For Illumination Entertainment to release the next animated flick in the same year as their recent hit The Secret Life of Pets, I was left even more curious as to what their follow-up Sing can belt out. The moment I walked into that theater and watched it in its entirety, it left me both entertained and in stitches as to see what these characters are capable of.
The equation to me is like: Zootopia + American Idol + a hint of Glee = Sing
So Buster Moon, a koala and owner to his local theater is falling on hard times as no one is interested in the shows he puts on. When he and his associates Eddie (a male sheep) and the elderly Ms. Crawly (an iguana) decide to put together a singing competition for all the locals, he hopes it's the only way to save his theater from being taken away from him.
Although the singing prowess is all there in the anthropomorphic animal characters and were definitely superb to hear from each of their respective voice actors (Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, and even Seth MacFarlane certainly stood out with both speaking and singing) it's a plot that feels too routine and a tendency to be predictable when it comes to the more pivotal moments in the movie. The scenario started to slowly remind me of the old 1997 Warner Bros. movie "Cats Don't Dance" in terms of has-been or aspiring individuals that would do anything to make it big in the limelight. In spite of the littler ones (and I even noticed some much older adults) being kept amused by the off-color humor and various renditions of hit songs each character sang, it's pretty much average fun for families of all ages. It's no "Moana" and feels like a low-budget "Zootopia," but it's a bipedal, animated musical comedy that's not afraid to stand in the spotlight. The ending song "Faith" by legend Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande is also a catchy tune. No wonder it got some recognition for awards season. A lesser effort, but melodious enough to hear.
The equation to me is like: Zootopia + American Idol + a hint of Glee = Sing
So Buster Moon, a koala and owner to his local theater is falling on hard times as no one is interested in the shows he puts on. When he and his associates Eddie (a male sheep) and the elderly Ms. Crawly (an iguana) decide to put together a singing competition for all the locals, he hopes it's the only way to save his theater from being taken away from him.
Although the singing prowess is all there in the anthropomorphic animal characters and were definitely superb to hear from each of their respective voice actors (Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, and even Seth MacFarlane certainly stood out with both speaking and singing) it's a plot that feels too routine and a tendency to be predictable when it comes to the more pivotal moments in the movie. The scenario started to slowly remind me of the old 1997 Warner Bros. movie "Cats Don't Dance" in terms of has-been or aspiring individuals that would do anything to make it big in the limelight. In spite of the littler ones (and I even noticed some much older adults) being kept amused by the off-color humor and various renditions of hit songs each character sang, it's pretty much average fun for families of all ages. It's no "Moana" and feels like a low-budget "Zootopia," but it's a bipedal, animated musical comedy that's not afraid to stand in the spotlight. The ending song "Faith" by legend Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande is also a catchy tune. No wonder it got some recognition for awards season. A lesser effort, but melodious enough to hear.