Sing (2016) User Reviews (364)

A simple story with a cast of animal characters that come to life and warm our hearts

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 3 February 2017]

This date night was going to be an unexpected twofer. First on our list we saw La La Land and just loved it so we stuck to the musical genre and next on our list was the lighter side of comedy with the animation feature Sing. Neither Mrs. Shullivan or I are fans of 3-D films but this was the only format being offered at 10:00 PM so we went for it. It took me about 15 minutes to adjust to the 3D format even though I have tried it a few times before, and my opinion has not changed. In my opinion the 3D format does not add any value to a film and by the sparse theater crowd I assume most are in agreement with me. Producers have attempted the 3D format for more than 60 years now with little success and I will be glad when the format is abandoned and the editors rely on content quality and not CGI.

The film Sing is great and it will appeal to a vast crowd from the age of 3 to 103. After I had adjusted to the 3D format and we got to know the animal characters and the story line I for one just forgot that it was an animated feature and I sat back and watched the film progress in a very positive light. There are some big name stars lending their voices and I am sure they are proud of their finished product.

Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) owns a theater for live performances that lately he has been unable to sustain paying his debts so the bank is after him to pay up or the bank will repossess Buster's dream theater. Buster's late father had worked extremely hard in his car wash across the street from the theater to fulfill Buster's dream to open the theater and Buster needed to pull off the biggest hit of his life if he were to keep his dream theater out of the bankers grasp. Each of the animal characters has a story to tell. Each of the animal characters also has a great voice and a personal life that the winning prize money if they were to win the sing off would take care of.

The plot is simple so the children should be able to follow along relatively easy, all the animated animal characters were adorable. There are also some bad guys besides the bankers who want their hands on the prize money, and this just adds more humor and excitement to this cute little animated feature.

The songs were great, the story line very heartwarming, and the animated characters were all cute and cuddly. Mrs. Shullivan and I ended our date night on a high note for this twofer evening. I give the film an 8 out of 10 rating, taking two points off for making me watch the film in 3D which did nothing to enhance this viewers experience.

If you like this review I also wrote one on the first film we saw tonight which was La La Land.

I'm not a big fan of most animated kids' films, these days, but this is one of the better ones.

[Hellmant · 8/10 · 4 January 2017]

'SING': Four Stars (Out of Five)

The new hit computer-animated comedy musical; about a bunch of anthropomorphic animals that enter a singing competition, hosted by a koala bear that's trying to save his theater. It was written and directed by Garth Jennings (who also helmed 2007's 'SON OF RAMBOW', and 2005's 'THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY'), and it was co- directed by Christophe Lourdelet (a veteran animator, and first time filmmaker). It stars the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlet Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, John C. Reilly, Nick Kroll, Jennifer Saunders and Jennings himself. The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it's a blockbuster at the Box Office. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The story is set in a world inhabited entirely by humanoid animals. Buster Moon (McConaughey) is a hard working koala; who owns a classic theater, which hasn't been doing well financially (in quite some time). Buster is extremely optimistic that he can save it though, if he puts on a singing contest. When the $1,000 prize money is accidentally advertised as $100,000, many animals are eager to audition. Buster is determined to press on, despite not having the reward money that's promised. Multiple talented misfits ambitiously pursue their dreams, by participating in the competition.

I'm not a big fan of most animated kids' films, these days, but this is one of the better ones. It's entertaining, beautiful to look at, and it's pretty emotional, at times, and inspiring as well. The music is all catchy, and fun to listen to, and the voice cast all does a good job. The film is funny, without being too overly silly too. I really enjoyed it, and I think most kids will as well.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/xGBv2IpDjDc

Illumination Scores With Sing

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 11 December 2021]

Illumination Entertainment jumped into the animation game in 2010 with "Despicable Me" to challenge DreamWorks and Pixar and they made a big splash. They released some rather flat movies after that, but they'd already established that they could make a hit. "Sing" is proof that they only needed the right story with the right characters and they could be back in the conversation without a "Despicable Me" derivative.

In "Sing" a koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) was a struggling theater producer. He was trying to keep his dream afloat of running a successful theater, but he kept producing terrible acts. Then, with his back against the wall and his theater in danger, a brilliant idea coupled with a typo gave him the talent needed to make a hit.

"Sing" was comical, upbeat, and had great music. With actors like Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, and others lending their voices, the names were certainly there. But it would be the singing voices that stole the show. It's something about the right musical numbers that makes everything come alive.

Like "Zootopia," with singing.

[Amthermandes · 7/10 · 15 January 2021]

It's a cute film, despite the overbearing typical modern themes of "you're special," "you can do anything you set your mind to", and "follow your heart". Plot development and execution is extremely predictable and "cookie-cutter", but the good stuff is all in the details: the humor, the characters, the animation, and sure, even the music.

