Janet Healy

PRODUCER

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU (2022)
Starring Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Russell Brand, Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo and Michelle Yeoh. Directed by Kyle Balda.

In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto - a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please - deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions.

REVIEWS Minions: The Rise of Gru - Minions, mayhem, mediocre

SING 2 (2021)
Starring Garth Jennings, Taron Egerton, Reese Witherspoon, Tori Kelly, Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane, Nick Kroll, John C. Reilly and Bobby Cannavale. Directed by Garth Jennings.

Buster 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 - including harried mother pig Rosita, rocker porcupine Ash, earnest gorilla Johnny, shy elephant Meena and, of course, porcine provocateur Gunter - have to sneak their way into the world-famous Crystal Entertainment offices, run by ruthless mogul wolf Jimmy Crystal.

In a desperate attempt to get Mr. Crystal’s attention, Gunter spontaneously pitches an outrageous idea that Buster quickly runs with, promising that their new show will star lion rock legend Clay Calloway. 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.

As Gunter helps Buster dream up an out-of-this-world theatrical masterpiece, and the pressure (and sinister threats) from Mr Crystal mount, Rosita’s leading role in the show gets ripped away and handed to Mr. Crystal’s spoiled daughter, Porsha, played by Grammy-nominated artist Halsey. Desperate to save the show, and his life, Buster embarks on a quest to find Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.

What begins as a dream of big-time success becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.

REVIEWS Sing 2 - Singing the same song

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 (2019)
Starring Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey and Hannibal Buress. Directed by Chris Renaud.

REVIEWS The Secret Life of Pets 2 - Crowd-pleasingly generic... again

THE GRINCH (2018)
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Pharrell Williams, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, Brad O'Hare, Ramone Hamilton, Sam Lavagnino and Scarlett Estevez. Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier.

The Grinch lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbours in Who-ville when he runs out of food. Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realises there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.

DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017)
Starring Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Russell Brand, Jenny Slate, Steve Coogan, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Andy Nyman and Nev Scharrel. Directed by Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda.

SING (2016)
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Edgerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders and Jennifer Hudson. Directed by Christophe Lourdelet and Garth Jennings.

Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, 'Sing' sees Buster Moon, a dapper Koala who presides over a once-grand theatre that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal optimist - okay, maybe a bit of a scoundrel - who loves his theatre above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now facing the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

REVIEWS Sing - Animated animal comedy a little off-key

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (2016)
Starring Louis C.k., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell and Steve Coogan. Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney.

For one Manhattan apartment building, the real day starts after the folks on two legs leave and pets of every stripe, fur and feather begin their own nine-to-five routine: hanging out with each other, trading humiliating stories about their owners, or auditioning adorable looks to get better snacks.

REVIEWS The Secret Life Of Pets - Something dif-fur-ent for the family