Plot

In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists find that their lives will never be the same.

In a world of anthropomorphic animals, koala Buster Moon owns a theater, having been interested in show business since his father took him to his first music show as a child. Following financial problems brought up by the bank representative Judith, he tells his wealthy friend Eddie that he will host a singing competition with a prize of $1,000. But Buster's assistant, Miss Crawly, accidentally appends two extra zeroes, and the promotional fliers showing $100,000 are blown out of Buster's office into the city streets.

Refusing to abandon his father's once-glorious theatre, Buster Moon, a slightly delusional showman, finds himself with his back to the wall. However, is he as hopeless as he seems? Fortunately, in one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions, the visionary's mind gives birth to a simple but fantastic idea to save his business: a singing competition. As a result, every sunny daydreamer in town gets a chance to shine, and as the news of a $100,000 grand prize spreads like wildfire, everything is ready for the ultimate musical showdown. Now, anybody can dream big, including tiny alto saxophonists and heavenly voiced soloists. After all, all creatures, great and small, are welcome to compete in the Moon Theatre.—Nick Riganas

In a world of animals, in a way to save his theatre, a male koala makes the decision to hold a singing competition for everyone. A range of different animals with different lives come forward to try out to show everyone the talent that they all have.—RECB3

Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Buster Moon, a dapper koala, presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal (some might even say delusional) optimist, who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with 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.

In a world of anthropomorphic animals, koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) owns a theater, having been interested in show business since his father took him to his first music show as a child.

As an adult, Buster is the owner of the Moon Theatre and living his childhood dream. Buster is dealing with financial problems brought up by the bank representative llama Judith (Rhea Perlman). Buster could not pay the stage crew from his last production and his checks bounced.

Buster tells his wealthy friend Eddie (John C. Reilly) that he will host a singing competition with a prize of $1,000. Eddie is under pressure from his father not to fund any more of Buster's shows. Buster argues that everyone will watch a show about real contestants from real life. But Buster's elderly assistant iguana, Miss Crawly (Garth Jennings) (who also has one lazy eye), accidentally appends two extra zeroes, and the promotional fliers showing $100,000 are printed. The misprinted fliers are blown out of the window by a fan before they can be proofread, and float across the city.

Crowds of animals gather to audition, and Buster selects his contestants. Those selected include: housewife and mother of 25 piglets Rosita (Reese Witherspoon). Rosita's husband is Norman (Nick Offerman) who does not appreciate her talent. Street musician mouse Mike (Seth MacFarlane), who studied at the Lincoln School of Music. Gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton) who is the son of a criminal gang leader named Big Daddy (Peter Serafinowicz). Johnny knows that he is not cut out for a life of crime but feels pressured by his dad. Big Daddy wants Johnny to be the get away driver at their next heist at the docks. But they don't know the date on which the ship carrying the $25 million in gold will come in. Punk-rock porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson) who performs with her boyfriend Ash. Ash considers himself to be the lead singer and wants Ash to stick to the background vocals, despite Ash being more talented.

Shy teenage elephant Meena (Tori Kelly) fails her audition out of stage fright, while Ash's boyfriend Lance (Beck Bennett) is dismissed from the contest. Ash decides to participate on her own and argues that winning the money could lead to building their own recording studio and starting their own music label.

Rosita is paired with another contestant, an exuberant pig named Gunter (Nick Kroll), for a dancing routine. Although Buster discovers the fliers show a prize of $100,000, money he does not have, he remains optimistic. Eddie refuses to loan Buster the money. With Judith still chasing Buster, he decides to press on with the production as he believes that making a hit show is the only way out of this situation.

Buster convinces Eddie to arrange a visit with Eddie's grandmother, former opera singer and theater actress Nana Noodleman (Jennifer Saunders), to persuade her to sponsor the prize money. She is hesitant to contribute but agrees to see a private screening of the show.

Pressured by her grandfather, Meena attempts to request a second audition, but settles for being Buster's stagehand instead. When one of the acts quits, and another is injured, Meena is added as an act but again struggles to overcome her fear. The performers' individual problems begin to hinder rehearsals: Rosita flounders in her dance routine with Gunter, after having been distracted by her parenting duties that have fallen into disarray. After discovering Lance with a new girlfriend and evicting them from her apartment, Ash is heartbroken and in no state to sing her assigned song, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."

Johnny, forced by his father to partake in a heist as a getaway driver, sneaks away to the rehearsal. Traffic prevents Johnny from returning to the heist in time, resulting in his father and his gang getting arrested and incarcerated, straining their relationship. After an accident causes stage lights to fall and break, Buster has the stage rebuilt as a tank so luminescent squids can be used as lights. Meena does not get any help in overcoming her stage fright, and Mike, certain that the prize money is as good as his, buys a fancy car to impress a female mouse, and then swindles a group of bears in a card game in a nightclub.

Desperate, Johnny attempts to steal the prize money for his father's bail, but when he sees a note on Buster's desk praising his talents, Johnny resolves to focus on his musical career instead. Meanwhile, Rosita regains her passion for dancing while grocery shopping, and Ash composes a song that Buster likes.

The day of the screening, the bears interrupt the show, demanding the money from Mike, who in turn, points to Buster. The bears open the chest containing the prize money, but it is nowhere near $100,000. The glass tank full of luminescent squids that Buster got to light up the theater breaks under all their weight, and floods the theater, which then comes crashing down. With the lot repossessed by Judith, Buster, who had been living in his theater's office desk, takes up residence at Eddie's place (his parents' pool house).

Although the contestants (besides Mike, who saw Buster as a fraud) visit him and try to cheer him up, Buster is too despondent to listen to them. He tries to start over by opening a car wash, using the same bucket that his father had used to earn money for Buster's theater.

When Meena goes to the theater's rubble lot and sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Buster hears her and is inspired to reinstate the show without the prize money. They perform in front of Rosita and Meena's family members. As Rosita and Gunter perform Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," more animals are attracted to the scene as the show is broadcast on the news. Johnny's rendition of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" impresses his father, who then escapes from prison to reconcile with him. Despite interruption by Judith, Ash sings her original rock song "Set It All Free." Mike returns to the show and sings Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Meena finally overcomes her fears and sings Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing," which literally brings down the house.

The show becomes a success and impresses Nana, who was in the audience. Nana buys the lot and the theater is rebuilt and reopened.