One may think the movie is purely a platform upon which to showcase all the current, popular musical artists, with almost no thought or heart going into everything else, but thankfully this is not the case. It's not perfect, and yes, there is heavy "music placement", but it should be obvious even to the most skeptic of critics that a lot of work went into creating a fun, family-friendly movie for all.

The actors & singers do a great job too, and on a personal note, it's a great way for anyone unfamiliar with Seth MacFarlane's singing abilities to see just how friggin' talented the guy is, despite their opinion of him.

Great movie.

[rdoubleoc · 9/10 · 27 February 2019]

I've seen quite a few animated movies, but this one was very theatrical and memorable. Great choice of cast for voices, great story, and great animation. Not just a kids movie -- a lot of adults will like this as well.

Doesn't completely sing, but really soars when it does

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 21 July 2017]

Took me a while to come round to watching 'Sing'. It looked very interesting, and animation and musicals are things there is a real personal fondness for. Why did it take so long to watch it? Being behind with my film watching and hearing very divisive opinions on how good it was or not.

Seeing 'Sing' for myself finally with an open mind, from personal opinion it was an enjoyable film with many good elements but has a few things that stop it from being even better. It really does soar fantastically when it does work, which it does a vast majority of the time, but doesn't completely sing with a few things that weren't given quite enough attention. While opinions seem mostly mixed to positive, it is easy to see why people will find fault with it. As far as 2016 animated films go, it's a good one and one of the better ones but there are far superior ones overall.

Let's start with the positives, which are a great many. The animation is wonderful, it's bright, colourful, rich in detail and with slick character designs and some parts in the musical numbers have some imagination. Absolutely loved the soundtrack, which was incredibly varied which was great (from the Beatles and Katy Perry to Puccini and Stevie Wonder, amongst many others) and they are not just great songs on their own but the renditions of them have so much passion and heart (even remarkably fresh takes on songs that are done to death in talent shows).

Most of the writing is good with something for both kids (younger and a little bit older) and adults. Parts are very funny and others very heartfelt. Likewise with the story, simple and standard stuff but it entertains and it moves with very emotional and beautifully written back-stories for particularly Johnny and Meena. The portrayal of talent shows and the backstage drama, while not much new at all, is affectionate and with much heart instead of being cynical or exploitative. Its message is universal and is as easy to relate to as the best of 'Sing's' characters.

Enjoyed most of the characters, Johnny and Meena are instantly easy to relate to and the portrayal of the underdog with a heart of gold will also appeal greatly. The chemistry between them all is great. The voice acting is terrific, especially slick Matthew McConaughey, emotive Taron Egerton (really surprised me he did) and Tori Kelly and sassy Reese Witherspoon. John C Reilly is funny too.

However, as has been acknowledged, 'Sing' is pretty predictable in places and would have benefited from having less characters and richer depth to more of the back-stories, all interesting but some rushed and not explored enough. Some of the characters were too thinly sketched, and some could have been left out entirely (a shame when most were written very well).

For instance, count me in as somebody who found Mike an unpleasant and annoying character that will go over some children's heads and will make adults question about the message the character is meant to give out. Seth MacFarlane overdoes it in the voice acting too and considering the type of film needed to tone things down, this is a family film not the more adult-oriented 'Family Guy'.

On the whole, while not perfect 'Sing' is enjoyable family fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Great songs and great characters

[klchu · 9/10 · 26 November 2016]

I knew I was in for a good music movie when the first song gave me chills.

I went into this movie expecting lots of songs and gags, and they are there, but I didn't expect to start caring about the characters and their stories. SING brings together a talented cast and writers for a movie that transcends some of the animated movies out there. The whole family loved it so feel free to bring anyone from 5 on up. Even the younger ones may enjoy it when it's available at home.

Every voice actor delivers and the animators nailed it. The pacing and directing are also very well done. In fact, I could have done with even more of the "auditions" at the beginning.

A good animated film with great singing performances.

[Anurag-Shetty · 7/10 · 3 January 2017]

Sing tells the story of a koala named, Buster Moon(Matthew McConaughey). To save his theater from shutting down, Buster has a singing competition involving some very talented animals.

Sing is a fun film. The animation is superb. The 3D is impressive. All the actors sing really well. The only flaw in the movie is, there is not too much humor in it. There are barely any laugh-out-loud scenes in the film. A note on the voice-over work. Matthew McConaughey is brilliant as Buster Moon. Reese Witherspoon is awesome as Rosita. Seth MacFarlane is excellent as Mike. Scarlett Johansson is spectacular as Ash. John C. Reilly is great as Eddie. Taron Egerton is outstanding as Johnny. Tori Kelly is amazing as Meena. The supporting cast is good. Sing is not a must watch. However, it is worth a watch with your family.

