak in.

I love the little micro-expressions.

Meena looks at Johnny after being asked to put on a disguise, clearly concerned, and he just does this little wide-eyed head-shake.

They’re the two youngest performers, so I REALLY like that they’ve bonded—it makes for some fun little moments in the film.

Like, they don’t even have to talk—they’re introverts anyway, so the silent communication works—and you can tell that they’re friends and that it’s similar thinking.

Love that.

They see that the producer, Mr. Crystal, is highly critical and lets pretty much nothing pass. There are groups that are well-prepared, well-rehearsed, and entertaining—and he doesn’t budge.

Encouraging.

Crystal doesn’t go for their original idea, but Gunter has a backup—one they’re able to improv on the spot. They convince him by claiming that they have the ability to use songs written by Clay Calloway, who has been MIA for fifteen years following the death of his wife, and even get the famous rock star into the show with them.

Buster agrees, like an idiot.

They’re given three weeks to get the show up and running, and they’re given all of the resources and accommodations they need to do it—with the one provision that they not make Crystal look bad, or Buster will be thrown from a roof.

Ash, however, is concerned—since Buster cannot guarantee that Calloway will appear. Buster asks Miss Crawly to start the search.

They have ideas for the show’s ending, but they haven’t really decided on which one just yet. They have, however, assigned roles.

Rosita is given the lead role in the performance, a space explorer looking for a lost astronaut—which would require her being suspended above the stage for a majority of the performance. Gunter is cast as her robot companion.

Johnny is given the position of an alien warrior with a battle scene, for which he’ll have to learn how to professionally dance—which goes outside of his comfort zone, since he’s no danger. He’s assigned to a teacher, Klaus Kickenklober.

Meena has to perform in a romantic scene, which she is uncomfortable with since she’s never been in a relationship before. Buster tries to comfort her by promising to cast a good partner.

Ash is cast as the star who will be guiding the lost astronaut, ideally played by Calloway, home—and they hope to have them perform a duet.

Gunter and Buster work out the details, but then Rosita’s family arrives—and what I love is that they’re overwhelming, but the cast is thrilled to see them and they’re very encouraging.

Miss Crawly finds Calloway’s address, and Buster sends her to speak with the musician.

Here is where we have our problems really begin.

Johnny’s not having luck in dance class, and his teacher is being critical and condescending—which does nothing for his confidence.

Buster tries to be encouraging, but Johnny bursts into the space where Rosita and Meena are working on costumes once his lesson is over—and he calms down when he’s with them and Rosita encourages him.

He needed his friend and the mom of the group. Love the dynamics.

But he’s shown to be exhausted and stressed, and sore from the work—and again, the expressions and body language-

This movie had no right to be this good. 😂

Also, I think Johnny’s my favorite.

Meena’s partner, the experienced and way-too-confident Darius, arrives and makes her feel insecure and uncomfortable. This does bring about a bit of a relapse as Meena grows anxious, but hey: they give it a valid reason.

And they give me a valid reason to want to hit Darius over the head with a chair.

But wait, where do I know that voice? Oh, no—it’s Luci from Disenchantment. 😂

Now, that’s in my head-

Anyway-

Can I be Miss Crawly when I grow up?

Like, those vibes—then, give me Calloway’s mountain hideaway. Just fuse those. That’s what I’m gonna be aspiring towards.

And yes, that’s including the traps and the paint-ball gun while riding a motorcycle.

Though, it sucks to see that sweet lil’ ol’ lizard lady looking so terrified. Fuck you, Calloway.

Buster is also facing pressure from Crystal, who intimidates him for laughs—and Porsha, Crystal’s daughter, becomes fascinated by the show.

The rehearsal goes awry when Rosita finds that she can’t bring herself to be suspended. She’s terrified of the heights, and she collapses.

I love this portrayal.

I mean, it’s awful to see—but it’s real.

Rosita was never afraid of heights before, but the situation did something to her. She’s confused and scared, she can barely move—and she needs help to get down.

And her first concern is that her kids saw it.

That felt real, to me.

Porsha is able to take the leap and flawlessly use the wires to move around the set. It’s also revealed that she’s an amazing singer.

Buster wants Rosita to try again, but Porsha—who is played off as spoiled—is convinced that Rosita’s fear and a dream she had of performing are proof that she should have the role.

