Movie Review: Sing

Most animated films can justify why their characters aren’t human, or at least integrate their non-human characteristics into the movie.

In Finding Nemo, they’re fish, so the film is set almost entirely in water, whether that be the ocean or an aquarium. In Cars, car-racing is an integral part of the story. Even in something like The Lion King which is based on a play designed for humans, the setting is adapted to fit the African wildlife.

That the only reason Sing seems to have animals as its characters is 'because they’re cute’ speaks to the lack of creativity present.

Sing, written and directed by Garth Jennings, tells the story of Buster Moon, a koala (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) who owns a theatre on the brink of bankruptcy. In a desperate attempt to raise money, he decides to hold a singing contest.

After one audition round, he picks contestants to duke it out for the prize of $100,000: Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a domestic pig who had mostly given up her dreams of being a singer so she can be a devoted wife; Mike (Seth MacFarlane), an arrogant mouse after the prize money; Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a punk rock porcupine; and Meena (Tori Kelly), an extremely shy elephant.

The plot here is rather formulaic. There are countless animated movies that follow a predictable formula that still win you over with the sheer force of their charm (the Kung Fu Panda movies are pretty much the same movie repeated three times). The problem here lies in Jennings’ mediocre execution and lack of inventiveness. Our imagination is never captured accordingly.

Like a lot of ensemble films, Sing falls into the trap of trying to focus on all the characters equally. The six main characters all have plots of their own, none of which are particularly complex. But screen time seems to be doled out so equally that the film never feels cohesive. There’s no focus; only six stories that just so happen to be occurring at the same time. This is particularly noticeable in the finale, which, although genuinely rousing, suffers from each character’s arcs being resolved separately through their own songs. There’s never a sense of camaraderie between them and by the time you’ve sat through all the songs, all the momentum has fizzled out.

Music choices include a mixture of pop songs from the past 50 years, which are at times quite effective (the rendition of “I’m Still Standing” is particularly enjoyable) but for the most part are quite groan-worthy (does anyone actually find “Firework” inspiring?). Voice work by the actors (who also sing the songs themselves) are fine, but Sing feels like a waste of great talent, given they're never asked to do anything beyond be a little bit sad at times.

An excuse often made for animated films is that they are designed for children and shouldn’t be held to any sort of standards. Sure, children can enjoy anything. However, good films for children, like those for adults, should stimulate their imagination and expand their ideas of what is possible instead of appealing to their love of pop songs and cute animals.

Sing feels like a movie that’s been market-tested for children, and yet at the screening I attended, a lot of children seemed to have more fun running around than watching the thing. This is not a bad film by any means; just one that is so average it's difficult to recommend. Given that animated movies seem to be quite scarce this summer, it will have to be another one that kids might enjoy but parents must endure.

2.5/5

In cinemas now. Rated G.

Louie Zhu is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributor program.

Photo: Universal