I Wish my Dad Was the Lion from Sing 2…

Is that weird?

So, if you haven’t watched Sing 2 then yes, I can understand why you might think this is odd, how I would like a cartoon lion to be my father. But if you have watched Sing 2 then it might make a bit more sense…no, most probably not.

This is going to take a while.

The lion in the film is called Clay Calloway and the lead singer of U2, Bono voices him. The story goes that Clay sadly loses his wife and due to his grief, he stops music altogether, gives up his rock n roll lifestyle and goes into hiding.

That is until a porcupine…yes, stay with me…called Ash finally convinced her hero Clay to come out of hiding and be part of their show.

Oh, but there is a dramatic part.

When you watch the film, the end of the show show (sorry Ant and Dec, I am just borrowing it) is brilliant as they have a flipping good cast for the Sing films, and I honestly love watching the end with Jake (and secretly wished there was a real show where we could go and watch animals sign rock music).

But when it comes to Ash and Clay singing together for a duet of, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (which my husband kept saying he was going to play at our wedding…), there was a point where it looked like Clay wasn’t going to go on stage, leaving Ash on her own (Dum Dum Dum - cue Eastenders ending).

Then he comes out, you hear the electric guitar roar (like what I did there?) and the first few notes of Bono’s voice kicking in and it bloody gives me goosebumps each time. Yes, I am fully aware it is an animation, and the average audience is mainly children, but that lion is so cool.

Still with me? Amazing, not sure how but we will continue nevertheless – yes, there is more.

Right let me show you a photo of him then you might think I am not as mad as when you first started to read this – most probably not but worth a shot and it will make me feel better.

Isn’t he wonderful?

OK so I love lions anyway, they are my favourite animal so that most probably has something to do with it, but he just looks like a cool, older rock star in his leather jacket but obviously in a lion way...

Full disclosure here – my dad walked out when I was 9 years old and wanted nothing else to do with us. Then my stepdad came along, it took me a while then eventually he became my father figure and then I lost him to a heart attack. So, I am fully aware I’ve lacked in the father department all my life and hence why I’m wishing my dad was a lion...

OK, I also know this is utter madness and I suppose it’s the character of Clay I love.

To be Frank I do it a lot – I watch TV shows/films and often wonder what it would be like to have that person as my dad! Like Larry Lamb, yes, he would be such a cool dad to have! And Martin Kemp, he would be another.

‘But they are humans which makes a tiny bit more sense’, I hear you scream at the screen while smacking your head onto the keyboard. Yes, again, I’m very aware that I am mad and maybe somewhere in my mind I need some issues dealt with.

While I say goodbye to you all, I’ll do a quick Google search for local therapists who are VERY specialised in animated lions acting as fathers...actually, that could take a while.

I’ll leave you with images of men who would most probably do a better job of being my dad but wouldn’t go near me unless they took out restraining orders, and just waved at me from a great distance.

To accompany you I will play, my dad, the one and only, Clay Calloway.

You are most welcome.