Buster doesn’t want to give Rosita’s part away, as he wrote it for her—but Crystal pressures him and even intimidates him, so Porsha’s in and Buster plans to write a new part for her. The rest of the crew is worried, but Rosita plays it off like she isn’t bothered until she’s alone. Then, she cries—but due to family responsibilities, she can’t have all of the time and space she needs.

She’s given a part that she clearly doesn’t enjoy to replace her old one, and the passion’s gone. It’s really just gut-wrenching to see it.

Plus, while Porsha can sing and use the gear, she’s actually an awful actress.

Crawly returns without Calloway, traumatized and telling Buster that he can’t go after the rock star after how she was “greeted”. This makes Ash concerned, but Buster can’t give up—especially due to Crystal’s constant pressure.

To make matters worse, Crystal’s lawyers talk to Calloway’s and learn that the rock star has never met Buster or seen his show—and Crystal violently threatens Buster, saying that he would be thrown out the window if Porsha wasn’t in the show. Buster has to get Calloway, or -well- he’s not gonna be leaving animated Vegas.

This scene is SO well done.

Buster is so tiny compared to Crystal and everything in his office, and it really makes everything that much more intimidating.

And when Buster flees, Suki is there with a grin expression and she shakes her head.

Turns out, she wasn’t being condescending when she discouraged him—she was trying to keep this small town group out of a trap.

Johnny is still struggling in dance class, where his teacher continues to be cruel—and the poor guy is so scared that he makes mistakes, which only brings more and more cruelty upon him.

Can I actually reach through a screen and hit a character? Like, is science there yet?

Johnny appears to actually have an anxiety attack and run away from the class. I’m talking heavy breathing, wide eyes, shaking—they actually do that—and then he gets frustrated with himself and breaks his skateboard, which he immediately regrets and he feels even worse.

Johnny then has an encounter with street performer Nooshy, who has a less-classical and more modern style of dancing. They go out for for food, and Johnny begs for lessons—proving that he’s legit by showing off his singing talent in public. He’s still got that confidence, he just can’t dance—and this wins Nooshy over, so she agrees to be Johnny’s personal dance coach.

And you can SEE that this makes Johnny much more comfortable immediately, and she even stands up to Johnny’s old teacher for him.

Get you a friend like Nooshy.

Buster takes Ash to go and speak to Calloway, leaving Gunter to finish writing the show and Miss Crawly in charge of managing everything.

I really wanna be Miss Crawly when I grow up. Her unhinged energy with a rotted apple where her glass eye should be, the megaphone—that’s it.

That’s what you aspire for.

Crawly also pulls no punches and gives Porsha no special treatment. It’s what’s needed—especially since Gunter gets injured due to her misstepping. Crawly makes her hold accountability.

Meena is still struggling in her rehearsals with Darius, as he can easily slide into a romantic role and play affectionate while she can’t. She leaves, and she meets an ice-cream vendor named Alfonso—who is actually the sweetest lil’ guy, complimenting her and giving her free ice-cream. Like, I don’t typically enjoy romance in films, and I smiled when this guy came on screen.

Ash and Buster arrive at Calloway’s place, where they’re zapped by his electric fence. They wake up in Calloway’s house, being treated for their burns—and Calloway refuses to be in their show, though he does let them stay the night and gives them Crawly‘s eye back. That’s nice.

Johnny begins his training with Nooshy, who notes that Klaus has wrecked his confidence and tells him that they can start out slow. They have a great training sequence where he’s smiling the whole time, his confidence restored—and he has his routine down in two days flat. Klaus decides to be a little whiner about it, though.

Meena really likes Alfonso, but she’s too nervous to talk to him and just buys ice-cream. And I like that, while she’s now a confident performer, she still gets to be shy in other aspects—adding a new element to a role, wanting a relationship. It shows that she can grow, but she’s still herself—and that’s okay. It’s okay to have to build confidence.

Buster and Ash stick around, and Buster’s energy doesn’t convince Calloway—but Ash is persistent in subtler, more meaningful ways. She makes him tea, and talks about his wife—who inspired all of Calloway’s songs. Ash tells Buster to leave, as she believes that she can convince him to come back—not for the show, but for his own good.

Buster returns to prep for the show’s run-through, and everything goes great with the set.

