‘Pitch Perfect 2’ trailer showcases high notes, low comedy

The Barden Bellas are back to take on the world in the first trailer for “Pitch Perfect 2,” the tuneful follow-up to 2012’s sleeper hit starring Anna Kendrick as a college student who reluctantly shakes up an old-fashioned female singing group.

The sequel finds the Bellas -- played by Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld and others -- headed for the World Championships of A Capella, where trash-talking, black-clad Euro-rivals await and no American team has ever won.

Judging from the trailer, viewable above, “Pitch Perfect 2” will replicate the original film’s mix of wacky but undeniably catchy musical numbers, spirited competition, sisterly bonding, slapstick gags and raunchy jokes. (Among the latter two are Kendrick making a fart noise in the crook of her elbow, Wilson careening down the stairs on a makeshift sled, and Wilson and Adam DeVine courting in their own idiosyncratic way.)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks, who also reprises her supporting role as a cheerfully acid-tongued commentator, the sequel will look to build on the slow-burn success of its forebear. “Pitch Perfect” grossed $65 million domestically and more than $115 million worldwide on a modest $17-million budget, and it was a hit on home video.

But as the Bellas themselves are sure to learn in their second big-screen outing, graduating from underdog to success story comes with increased expectations.

We’ll see how they fare -- at the World Championships and the box office -- when Universal Pictures releases “Pitch Perfect 2” on May 15.

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