Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sing’ Is In Tune But Lacks Soul

While visually pleasing, Illumination’s latest animated feature ‘Sing’ is more of a lullaby than a fun watch.

Coming from the same Illumination studio that brought audiences the fun and heartfelt “Secret Life Of Pets,” hopes for the animal centric ‘Sing’ were high. However, a lazy delivery by the voice talent and flimsy plot provided too little soul to keep the viewer’s eyes open. Continue reading after the jump.
 

Cinematics (Cinematography, Acting, Plot, etc.) – 3

In terms of potential for success, ‘Sing’ had a lot of factors going for it. First, the studio behind the project just recently hit an animated feature out the park with the audience and critic adored “Secret Life Of Pets.” Second, the voice cast for the film was studded with A-List names from Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey to SNL’s Leslie Jones and Jay Pharaoh to top songstresses Tori Kelly and Jennifer Hudson. Third, it’s animated… so the production team has much more flexibility in terms of visuals and dialogue. Despite all those winning factors, “Sing” fumbles its way through its 108 minute runtime with very little substantive payoff at the end. Unlike other recent animated features like “Zootopia”or “Inside Out,” which really teaches young audiences about the nuances of society, “Sing” seems lacking in all areas of heart. While the songs are in tune and the animation is eye-catching for the younger audiences, the overall plot provides too little heft for wider audiences to be able to fully invest in the characters.

Despite being known for the epic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” the “Sing” writer/director Garth Jennings is unable to impart a social commentary or deeper message in this pop-centric project. The film raises more questions than anything. Questions like, what are two Oscar winners doing an animated b-movie. How can so many comedians in one project result with so little humor? How does a pig have 25 children? Well… maybe not so much that last one.

Entertainment Value – 2.5

All the colors, jokes and pop-hits aside, the crooning animated feature was hard to stay awake through. Matthew McConaughey plays a down on his luck fast talking Koala named Buster Moon who attempts to use a singing talent show to revive his crumbling theatre. But a little snafu leaves Moon scrambling to pull off the event and save his livelihood and heavily eroded reputation. Meanwhile the stories of the five finalists, including that of a stay at home pig-mom played by Reese Witherspoon to the son of a thievish Gorilla gangster played by Taron Egerton, are intertwined into the core story.

The combination of an A-list voice cast, reality talent show premise, slew of familiar pop songs, and like-able animal characters makes “Sing” an ideal pick for families with young kids. But when it comes to the story, the value of this project is all in the music.

Re-Watchability – 2.5

Unlike Illumination’s “Secret Life of Pets” and Despicable Me” franchise, “Sing” is missing the special touch needed to add it to the annals of iconic animated film. While it’s overbrimming with all the bubblegum pop hits you can chew and a hearty helping of comedic set pieces, the film is a bit too contrived and without it’s own unique voice.

Blu-Ray – 3

The special edition Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack has shelf presence and fun features for families with young children. Aside from a colorful, reflective, and embossed cardboard slipcover, the special edition also comes with three mini movies that further explore a few of the lesser characters from the film. Whether the mini movies were inspired by clips left on the cutting room floor, or were just for fun, they are worth the quick watch. I would suggest you wait until after the film to get the most fulfillment from the mini-movies.

Watch our blu-ray unboxing and video review for “Sing” below: