Sing, 2016.
Directed by Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet.
Featuring the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Offerman, Peter Serafinowicz, and Nick Kroll.
SYNOPSIS:
Sing is now available on home video in a Blu-ray + DVD + digital copy release that features a small smattering of bonus features. Given the lightweight nature of the movie, though, that’s probably to be expected.
Some movies speak to a very specific audience. In the case of Sing, it’s anyone who aspires to become an entertainer and become a star who rises to fame from humble beginnings. My daughter has done a few local theater shows, so I’ve been around kids whose idea of a good time on a Friday night is to put on an abbreviated version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in their living room (true story).
For those kids, Sing is likely a movie that hits them right between the eyes, leaving their parents to wonder what the fuss is all about. It’s an ensemble story about a group of singers who hail from various walks of life and come together in a competition put together by theater owner Buster Moon, a scheming koala who has a spiritual connection to The Producers’ Max Bialystock. A typo by Moon’s hapless receptionist turned the competition’s prize from $1,000 to $100,000, but he’s determined to figure out how to scrounge the money together, since he hopes the event will help save his failing theater.
The rest of the cast are animals too. We have a rockin’ porcupine trying to get out from under her boyfriend’s overbearing nature, a sullen gorilla whose bank-robbing father doesn’t understand his dreams, a pig housewife who wants more than taking care of 25 piglets and finds it with a flamboyant dance partner, a Frank Sinatra-like mouse who has connections to the mob, and an elephant whose family supports her dreams.
The characters are all basic sketches, and given the size of the cast, there’s little time for anything other than cursory character development. While it seems that Moon is the one who should change the most, with the other characters’ help, his development is pretty predictable, as is the rest of the story.
The bonus features found in this release include:
- Three mini movies that include a making-of piece (18 minutes).
- Five shorts that are similar to ads for the businesses seen in the background during the movie (13 minutes).
- Profiles of six of the characters (12 minutes).
- A seven-minute dance routine lesson.
- Five minutes of making-of discussion.
- Three minutes with editor Gregory Perler.
- Four music videos
- A minute of clips featuring Gunter, the over-the-top pig dancer who accompanies the bored housewife.
The bonus features are just as cursory as the story, which probably isn’t a big deal for this one. Kids who dream of stardom will probably find some rewatchability in this movie, but unlike other CGI fare these days, there isn’t a lot here for adults to lock into.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
Originally published March 21, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
