A new Pitch Perfect 2 trailer posted online yesterday. The film doesn't reach theaters until May 14th, but as you might expect, the excitement for this movie is already mounting. With the entire cast from the original returning, including Anna Kendrick as introverted college student Beca, and Rebel Wilson as the audacious Fat Amy, expectations for this entry are high, and this new trailer gives us reason to believe Pitch Perfect 2 will be nothing short of impressive. However, with the growing excitement for this high profile sequel comes the potential for disappointment. Three years ago, the original Pitch Perfect debuted to overwhelmingly positive reception. Even beyond the Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Pitch Perfect has permanently embedded itself into pop culture, with easily recognizable lines, memes and characters found everywhere on the internet. How does a sequel live up to the stunning reputation of the original without falling short or overdoing it? Recent history has shown that sequels must be handled delicately, bringing back features that audiences liked about the original while developing a new film in its own right. Recently, movie goers were luke-warm about sequels to the films 300 and Sin City, and according to the films' reviews, critics were even less thrilled. But one thing both of those sequels have in common is the unusual amount of time between the first and second installments, which span more than 7 years for 300 and 9 years years for Sin City. Even with the fanfare bestowed on these first installments, it seems the unfortunate combination of absence from public awareness and ultimately unfavorable reception lead to their relatively poor box office results. So what about Pitch Perfect? Is 3 years too long? And what happens if early reviews come in and find the film of lesser quality than the first? Chances are, nothing will change in public perception, because there are a few differences between Pitch Perfect and the likes of 300 and Sin City. For a comedy, 3 years between releases is typically not too long for audiences to wait for a great sequel. It seems that audiences are fairly patient for original comedy productions to develop properly. Toy Story 2 released 4 years after the original Toy Story, and Toy Story 3 was another 11 years after that...all of which were critically acclaimed. The Muppets in 2011 impressed critics and audiences long after the TV show ended. And Anchorman fans waited 9 years for a sequel they approved of. The release wait is all about understanding the cultural climate and knowing how long your audience will be interested. Music competition shows are reaching a climax at this point, but it seems that Pitch Perfect offers enough unique takes on pop music and culture to keep that audience interested, capitalizing on a market that may not be relevant 10 years from now. But more importantly, Pitch Perfect has done a phenomenal job at maintaining audience awareness. The original movie made itself and its motifs memorable and recognizable. Things like character Fat Amy and her antics, the hard-to-get romance between heartthrob Skylar Astin and talented Anna Kendrick, the cups song and most of all, the catchy soundtrack of adapted pop music. And as if being memorable in itself wasn't enough, Pitch Perfect has capitalized on social media in a way that most films do not. Because the film's target audience is younger people who are in tune with current pop culture, the Pitch Perfect marketing team has taken full advantage of social media sites Facebook, Instagram, and most unusually, Snapchat...all platforms that their primary audience is present on and paying attention to. This new trailer for Pitch Perfect 2, touting spectacular set pieces and comedy original to this entry, has people excited. After all, its very rare that a great movie trailer leads up to a bad movie. So until May 14th, I will replay this trailer a dozen times, and I'll replay the first trailer a dozen more times as I brush up on my own attempt at the cups song and perhaps rewatch the original movie a time or two. Yes, we all deserve to be excited about Pitch Perfect 2, and I'm thoroughly convinced that this sequel is going to be worth the second round of aca-awesomeness. Thomas Stoneham @BeAnAdventure
