The musical sequel that no one really asked for but everyone will go see has its first trailer! Mamma Mia! came out in 2008 to mixed reviews (though personally I loved it and it’s my favourite musical…). Filled with iconic ABBA songs and a star-studded cast, this movie musical transported viewers to a new world of magic and love and fun. 

And now, a decade later, we’re getting a sequel, aptly titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Everyone in the original cast is reprising their roles, but the movie will include flashbacks to Donna’s past so there are several new additions to the cast. Lily James plays young Donna, and just based on the trailer, I think she’s acing it. 

Check out the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again trailer now!

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s discuss. First, the music. This trailer doesn’t give us any new songs, just different versions of ones we’ve already heard (as great as they are!). ABBA has other songs, so I’m really hoping the movie provides some of those. The stage version of Mamma Mia! has three songs the movie cut out, so maybe those three will be included this time? At least we know we’re in for some big ensemble numbers with the islanders, and those were fun and well done in the first movie.

Over to the plot: Sophie is pregnant! But she doesn’t know how to do it by herself…Where’s your mom? Or your two friends? Or Sky? Or your three dads, including the one who married your mom? I am very concerned here. Did all these relationships fall apart? At least the relationship between Donna, Rosie, and Tanya still stands. They were a great part of the original movie. This new movie seems to focus on Donna (which is fine) but this trailer has us assuming she’s dead (which is not fine). I’m really hoping that is not the case, but we’re uncharted territory here, and these characters are using past tense a lot. Meryl Streep is in this movie, but it could just be for more recent flashbacks. We’ll have to wait and see, I guess. If she is dead (or dying, maybe?) then at least we know there’ll be a layer of emotion, and I can appreciate movies that pull that off without getting cheesy.

And Cher is playing Sophie’s grandmother. That should be interesting. 

Overall, this doesn’t look too bad

We’ve got music, emotion, friendship, and humour going on here, and that’s a good mix. Mamma Mia! is an iconic movie with great characters, and based on this trailer, it seems like Here We Go Again will be able to take us back. I hope there’s a good balance between flashbacks and present time and I hope the music is fresher, but overall, I’m not disappointed with things thus far. This could be decent…provided the males’ singing has improved!

Will you be going to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this summer? What are your thoughts on the trailer?