The animal inhabitants of a small town will never be the same again, when a prized contest inspires every one of them to “Sing”. The story stars Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a dapper Koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now facing the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition. Five lead contestants emerge: A mouse (Seth MacFarlane) who croons as smoothly as he cons, a timid teenage elephant (Tori Kelly) with an enormous case of stage fright, an overtaxed mother (Reese Witherspoon) run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets, a young gangster gorilla (Taron Egerton) looking to break free of his family’s felonies, and a punk-rock porcupine (Scarlett Johansson) struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo. Each animal arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life. “Sing” is written and directed by Garth Jennings, and is rated PG for some crude humor and minor peril.
Illumination Studios has always held their own when it comes to gorgeous animation that holds its own among the best illustration studios in America. The compromise however, has been that their stories always fall short of producing something engaging in characters or materializing depth in their scripts. Everything is usually played at face or trailer value, and that is the case with their newest effort “Sing”. It’s not a bad movie at all, in fact, I had just enough fun to recommend something like this to anyone who enjoys television shows like American Idol or The Voice. Like those shows, this movie offers about five minutes of important exposition and 100 minutes of musical performances. I’m not shallow enough to ask for something more in a movie called Sing, but I feel that not enough of this extensive runtime is used wisely for anything other than karaoke hour on “Must-See TV nights”. The energy and positivity from this script is just enough to warrant a watch, but I would suggest that Illumination up the ante with the next bet, or Pixar will come along one more time and steal the reigns with innovative storytelling that rarely ever fails or underwhelms.
This is a movie that offers over eighty (Yes eighty) musical songs and sequences, and offers a surprisingly satisfying blend of classic and modern favorites that are sure to bring enjoyment to parents and kids alike. On more than one occasion, I found my toes tapping to the eclectic tastes in all genres of music, something that gave me great respect for Joby Talbot, the musical director for the movie’s song choices. Talbot appropriately times the variety in moods for each of the characters he is trying to depict in song, and while I mentioned that my biggest problem comes in this movie establishing its characters by anything more than one-note throwaway scenes, it is on stage where they open up and shine at their brightest. The concept in general of advertising a winner-take-all showdown is certainly enough even still to intrigue audiences, and while the ending falls flat on when the winner is revealed, there is enjoyment in watching each of them battle it out with a musical scrapbook of my favorite hits from over the last fifty years.
The mood of the movie was very surprising in its decision to feel more like a drama than a typical comedy. If this was the intended direction in mood, I give Jennings credit for playing a kids movie against type, but his biggest risk will come in what his light-hearted youthful audiences will garner from it. This is a film that sadly only gave me one real strong laugh in terms of material; a car wash scene that involved some creative methods from a main character using his unique animal traits to earn him the cash he needs. Overall, this is a film that angles these characters as surprisingly dramatic, most notably in a teenager who is cheated on by her boyfriend, as well as a married housewife who endures disrespect from her husband and kids against a light that they see her as. None of what I said is a spoiler since they are both revealed in the trailers, but it was eye-opening to see just how far they were willing to take this somber toll. This was never a problem with me because I feel great respect for a movie that treats kids like adults, showing them the many sides of emotional release, but I’m curious to see if that same risk will agitate children to the point of the movie losing their attention. This coupled with the overabundance in musical repetition setups, and this could be a tough sit for the ones begging to see this in the first place.
As far as the animation goes, this is another cherished effort from Illumination Studios, offering many vibrant set backgrounds, as well as character designs that always spring the palate. I got to see this movie in 3D, and while the eye-popping extras leave a little more to be desired, the energetic tones in color provide more than enough to explore the value of what went into this picture. One difficult aspect to pull off in animated singing is the mouth movements of characters and if the believability from that sequence feels organic in delivery. Thankfully, this is never a problem with Sing. The animation between throat throttling and facial expression nailed everything note-for-note, and I couldn’t signal one instant in depiction where any of the movements felt anything but richly layered in muscle movements. As for the landscapes, this unknown town in the movie is very relatable to our own suburbs. It’s nice to see a film that revolves around animal characters not taking place in a town that is silly or constructed by a madman, and this authentic touch holds its own against a script that sometimes lags or underwhelms on characters.
Sing does sometimes muddle in predictably familiar waters with its story, but the cheerfully exuberant musical numbers, as well as lively animated visual aspects are more than enough to lift it one note above forgettable. The film still could use ten minutes or so shaved off for young audience members who will already be exhausted with more than 80 songs, but thanks to a message that encourages them to follow their dreams, they too might feel inspired to write a song that will someday be adorned in an Illumination Studios picture.
6/10