Excellent movie. Clean entertainment for kids.

[vasanisalim · 10/10 · 19 December 2016]

We saw Sing at a free preview organized by the makers and AMC. I really enjoyed watching the movie with my kids. I appreciate the fact that the makers did not resort to toilet humor to generate laughs. The entertainment was clean. There were no unnecessary sexual references.

I like kids movies that inspire and Sing managed to do that. It encouraged kids to get over their fears and try against all odds.

All the characters were lovable and unique in their personalities. Movie also had some very good music. Length of the movie was just fine for kids. My kids sat through the whole movie and did not get bored or restless till the end. Everybody in the theater seemed to have a good time. Nice feel good movie to watch with the kids. Go for it.

A good piece of family entertainment

[Gordon-11 · 15 January 2017]

This film tells the story of a theatre owner who is going bankrupt. In order to save his theatre, he decides to host a singing contest to attract crowds. However, the winning prize gets mistyped and is way more than he can afford. How can he get out of two tricky situations? The trailer of "Sing" is full of fun, as it seems to be full of recent famous pop songs. The film itself does deliver contemporary pop songs, but not as much as I thought there would be. The film is still fun and light-hearted, and the characters are super cute. The koala is so cute that basically begs to be hugged! You can's usually go wrong with happy singing animals. "sing" is a good piece of family entertainment.

Illumination finally gives their formula the life and respect necessary for it to succeed

[StevePulaski · 7/10 · 26 November 2016]

After wading in the water in terms of quality for the better half of this year, Illumination Entertainment finally gets the above-average film they deserve with Sing. The sad part about a film like this - which is basically an animated variety show of animals covering yesterday and today's pop tunes - is it's more likely to fail than succeed on the simple merit that its narrative prompts for things like humor based on recognition, general unevenness, and lazy screen writing. While all of those certainly come into play sooner or later, you might just be surprised, as I was, how Sing's effervescent charm sneaks up on you well into its second act and manifests its way into becoming an enjoyable, character-centered experience.

The film revolves around the perky Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey), a Koala bear who owns the historic Moon Theatre and has for the past twenty-five years. In the present day, however, the theater is dilapidated, with crippled, worn infrastructure that can barely stay intact. Buster hasn't put on a show in three years, but with the help of his elderly, but well-meaning lizard assistant Ms. Crawly (director Garth Jennings), they decide to host a singing competition which will eventually pave the way for a variety show of sorts for the entire neighborhood.

Originally intending the winner of the competition to get $1,000, a typo by Ms. Crawly renders the cash prize $100,000, money that Buster doesn't have but must fake like he does until the show is over. This becomes harder to do when he sees exactly how troubled most of his talent are, and how they're all singing to escape or better themselves. There's a teenage gorilla named Johnny (Taron Egerton), who is trying to forge a path for himself unlike his father's that doesn't involve petty crime and gang activity, a mouse named Mike (Seth MacFarlane), who is in total debt with no immediate relief, a young elephant named Meena (Tori Kelly), who needs to overcome stage-fright in order to pursue his dreams as a singer, a porcupine named Ash (Scarlett Johansson), who gets accepted while the other half of her duo/boyfriend Lance (Beck Bennett) does not, and a pig named Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), who is caught in the middle of a struggling marriage with her husband and twenty-five piglets as she tries to relive her years as a performer.

A movie where animals sing once-popular radio hits feels like the "cat video"-infested bowels of Youtube taken to the next level, so on that note, much like their film The Secret Life of Pets, Illumination has cracked the secret to getting people interested in their films on a purely conceptual (no matter how basic) level. But after insulting us with Minions and shortchanging us with Pets, the studio finally gets it right with Sing by giving us what we subconsciously expected to see, which was a bit of a story behind the characters. We'll come for the cuteness, but we'd also like to be given a reason to stay and a reason to connect to the film.

Sing features an amiable cast of characters with familiar voices - McConaughey and MacFarlane are very good, for that matter - and infuses their stories with enough interest to make them transcend the tropes they could've fallen into it quite easily. For example, the stories of Meena, Rosita, and Ash are actually kind of sad, and give way to the wonderful idea of female empowerment based on breaking out of "your place" or your comfort zone and fully becoming your own, confident person. Common, absolutely, but screenwriter Jennings infuses a bit of disillusionment into their stories to give them an emotional layer that might even echo or resonate with parents, who thought they were taking their kids to see another cute and cuddly kid movie. Maybe they might even see something in the way the Johnny character feels, as he's constantly pressured by his father to be tough and to be a part of his gang rather than encouraging him to be his own person.

