We were able to see an early screening of Sing with the family last month, and we’re thrilled that Sing is finally coming to theaters this week for everyone else to see. This is a spoiler-free movie review. Amazon links are used to point you in the right direction to bring the music home (which you will want to do after you see the movie).
What do you do when your life-long dream seems to be crumbling before your eyes? Obviously, you hold an amateur singing competition!
Sing is the latest and greatest rendition of all those singing competitions that have flooded our TV screens for the last decade plus. But this time, it’s the competition promoter who needs to win.
Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey – Interstellar) is a Koala who fell in love with the theatre at a young age – so much so, that his father washed cars for years saving money so that he and Buster could buy the local theatre. After a few years of glamour and fun, the theatre has fallen into disrepair. Buster is behind on his mortgage payments and the bank is ready to foreclose.
With his life-long dream about to be foreclosed forever, Buster hatches a scheme to hold a singing competition where he’ll exploit the local talent field, pay them peanuts and pocket all of the proceeds to save his dying theatre. The only problem is that his “ready to keel over and die ancient” secretary accidentally offers a $100,000 prize for the winner.
As he sits through the thousands of auditions with his long-time sheep buddy Eddie (John C. Reilly – Wreck it Ralph), he discovers a number of amazingly talented locals who have what it takes to succeed without Buster’s intervention; each one dealing with his or her own demons that are preventing them from being the performer they yearn to become.
Who’s Who in SING
You’ll have a hard time recognizing many of these voices as you see them in their animal personas.
Rosita (Reese Witherspoon – Legally Blonde) is a pig (no insults intended) stay-at-home mom, mother of many piglets, wife of a tired, disinterested husband who appreciates her but has no idea of her inner desire to pursue her singing career. She creatively figures out how to escape from her daily house-wife drudgery just long enough to audition and be chosen as one of the performers. But, her demanding schedule won’t allow her to realize her golden opportunity.
Paired with an overbearing dancing German pig named Gunter (Nick Kroll – Sausage Party), she faces the dilemma that many of us encounter: how do we balance our family responsibilities with the need and desire to fulfill our own personal dreams. Gunter, by the way, is hysterically funny.
Ash, a young punk rock Porcupine (Scarlett Johansson – The Avengers) feels held back and betrayed by her boyfriend.
Johnny, a teenage gorilla (Taron Egerton – Eddie the Eagle), fights against his father’s demands that he join their gang and help them rob banks and jewelry stores.
Mike, a street smart mouse (Seth MacFarlane – Family Guy), is on the run from gangsters and hopes to bag the grand prize and make a poshe life for himself.
And, if you have seen the previews, we have Meena, a shy elephant (Tori Kelly – The Voice). Meena has a voice that rocks the theatre, but she can’t get over her stage fright, so she takes a job as a stagehand and watches the performance while creeping ever closer to their dreams on stage.
If you’re like me, you’ll commiserate, empathize and loathe the feelings and experiences of this unlikely group of wannabes. While each deals with obstacles and tragedies, they all share the common need to succeed and show people that they can do it. And, even in the midst of their personal and group tragedies, they come together to help each other.
Did I mention that Gunter is hilarious? He has few lines, but every one of them is a laugh out loud moment.
This is one of the bear animated films I have seen in years. It was meaningful, funny, thought provoking and well worth every second. If you buy dvds, this will be one that your kids will play over and over. The same goes for the CD – the music is absolutely awesome and is guaranteed to be played over and over again (luckily, it’s pretty parent-friendly too!).
Be sure to check out our other post about SING with fun (and free) printable activity sheets for kids!
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I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about this movie in the blogosphere. Then I finally saw the trailer and thought it would be hysterical. Even my husband said that it looks good!
I love the pic of the characters and the actors that voice them, what a great cast of my hollywood favorites!
Those pictures are my favorites, too! I think every animated movie should do that with their voice actors!
I cannot wait to see this movie! What a great cast and the characters are so cute!
I love the promotional photos for this movie that show the live actors with the characters they voice!