Meena’s gotten more comfortable, Johnny’s good to go, Rosita’s dealing. Porsha, however, still can’t act—and Buster wants to give the lead role back to someone he knows can: Rosita. Porsha has a meltdown, and Buster’s left at a loss.

Crystal, however, doesn’t care so much that his daughter is upset but that his image is tarnished. He has Porsha sent home and calls for Buster, with actual murder in his eyes. Buster is terrified, but he goes anyway and pretty much everyone just looks at him like a dead man walking.

Thankfully, Ash calls with news.

Ash performedone of Calloway’s songs on her acoustic guitar, giving him space and letting him come and talk to her rather than chasing him. He silently sat down next to her and encouraged her to keep playing and singing, and… it’s a really good and sweet little moment.

Because of this, Calloway agrees to do the show—and he and Ash are on the way.

However, Crystal doesn’t care. He grabs Buster and dangles him out the window, furious that he’s been made to look bad—and Crystal ACTUALLY DROPS HIM! It’s only thanks to Buster’s fucking koala instincts that he survives this!

Buster is, however, locked in a closet when Crystal is called away—and the producer tells him that the job will be finished later. His panic is actually guy-wrenching to watch.

Oh, good-

THIS IS A KIDS’ MOVIE!

Thankfully, Suki comes to get him—and she tells him that he has to leave the city, or Crystal will find him and kill him.

Buster frantically calls the cast and tells them that they have to flee as Crystal goes into a live interview, during which he has his thugs start to hunt Buster after learning that the scared little theatre owner has escaped.

Like, they actually show Buster exhibiting true terror—and it’s so well done…

Buster and Ash arrive, followed quickly by the rest of the crew, Miss Crawly, and Nooshy. They prepare to flee, but Calloway convinces them to not run and hide like he did.

They hear Crystal insulting them on TV, but Buster is emboldened and convinces them that the show must go on—behind Crystal’s back. Crystal’s arrive, and they jump out a window and into a water park to escape them.

Cue chase scene.

Miss Crawly’s slow, so Johnny carries her. I still absolutely adore that boy-

They sneak back into the theatre, and Buster gives Rosita the lead role before sending Miss Crawly to get Porsha for the other role… and they don’t hold anything against her. Hell, they’re actually glad to see her—and Porsha adjusts to her new role without complaint.

Love them-

And Johnny comes in big-time and has his father’s gang arrive to protect the performance from Crystal’s thugs.

Rosita’s children provide a distraction for security, so the show begins.

Crystal is informed about the show, but it’s too late to really stop it—especially since Rosita’s husband takes the place of his driver and throws a wrench into things.

Rosita manages to overcome her fear in order to pull this thing off.

Johnny fucking nails it at the piano before doing his dance battle—made even better because Klaus, in one last bid to entirely wreck Johnny’s confidence, takes his opponent’s role. Johnny goes down at one point, but then this boy gets ho and kicks his ass with Nooshy’s encouragement inspiring the others to side with Johnny over their fucking evil teacher.

Johnny’s dad was watching, and he’s beyond proud—but if Klaus was never seen again, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Like, Johnny “earned” his respect—but no, that’s not flying.

Porsha shines in her singing and fighting role, where she doesn’t have to act.

Meanwhile, Johnny’s family deals with Crystal and his thugs outside the theatre. Crystal gets past them, but Porsha defies him when he tells her to stop the performance—and Buster traps him in a cage beneath the stage.

Meena goes on to perform her romantic scene, and she’s able to do so confidently while picturing Alfonso in the place of Darius. She does break character to introduce herself to the real Alfonso while running off that confidence high, which—while unprofessional (sorry)—is great to see.

Crystal’s assistant escapes Johnny’s family and goes to free his boss as Calloway prepares to go onstage with Ash, bracing himself.

Rosita has another panic attack, but—when Crystal attacks Buster—she does her aerial acrobatics in order to save her friend when he is thrown off of a high platform.

Holy shit. I might actually love this movie.

Suki defies Crystal again to get Buster out of harm’s way, and the show goes on even as the crew has to protect him backstage.

Calloway hesitates to go onstage, believing he’s not ready—and Ash has to talk him through it before going out first, leading him through it and letting him make the final choice like she did when she first convinced him to come along.

She gets the audience to sing as well, and it’s this that convinces him to go out and perform.