Sing has moments where its lazy screen writing does prevail, such as the handful of montages we get that show a goofy pig dancing to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" or kangaroos singing the Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance." They're moments of brief amusement until you realize how entirely vapid and distracting they really are. Thankfully, where Jennings could've stopped writing, he decided to keep going, and the result is a modestly successful animated film that at least makes an admirable attempt to give us more than the internet and other movies of the like already have.

Voiced by: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, Beck Bennett, and Garth Jennings. Directed by: Garth Jennings.

Interesting characters, great concept

[Floated2 · 8/10 · 27 July 2019]

There have seemingly been a wave a very solid animation movies within the last few years or so. Sing is quite a different animation film since the basic is about singing. Initially did not expect this film to be great, funny or interesting but upon viewing, there was something different in both style and originality with this film.

What makes this film work is not only the singing (there are a blend of older songs and newer ones of different genres) but the different type of characters, and how each main animal character is given a backstory and subplot.

For a family/children film it works- the comedy is juvenile, the visuals are nice to look at and it sends a positive message. Exceeded expectations, anticipating Sing 2.

Feelgood movie

[aalborgen-21673 · 7/10 · 2 April 2020]

A full on feelgood movie. If you don't feel good watching this there is probably something wrong with you.

Not as innocent as it seems

[artbug-21197 · 2/10 · 10 January 2017]

I was not impressed with this film at all. It is supposedly targeted at young kids and families, but I do not agree. I did not appreciate the casual, off-hand references to adult content. Twerking (when the bunnies are auditioning to a Nikki Manaj song, swinging their behinds at the audience and singing 'Oh my God, look at her butt'), smoking drugs (at a party/club one of the animals looks at an inhaler and asks "What do you smoke in this?"), and the underlying fact that one of the animals is living with her boyfriend. Depending on the values that parents want to instill in their children, this movie is questionable. Because young kids are like sponges that soak up everything they see and hear, parents need to be careful and considerate before showing this film to their children.

Great Story, Tons of Songs, Awesome 3D Animated Movie

[MichaelNontonMulu · 7 December 2016]

Well this movie was a bit different than I anticipated. When I watched the trailer, all I can think of was a movie only adapting the singing competition in the television like American Idol or The Voice with various characters competing to win. But it turned out to be something completely different. I personally was satisfied with the story and characters development. I think we can probably relate to or symphatize on the characters.

The songs in this movie were a lot. If you think that the movie Trolls has got a lot of songs, then this is even more! You can definitely like some of the songs sung by these characters and probably knew most of them as well. Meanwhile the performances of these characters in the finale were real awesome. You would feel all sort of emotions watching them. Despite the movie categorized as suitable for general audience (including children), I believe the story of the movie was a bit heavy. Children could be entertained in some parts of the movie, or even the singing part. But I feel the movie is more suitable for teens and above to be able to capture the essence/moral message of the movie which was to always pursuit your dreams. There was also a very spirit lifting phrase that Buster said in the movie, which you can see for yourself.

This movie was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the production company that brought to you Despicable Me and those cute Minions. Unlike the previous animated movie The Secret Life of Pets where there was a short very funny movie of Minions before the start of the movie, this one did not have it. There was no scenes after the end credit either. So if you wish to go to the rest room after holding it during the movie, you can go right ahead. Unless of course if you want to see the end credits and wanted to see what songs were there in the movie.

The animations as usual were amazing. I am quite sure there are glimpses of good effects if you watch in 3D. The songs were good, so if you want to enjoy a better music effect, then you definitely can enjoy them better when watching at cinemas with good special sound effects. Oh 1 thing that I was not happy was the trailer of this movie that had been playing in theaters earlier. I think it revealed too much information and important scenes. But anyway, if you are looking for fun entertaining animated musical movie with lots & lots of songs, then this movie is definitely for you.

For my complete review, pls see michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

A enjoyable film

[monstermayhem32 · 7/10 · 21 December 2016]

I will say that the story deals with Steve moon a koala bear who wants to save his music theater from shutting down after his previous shows failed and is now desperate for some success. So he hires various acts and even has a prize for 100,000. Various characters included Rosita the pig who is the mother of twenty five piglets and a husband who is neglectful of his wife. Johnny the gorilla who dreams of being a singer tries his best to avoid falling into his fathers criminal footsteps. Meena the elephant who has fear of stage fright despite her amazing vocals. While the movie is a kids one but I will say that I considered it an adult one with adult humor.

lighthearted and inspiring

[aminifatimaaa · 8/10 · 20 May 2019]

An immensely enjoyable & likeable animated comedy, Garth Jennings' Sing is extremely entertaining to children and adults. The film may not, however, leave a lasting impression as the tale of a singing competition and its animal competitors does little to stand out. Characters are cute, and voice-talent is strong; but both the narrative and the animation lack depth. Sing is fun, but it rarely hits any high notes.

