What happened to Mike in ‘Sing 2?’

When Sing came out in 2016, the animated comedy-musical became an instant hit. The lovable cast of characters, the catchy tunes, and the feel-good message all resonated with audiences — especially at a time in U.S. history when things were starting to look grim. Of all the characters in the film — and there were many — Mike the Mouse (Seth MacFarlane) became a quick fan favorite. Sure he was arrogant and greedy, but that was part of his charm, as was his sass, his style, and his (questionably) big dreams.

News of a Sing 2 surprised absolutely no one, as the first movie brought in over $634 million, in part thanks to its soundtrack but also its star-studded cast. Fans were naturally eager to find out what happened to the gambling mouse who stole the show with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

Ahead of the sequel’s trailer — hmm, that’s strange, Mike wasn’t in the trailer. That’s okay because in the movie… wait, he wasn’t in the movie, either. What’s going on here? Where the heck is Mike?

What happened to Mike the Mouse and why wasn’t he in Sing 2?

Some say that Mike the Mouse’s disappearance from Sing 2 is due to his gambling habits. It’s rumored that he got in too deep with the gambling Bears and lost everything — his money, his home, even his beloved fedora. Others say that he simply didn’t fit into the storyline of the sequel. Some have gone so far as to claim he was eaten by the Bears (a little too out of line if you ask me).

Whatever the reason, fans were disappointed that such a memorable character was absent from the film. Do we know anything for sure about why he was overlooked?

As it turns out, Mike the Mouse’s absence has never been officially addressed. Not by writer and director, Garth Jennings, nor by Seth MacFarlane himself. We may never know for certain what really happened, but we might be able to lean on some fan theory to ease the pain.

On the official discussion board for Sing 2, Reddit user u/RiffRafe2 claimed they attended a Q&A where Garth Jennings said that even though he loved Seth McFarlane’s singing and performance, he simply had had enough of the character (understandable), and that’s why the character wasn’t in the sequel. u/RiffRafe2 also claimed that if there was a Sing 3, Jennings said he might consider bringing Mike back.

Will Mike the Mouse be in Sing 3?

That’s right — Sing 3 is officially in the works. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed the threequel in April 2023 when speaking with Variety, and best of all, he planted a seed of hope that we might actually see Mike the Mouse on stage again (or at the very least stirring up trouble).

Meledandri confirmed Sing 3 “will involve characters from the original cast” and promised that this time around “it will take us into a new world.” I don’t know about you, but “characters from the original cast” sounds a lot like confirmation of Mike’s return.

Original cast members include Matthew McConaughey as the koala Buster Moon, John C. Reilly as Buster’s sheep friend Eddie, Tori Kelly as the painfully shy elephant Meena, Leslie Jones and Jay Pharoah as Meena’s mother and grandfather, Scarlett Johansson as the porcupine Ash, Beck Bennett as Ash’s boyfriend Lance, Reese Witherspoon as the mama pig Rosita, Nick Offerman as Rosita’s husband Norman, Taron Egerton as the teenage gorilla Johnny, Nick Kroll as the pig Gunter, and last but certainly not least, Seth MacFarlane as Mike the Mouse.

As of this writing, Mike’s return to Sing 3 is up in the air, but as soon as it’s confirmed one way or the other, you will hear it from us.