They show his wife silently standing next to him. She doesn’t speak, he doesn’t look at her—she just becomes a presence.

Movie had NO RIGHT to be this good!

Ash and Calloway perform their duet, and it’s just a really powerful moment in the film—this young perform inspiring her old mentor. It’s an old trope, but they pull it off really well here.

The show is a hit, and Calloway seems to have his spark for performing reignited. Like, they animate the happiest lion you’ll ever see.

Johnny’s dad manhandles Crystal so that the crew can have their victory moment. Can we talk about his character development?

Crystal comes out once he sees how successful the show is, trying to take credit—but then, -ha!- the crew bails so that he can be publicly arrested for attempted murder on Suki’s report.

The crew prepares to leave Redshore City, with Calloway sticking with them. Ash is his daughter now, I’m calling it. Porsha also sticks with them, leaving the big city and her dad behind—and yeah, I think Buster has a kid too.

Suki, however, stops them from leaving. A different venue offers them a place, and the whole group accepts the offer.

Buster’s original sponsor is greeted at the door, and she and Buster go to the VIP box with Alfonso, Miss Crawly, and Rosita’s husband. No one is forgotten at the top.

…

Well, these movies hit a lot of markers.

It’s not just singing songs that people can apply to themselves, there are characters that you can easily project upon for a number of reasons.

But I think Optimus would love it.

Johnny’s character—this younger individual who gets pushed and pulled in all of these directions, who undergoes enormous amounts of pressure while seeking approval but also his own desires, gets this found-family that supports him, and shows the negative influences that they were wrong? That’s ripe for projection, that is! 😂

The whole point is that Johnny’s not wrong, they are—and he needs to be encouraged, not put down. With the right support, he is energetic and confident—and he’s a good member of a team.

And now, Optimus is looking at piano.

There are other things that people can relate to.

Ratchet can relate to Calloway distancing himself physically and emotionally after a traumatic loss, and Prowl and Wheeljack would understand that too. It takes a lot to pull yourself out of that pit, and—sometimes—you need a little help.

Ratchet also likes Rosita, who struggles to find a balance between her home-life and her passion—and finds an innovative way to manage it until her partner is willing to step up and help. The old field-tech takes on a lot of responsibility, and it’s hard to juggle all of it sometimes. He can’t recall the last time he did something for himself.

Bumblebee likes Buster. It’s not easy being little, but Buster has his own ways of dealing with it—and even when he’s terrified, he gets back up again to chase his dream. That speaks to him, though he absolutely adores Nooshy’s dancing and Ash’s vocal and guitar performances.

Speaking of Ash: she gets out of a toxic place where she’s made to feel insignificant, learns her real worth and lives without compromise, and then commits herself to helping someone else—not to get anything out of it, but because she recognizes the dark place that person is in and can’t leave them there. I think that story will touch a lot of hearts and sparks in this team.

Young ‘bots who have been raised in a military dystopia and are finally finding their way.

Old ‘bots who went into or grew up in a war that, in the end, benefited no one but the elite.

A Wrecker who is slowly starting to realize that he shouldn’t compromise himself for anyone.

That sort of thing.

Sari’s favorites are Johnny, Meena, and Ash. They’re young, so they’re more relatable to her—and their music is energetic, passionate, everything she likes. She wants to learn how to play like Ash on the guitar Wheeljack made.

Professor Sumdac relates to Rosita. He’s a stressed-out parent who works himself to the bone to try and provide for his child, and he really needs to work on his work-life-balance.

Bulkhead likes all of the characters. They remind him of his friends, his family. But… shy Meena and artistic Gunther? They’re his favorites.

Jazz adores that they watched films with some examples of human music. He’s always been fascinated by humans and their culture, and he thinks that this movie was a good blend of things he wants to see—music and entertainment, individual ideas, recognized social problems.

These films are, at their core, about how—sometimes—you need a little push or a little help to chase a dream. First, the characters rationalize going for this because of prize money—but then, they’re chasing their goals because they want to and supporting each other as they go.

There’s outside pressure and opposition, but they still manage to find help and help others.

And even as they face adversity, whether it’s losing a home or a relationship… or fleeing an attempted murder… they keep going.

These movies had NO RIGHT to be this good.

But… none of the Autobots are complaining.