While Sing may not be a classic in the making, it still makes for a good way to spend almost 2 hours.

[Amari-Sali · 7/10 · 26 November 2016]

Review (with Spoilers) Storyline

Since he was a kid Buster Moon has loved the theater. Not in terms of desiring to be a performer but more so he wanted to own one, create production, and he eventually got to do that. Problem is, he sucks at it. However, undeterred, he decides to have a singing competition. Not as a Muppet style last resort to gain funds, but as a business as usual type of thing. Unfortunately, though, his assistant Ms. Crawly makes posters not offering $1,000 but $100,000. Which brings the talent, but also brings a swath of issues for two of them really need that money.

Highlights

Song Choice

There is a little something for everyone here. Naturally, pop hits dominate, but for those who like something old school Mike mostly does Jazz with his saxophone or Rat Pack era songs like "My Way." Also, there is scattered rock or pop/rock music here and there. The most notable song choice would be Johnny singing "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John.

Meena and Johnny

Meena and Johnny are really the only two characters who are given real emotional grounding so their highs and lows matter to you. Meena seems to not have a father and is being raised by her mother's family, she is shy to the point of anxiety attacks and seems to be the only introvert in an extroverted family. One which fully supports her singing, but with her grandfather being so aggressive about her pursuing her talent, you can see he only makes things worse.

Then with Johnny, he is another case of a missing parent. In his case, it is his mom but with his dad around, and his dad's criminal gang being sort of parental units, you see he is making it. Problem is, his dad has a vision and plans for Johnny which he doesn't necessarily want. So when he goes against the grain, as seen in the trailer, and gets disowned, it leaves him with no one really. His father's friends came with his dad and without him, we watch a heartbroken Johnny try to just figure out what life can be like without his dad.

Criticism

Too Many Characters & Not Enough Development

In order to get funding, the production companies seemed to have gotten as many name recognizable talent they could, and from there they wrote enough of a story to keep the big names happy. Not the type of story which could give depth to each character, but with it being a kid's movie, you can assume the general consensus was there is no need to get that deep. Hence why we don't explore the stress Rosita has from taking care of 25 piglets nor dealing with a unfulfilling marriage. Hence why Buster, despite being the lead, never becomes someone who can get a real emotional response out of you. For never-mind, he is a bit of a selfish butt-head for ripping off his stage hands and then taking advantage of Meena for free labor, but the one thing which could redeem him is that he is trying to make his dad's hard work pay off. The problem is with this, it more told to us than shown. Even then, it isn't like we see his dad struggle or even Buster struggle alongside him. Heck, even the one person who could have given his story some oomph, Ms. Crawley, she is purely a comedic relief. There is no development of their relationship so we can understand why she has stuck with him nor were we given an understanding why he hired her and what she means to him. I mean, she doesn't even act as a source to make Buster's dad more than just a picture trotted around to remind us how bad Buster feels about possibly losing the theater.

Overall: Mixed (Home Viewing)

Did I cry a little due to Meena and Johnny? Absolutely I did. However, I can't say if I didn't get to see this for free, at a screening, that I would actually pay for this. Did it have potential? Yes, it did. However, it seems like another case of having an animated movie, bloated with Hollywood stars, which is more about a money grab than creating something which has longevity.

So underrated, loved it

[kevinlaura44 · 9/10 · 4 March 2022]

I am a huge fan of Sing, and eventually bought it.

There something about the story that fascinates me. I have watched it over 10 times. Seriously.

I love the opening when Mr Moon has the tryouts, and the ending when they perform the show for each other.

Originally I rated it a 7, but now it is a 9 in my book.

Sing it Loud, Cute and Proud

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 21 December 2016]

Tis the season for movies, and this week there are plenty of films for all to see. My first review this week is the latest animation film geared toward the younger audience group. Assuming you've seen the title of my review, you know I'm talking about Sing, Illumination Studios' latest production. As an answer to Disney's Zootopia, Sing is trying to take the anthropomorphic animal story and a little twist to bait you in. But was that twist enough, or is it another generic animation. Please read on to hear my opinions on the latest blockbuster.

