"Sing" Review

Title: Sing

Directed by: Garth Jennings

Written by: Garth Jennings

Year: 2016


I think it is fair to say that Illumination Entertainment does not produce the greatest animated pictures at the moment. I think Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets are fair films, with Minions being the obvious black stain on their record. However, it is hard to deny their impressive performance at the box office. Is Sing a resounding success, or an out-of-tune mess?

To save his theatre from being possessed by the bank, Buster Moon needs to put on a show that will keep him in business. He decides to create a singing competition with reward money as an incentive. Can this show save his precious theatre?

Sing features an extensive voice cast, with Matthew McConaughey leading the charge. He plays the koala Buster Moon and he is actually very good. Despite his iconic voice, he manages to disappear into the role and he is able to keep up with the character's frantic and manic manner. Reese Witherspoon is Rosita the pig, a housewife that is desperately looking for appreciation. Witherspoon is almost unrecognizable and turns out a sweet performance. The character of Rosita works especially well with the pig Gunter, voiced by Nick Kroll. Gunter has such a likable and comedic presence that I say it is impossible not to love him, in large part due to Kroll.

Seth MacFarlane lends his voice to Mike the mouse. Macfarlane is truly a talented entertainer. He provides Mike with such a commanding tone that perfectly contrasts his size but is in line with his ego. And MacFarlane is a fantastic singer, especially when it comes to covering Frank Sinatra. Scarlett Johansson plays Ash, a teenage porcupine that carries a punk style. Johansson is very noticeable as the character but that does not detract from her performance. Her slightly raspy intonations add so much to Ash and Johansson has quite a set of pipes on her.

Johnny the gorilla is portrayed by Taron Egerton, who is absolutely excellent in this feature. Johnny was easily my favorite character and I really expected and wanted more of him. Egerton seems totally committed to the role and brings a unique charm. Lastly, Tori Kelly voices the shy elephant Meena. Kelly does well at exaggerating the timidness of the character, thus garnering massive sympathy from the audience.

The story for Sing can best be described as a tree with a solid trunk and several branches. The main story revolves around Moon doing what he can to remain in business and keep his father's theatre. While this serves as a solid through-line for the film, where the film really shines is with its characters and numerous sub-plots. Each character is given a compelling story, with any one of them being able to carry this entire movie (minus Mike's). There is a surprising amount of emotional sympathies, whether it be with Ash's boyfriend troubles or Rosita's family issues. By far my favorite character was Johnny, however. I thought his arc with his gangster father was the most enthralling and interesting.

However, this film's main strength is also its weakness. Sing features such great characters but they each deserved more screen time. Though their stories are absorbing, they all feel a bit undercooked. Johnny's story could have done with more scenes with the father; Ash's state of mind after her boyfriend dumps her could have been explored further; and Mike's story does not even get a satisfactory resolution. There are so many moving parts to this picture and, as a result, not everything is treated with the appropriate attention.

Although the first two acts are bit jumbled because of how the sub-plots are handled, the third act is remarkably riveting. The final portion of the film is comprised of multiple performances from the talented characters and they are all magnificent. Rosita and Gunter give a charming dance routine; Johnny's number is spectacular and definitely my personal favorite; Ash's captures the essence of her journey; Mike's is the definition of class; and Meena's resolves her story quite well. The performances make for a great collective effort and are the film's standout moments.

The animation for this movie is definitely good and shows quality effort. The various textures of the animals are rather detailed, but it is unfortunate that Sing came out the same year that Zootopia did. While this film features commendable graphics, it cannot compare to the animation that was implemented for the animals in Zootopia. That is not the fault of this movie, but the standards have been raised considerably now.

This might sound strange, but the music was a surprising highlight for me. I am not one for modern music, but I found most of the covers in this film to be delightful. The number of songs featured in this picture is a tad staggering, and most, if not all, of them sound exceptional. As for the original songs, "I Don't Wanna" features an impressive vocal bit from Johansson and "Faith" is a fun little tune. But "Set It All Free" is the song that really blew me away. The context that comes with it improves the song but it can stand on its own as powerful and inspiring.

Sing is a highly enjoyable and fun time at the movies. It features great characters with gripping stories and a good number of laughs. The voice cast is solid, the singing and performances are marvelous, and the film can prove to be astonishingly moving at times. The first two acts feel disjointed because of the multiple stories being juggled around and the film does suffer from what I call "protagonist shuffling." I think this is Illumination's best picture so far. This is not a revolutionary animated feature, but it is a pleasant watch that provides wholesome fun for the whole family.

Grade: B+