TIFF 2016: ‘Sing’ Review
Illumination is on a roll with films this year. Earlier this year, we saw the release of The Secret Life of Pets. Now, they are at it again with Sing. Sing tells the story of Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a theater owner who is down on his luck. He is behind in all bills and trying to keep his theater afloat. As a last ditch effort, he decides to have a singing competition. All different animals come to the theater to audition and fill out a pretty wonderful ensemble of singers.
The cast in the film is a lot of fun and has a wide variety of talent. The characters are fun and interesting. Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to the character of Ash, an angsty teenager looking to find her voice. Reese Witherspoon is Rosita, a worn out and underappreciated homemaker who is teamed with Gunther (Nick Kroll), an eccentric piggy with a German accent. He is a lot of fun. Perhaps the most surprising voice came for Johnny who was voiced by the wonderful Taron Egerton. He did a great job and has an amazing singing voice, which I had no idea he could do. Another extremely talented singer, Seth MacFarlane was part of this film as the Frank Sinatra-esque, Mike. All these characters are overcoming various personal struggles from running from a life they don’t want, to overcoming stage fright.
The animation in the film is pretty great and at the level that you would expect from the great studio of Illumination. The music is a ton of fun. There are some great songs in the movie that really get the audience excited. The singing and performances are great. The visuals are creative and create an energetic atmosphere for the film. This is going to be hit with kids because there are so many many songs which will definitely keep their attention throughout. While many of the animated films in recent years have been able to span generations, I do think that Sing will be best suited for children as it is predictable and doesn’t have many jokes aimed at an older group.