LIKES: • Very Fun • Decent song and dance numbers • Character development • Touching moments

The thing you always hope for in a kid's movie is a fun adventure for the audience (both adults and kids). Sing does its job of providing laughs and energy, having a variety of jokes that will tickle your funny bone from time to time. Little kids will find the slapstick antics of characters farting, tripping on stage, or crashing into some sort of scenery. Adults on the other hand will embrace the funny voices, well timed delivery, and popular culture references. Whatever your style of humor, Sing will surely entertain most audience members. For a movie titled Sing, you hope for a little singing and dancing, right? Good news, there is some of that in this movie. Sing's song and dance numbers keep with the cute theme of the movie, filled with explosive colors and energy. The singing is…okay in the film, but the music director picked a wide variety of tracks (from a multitude of genres) in hopes of roping all ages into the film. Their twists on some of the classics is certainly enjoyable, though doesn't quite come together like the originals. Dance numbers are again cute, but are primarily comedic relief than a true wow factor you might have expected.

My main like of Sing though, is the emotional moments the directors packed into the film. The cast of aspiring singers each have their own problems (shocking right) and our heroes must face them semi-head on throughout the 90-minute run time. While the outcomes are certainly predictable, the dialogue, music, and animation are more than enough to maximize the emotions of the moment. I found my heart strings being tugged at a few of the story arcs, but enjoyed the attempt at teaching the audience some important lessons. Nevertheless, there is some simplistic character development to help around out the adventure.

DISLIKES: • Different theme than presented • Many numbers were shortsighted • Dropped potential characters • Story, while touching, was kind of bland

When I saw the trailers for Sing, I was expecting American Idol meets Zootopia. To an extent, we do get that, but it's only in the auditions part of the movie. You've seen most of the audition numbers in the trailer, and the studio didn't expand much past this. As a result, the music numbers I would hope blow me away were reduced to simplistic quips that while comical and cute, weren't that impressive. Surprisingly they are missing some genres like country, rap, and others that some audience members might have been hoping for. I guess the soundtrack will have to make up for the short bytes. In addition, the contest aspect really wasn't pursued, as the story takes a different approach to make it a completely different movie than you were expecting.

This approach, as well as the short numbers, also reduced the screen time of some of the other animals you might have been hoping for. So, all those animals you see auditioning, don't get too attached, because chances are they aren't going to stick around long enough for the adventure. In addition, some of the supporting characters have limited roles, their story lines hastily wrapped up and lost in the musical numbers. And the result of all this is again an entertaining story, but one that is kind of bland and lacking suspense. The incomplete use of characters and the lack of the contest aspect took away the suspense of rooting for your favorite animal, diluting this film's potential to really drive the emotions home.

The VERDICT:

If you haven't guessed from my review, this film is fun, fun, fun. It has energetic song and dance numbers, some cute wholesome comedy, and yes some predictable emotional moments that we all like to see this time of year. However, the decisions to not pursue the contest, limit the engagement of the other characters, and the lack of hard-hitting numbers took away from the movie for me. Therefore, this reviewer recommends, and predicts, this film will be best enjoyed by families with little ones (who will most likely flood the theaters to see it). However, this reviewer recommends holding out to see this one at home instead of in the movie theater.

Scores: Animation/Comedy/Drama: 7.5 Movie Overall: 6.5

Sing is the most enjoyable of the musical computer-animated movies we've seen this year!

[tavm · 9/10 · 21 December 2016]

This is the third computer-animated movie in a row that features actual singing by the characters after Trolls and Moana. The title basically means just about every character is singing something because it's about a singing contest being produced because the producer wants something that brings the people to his theatre, not like those previous shows that didn't do much for his career. Seems like all genres of music from various decades is represented here. My movie theatre-working friend was especially enamored with the gorilla singing a song associated with his favorite singer, Elton John. This movie does show the struggles of putting on a show and possible disasters that happen when risks are taken. I really don't want to reveal any more so I'll just say that me and my friend highly recommend Sing.

Sing is not worth singing praise about. It was just alright. Mediocre.

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 17 January 2017]

