Yes, I understand I’m breaking my self-imposed rules of a 15 year age requirement and no Golden Globe nominations. You know what? Forget those rules. 2016 was a year that saw me watching almost no movies that fit my typical criteria and yet I saw a number of movies I wanted to write about but kept from doing so. Now when I first saw the trailer for “Sing” I have to admit it, I was interested and couldn’t believe I was this excited for an animated film that didn’t have the backing of Disney, Pixar, or Don Bluth.
Our story centers around Buster Moon, a theatre owning koala who is desperate to get his finances back in the black. Running out of both investors and options, Buster determines that his next production will be a singing competition made up of singers around the city. Here the rest of our cast is formed as the competitors vary from formally trained and self-assured, to the raw but promising. It’s enjoyable watching Buster’s energy as he does everything to keep the show and his theatre from falling apart as opening night approaches and the problems continue to pile up.
He’s got a lot of energy for a little guy.
One of the big appealing factors here is what I call “The Quick and the Dead” set up, which refers to the 1995 film I reviewed a while back. In this type of a situation you have a competition where only one character can win, but unlike “The Karate Kid” or “8 Mile” which have only one character the viewer wants to win, here you have multiple likeable characters and each is going in with their own motivations. One is trying to discover a lost passion, one trying to prove she can do this on her own, and another trying to leave the life his father has planned. It’s also worth noting the variation of musical styles keeps things from growing stale. One competitor is a Frank Sinatra-esque singer, one is built on pop songs, another on hard rock, the film features over 50 different songs and something is sure to catch your ear regardless of your age or tastes.
or your opinion on leather jackets.
I was a bit apprehensive heading into this despite my excitement simply because of the production company, Illumination Entertainment. Yes, every movie they’ve made has been a hit, but to me it feels like their movies include about 15-20 minutes of filler. Action scenes run longer than they should and the plots are actually a bit thin. I’m not saying these movies aren’t entertaining, but the writing just isn’t that strong in story line and relies more on visual gags and jokes to keep an audience entertained. “Sing” has some of those moments, but because there are so many characters to focus on we are constantly getting exposed to aspects that further the story or flesh out the personalities of Buster and the competitors. The action scenes are kept short, but are executed at a such a quick pace that they serve as a nice balance to the slower scenes.
It’s not fair to compare this to “Zootopia” but that may be inevitable as both take place in cities occupied with anthropomorphic animals. “Sing” touches on how everyday life operates for these animals but that’s not the main focus whereas “Zootopia” had a plot that revolved around showing how a world inhabited by hundreds of species would be designed. Instead, “Sing” creates its own identity by deliberately picking animals that don’t fit the standard cute criteria. Buster is indeed a Koala, but the ensemble includes a pig, an elephant, a chameleon, a gorilla, a porcupine, and a rat as opposed to the rabbit/fox team of “Zootopia”. It’s not Disney, but it’s not trying to be and I respect that the stuff didn’t try to make a Disney knock off.
Instead we get a rock and rolling porcupine, and it works.
Final Verdict: It comes in with a high energy and some witty humor, but the music makes this a must-see.
Final Score: 8/10
I’m done here. My brain hurts.
Film Rewind 