Any movie that starts with a Beatles song has to be a hit! With a group that consisted of six adults and seven children ages three through ten, I saw the new animated film Sing. All six adults gave it two thumbs up, and six of the seven kids agreed. (Allie, the three year old in our group, was unavailable to share her opinion due to the fact that she fell sound asleep halfway through the movie.)
Matthew McConaughey is the voice of a koala named Buster Moon. Buster, the owner of a performance theater, is up to his adorable ears in debt, and as a last ditch effort to save his theater from being repossessed by the bank, he comes up with the idea of launching a singing contest with a lucrative prize. (The monetary amount of the prize is an excellent lesson to young children about the importance of place value!)
Just like hit reality shows such as the now defunct American Idol and The Voice, vocalists who dream of making it big crawl out of the woodwork, including characters of multiple species and vocal capabilities.
Reese Witherspoon is the the voice of Rosita, a stay at home mom of twenty-five little piggies. She is dedicated to her family, but seeking a little pizzazz to help her break free from the daily humdrum of life. Tori Kelly is the voice of Meena, an elephant with a set of vocal chords that are stunning, but she’s too shy to sing in public. Seth MacFarlane is the voice of Mike, a mousy crooner who likes the finer things in life, even if he doesn’t have the means to afford them, and Taron Egerton is the voice of Johnny, a young, soulful piano playing gorilla with Daddy issues. A seemingly prickly porcupine named Ash, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, is preoccupied with teenage love and trying to figure out who she is. And then there’s the German pig named Gunter, voiced by Nick Kroll, who has more moxie than all of the other characters put together.
As the animal entourage prepare for the competition, their strengths, weaknesses, worries, and aspirations are exposed, making viewers realize that they’re actually rooting for all of them. Each viewer is bound to relate to one or more characters, whether it’s Rosita’s desperation to rediscover her self-identity, Meena’s fear of showing her true colors, or the journey Ash takes as she learns her self worth.
Two of the characters, Johnny and Mike, have backstories that seem almost irrelevant, as if they were designed for boys who might be reluctant to see the movie. Johnny comes from a family of professional thieves while Mike likes fast cars and gambling. Even though their personal histories didn’t necessarily add to the movie, I can see how they were included in an effort to not make the film seem too girly. (There are also a couple of benign potty humor moments thrown in here that are a real toot, I mean hoot.)
The soundtrack was stellar with an eclectic mix ranging from songs my grandmother loved to contemporary hits, and there’s definitely something for everyone, even fans of rap, hard rock, and 80’s pop.
Malia, the ten year old of our group, shared, “I thought it was good because it didn’t deal with all kiddie things, and it had so many funny jokes too.” She, along with the rest of the kids (except Allie, who was still asleep) added that she wants to download the soundtrack. Pete, father to three of the children in our group said, “It’s a feel good movie about inspiration and overcoming the odds,” and his wife Kris added, “I loved how they worked together to help a friend who believed in them.” My nine year old daughter Addie, who’s in choir, summed it up best, singing, “I LOOOOVED it!”
Movie times: click here
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Directors: Christophe Lourdelet, Garth Jennings
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Tori Kelly, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