Besides Disney & Pixar, Illumination Entertainment has been on something of an animation roll as of late, ever since 2010's 'Despicable Me'. Despite, most of their films, not being hits with critics, their movies continue to make mad cash. Sadly, their newest movie 'Sing' is one of their weakest. Directed & written by Garth Jennings and co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, the film tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic animals such under-appreciated pig mama Rosita (Voiced by Reese Witherspoon); the gentle son of a gorilla crime boss, Johnny (Voiced by Taron Egerton), punk-rocker porcupine Ash (Voiced by Scarlett Johansson), arrogant mouse street performer, Mike (Voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and shy elephant, teenager Meena (Voiced by Tori Kelly), who has the pipes but not the confidence, all entering a singing competition, hosted by an ambitious theater-owning koala Buster Moon (Voiced by Matthew McConaughey), who needs a hit show to save his beloved theater from foreclosure. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the way, they introduce all these characters in the beginning of the film, was very awkward. The quick fast jump transitions was just too much. It seem, early second that it was moving, without giving enough time to establish, who they truly are. I really didn't like it. The film pacing was all over the place. Another problem with this movie is how many songs, were feature in this film. 80 songs ranging from the 1940s to 2010's is way too much for a jukebox musical. Because of this, the film's music felt more like an endless amount of swiping through Pandora than a great use of storytelling device. Plus, of the many, many pop songs used in this family film's soundtrack, there are a few that are rather explicitly not kid-friendly, including "Butterfly" by Crazy Town, which is subtly, about cunnilingus, and "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj, which is explicitly about having intercourse. So that was weird. Honestly, the movie could had work better, if they allow a few songs to sink in, throughout the film. Instead, it felt more like white noise, for most of the 110 minute film, until the final act. Despite that, I do like the last bit of the movie, where the songs do come to characterization the revealing thoughts and feelings of a given character. For example, 'Shake it off' by singer, Taylor Swift, show Rosita's story arc, as she wants to prove to her family what a talented singer she is. Another is "I'm Still Standing" from music artist, Elton John is about someone who was under a negative influence, and who managed to break out of it and stand strong without it. A perfect fit to Johnny's relationship with his father. The same, can be, with 'Set it All Free' by songwriter, David Bassett, 'Don't You worry about a thing' by Stevie Wonder and 'My Way' by singer, Paul Anka. It reflects about their live, and having no regrets on how they lived it. All amazing performances from all the voice actors, even if the Seth MacFarlane one seem the most generic in how much, he sings it, outside from this film. Still, if I had to cut one, it would be, his, since it didn't seem like his Mike character had a personality arch to be nicer. He is a rat in the beginning, and still, a rodent in the end. All he manage to do, is waste screen time. However, I can praise the other actors in the roles, they were given. Each one of them, made it, their own, despite some of their cartoon animal counterpart having some characteristic stereotypes that can be view as racism like having black gorillas as violent thugs or sexism, like one character being ignored by her husband until dressing up in a promiscuous cat suit, trigger him to like her. In my opinion, it wasn't too jarring as it was in Disney version of talking animal kingdom, 2016's 'Zootopia' with its gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity thoughts of prejudices and discrimination. While, 'Zootopia' is by far, the better film, since it was thought-provoking and had better jokes. I thought 'Sing' did have some moments that really pull you in. The movie did had some humor that was a bit interesting. Great use of foreshadowing, and like I said before, the characters backstory is what makes this movie and their drive to win the money, unique. Yet, I do have to say, I hate how the film abandoned the competition part, toward the third act. It lesser the pressures of them, trying to achieve their goals. I would love to see, some of them, fail at it and one had success, like any other competition show. Yes, it would had be, risky, but it would be more like it is in life and would show that not everybody can have success. In my opinion, the ending was a little too child-friendly. After all, in true-life, not everything can be patch up with music. If anything, solo success destroy family units, not bring them, closer to together. Overall: Due to a few missteps, 'Sing' is not worth the price of admission. Still, it worth checking out as a rental. It's a fun movie, but it falls short of being great.

Brilliant

[mrsjond · 10/10 · 4 December 2016]

I have just seen Sing with Hubby and two 7 year old's we all thought it was absolutely brilliant. It is rare for us all agree we all enjoyed a film. In fact this is the only one this year.

The music was first class lots of heads rocking to the beat, it had a good variety of music and I am even considering getting the soundtrack.

Rosita Pig was my favourite character and I thought Reece Witherspoon had an amazing voice though really all of them were good singers.

If you are looking to start the New Year off (as due for release in January 2017) I cannot recommend going to see this film enough as "fun for all the family".

Much Deeper than I Expected

[jakwieci · 7/10 · 2 January 2017]

Movie Review: Sing Sing is a fun movie. The animation, the, singing, the characters, writing, dialogue is all fun.

In some ways, that's a shame, because the movie, as is, has all the parts required to create a deep and sophisticated story populated with tragic characters. It would be too easy for a family movie filled with cartoon animals to be populated by goofy caricatures. It's not. Every character has a full, multidimensional life, with their own reasons for wanting to sing, and their own tragic flaws threatening to tear down their lives (and the for some the lives of others!) Having everything work out is a given, as it's a family movie, but a couple of tweaks, film it with human actors, and there's a powerful drama at play here.

The characters really do form an ensemble, but the one holding it all together is Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) who is a combination dreamer/film-flam man. He wants to bring the world something beautiful, but he just can't.

Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) plays the housewife who is over worked under appreciated and realizes it is crushing her soul.

Mike (Seth MacFarlane) is a Vegas style star that has gone undiscovered. The moment his hopes get up, he lives the big life, which invites big problems.

Ash (Scarlett Johansson) represents the true musician who's life falls apart as she sells out to be popular.

Eddie (John C. Reilly) is Moon's layabout best friend who is spoiled and happy to leave a dull empty life, but discovers he does need more.

Johnny (Targon Egerton) is the son of a thug, and is stuck between gaining his father's approval, and finding his own way in the world.

Meena (Tori Kelly) is the shy singer who doesn't want to be a bother, but we all know has something special. (As a bonus, her elephant family are dressed in the same attire as Babar)

Nana (Jennifer Saunders) is the yardstick for everyone else, the lonely former star who sees the world as lacking, and seems happy to leave the world to itself.

That's a lot going on when they manage to squeeze in 60 pop songs, requisite fart jokes and a supporting cast that actually serve the story instead of presenting visual gags.

The downside is that the movie is too serious for itself. There is no barrage of pop culture jokes, or 'cute' moments, or jokes for the sake of a punchline.

The voice acting is great, the writing feels natural, the animation serves the story. Technically it's a great achievement. I would recommend seeing the movie. I don't see it becoming a memorable classic, rather a movie that people are pleasantly surprised to watch when they give it a chance.

5/10

[Giacomo_De_Bello · 5/10 · 15 December 2016]

Theater producer Buster Moon (Matthew McConaghuey) owns the most glorious theater in town, but his many failures have brought the theater gradually into almost falling apart. When the bank gives an ultimatum to Moon has one last chance to reestablish the theater to its former glory and he decides to assemble the greatest singing competition ever put to stage.

By reading that synopsis I don't think anyone would ever believe it needed to have animals as characters and that cuts right to the problems "Sing" has, even though it manages to sneak in some good laughs and funny characters, the final product ends up being a mess, overlong and stuffed with too much stuff for a single film.

What is sad about this film is that it furthers a pre-conception about Illumination Entertainment and the more we go on the more that becomes evident: they are not making movies based on good stories, their interest is widely oriented towards flashy products that attract kids and they keep struggling with bringing those ideas on screen in a way that makes a film pleasant and watchable for all audiences. Their animation is also inferior to anything we've seen in the genre recently. So of course they are making tons of money and good for them, but the more we go on the more I frown when the logo of the company comes in before the film, it has never meant good news up until now and that's really sad.

Garth Jennings worked on this project for five years and wrote and directed this alone, something very rare in the animation world, so he definitely deserves a huge amount of respect for diving into such an effort and, admittedly, he comes out with some good stuff: many of the characters in this film have a great starting point and an effortlessly comedic dynamic, Miss Crawly, voiced by Jennings himself, is the old lizard assistant to Moon and almost all of her jokes work, her dynamic on screen is just comedic gold. Seth MacFarlane also brings to life a hilarious, irreverent rat with a passion for jazz and that is another element of the film that really works.

There is also a raw energy to the film that is established through the music that is passed on to the audience in a positive way for the major part, it gets you going along with the characters and brings out some very funny musical gags and jokes that are definitely the highlight of the film. There's also to consider the fact that the protagonist of the film is incredibly likable and even though his journey doesn't offer much emotionally, he remains a strong character with some very strong traits.

Yet, nothing, not even he incredibly high spirited joyful atmosphere of the film can save some of the big flaws in the storytelling and the overall concept of the film. There are no two ways around it: you are watching a film with anthropomorphized animals and I couldn't, for the life of me, explain to myself why they were animals and why was this the medium through which I was watching the film, it is a fatal story flaw that annoyed the hell out of me, especially considering how big of a production this is.

Another highly unbalanced element is how the music is handled in the story. Whilst it does manage to give the film a pleasant beat at times, for the majority of the film the way in which the characters interact with it is pathetic and this is coming from someone who has been a musician for all of his life. The message behind the music, the way showmanship is represented, the idea of the competition and worst of all the actual music choice, all of this is handled terribly, it sets a terrible example for kids and it really disrespects the musician figure. It does not manage to make the music relevant thematically or emotionally and that is yet another flaw in how the movie is structured and brought to life.

Finally, there are many touches of style in the film that fail miserably. The way the characters are introduced by making the camera move fast around the city, is one of the laziest and most useless techniques I have ever has the displeasure to experience in a theater and I think that everyone involved in taking that decision should really think about it. It is terribly out of place and adds nothing to the story or the tone of the film. It is really something that I was shocked to see employed in an A+ Hollywood production and this is not the only useless and lazy stylish addition that the film employs.

Overall sing has some good comedic touches, some likable characters and an overall energetic vibe to favor it, yet the film on a whole does not stand up as a pleasantly joyful experience because of several flaws from the inception of the idea to the character development.