By Chloe Frantzis
Managing Editor of Arts
Everyone at some point in their lives dreams of becoming a star– the thought had to pass through your mind at least once when you were a kid. The hope to become a famous singer, rising from “rags to riches”, is the basis of the smash-hit children’s movie Sing.
Sing centers itself around several different characters, none of them connected in any way other than by their shared dream. Buster Moon, a koala (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) whose theater is going broke, advertises a singing competition with a grand prize of $100,000 for the winner in hopes of saving his beloved auditorium. Everyone in the town flocks to the theater in hopes to seize their chance at becoming a star. This includes a mother of 21, Rosita the pig (voiced by Resse Witherspoon), Johnny, the son of a gorilla gangster who wishes to leave and pursue his singing career (voiced by Targon Egerton), a porcupine named Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and her condescending boyfriend, a shy elephant who feels pressure from her family to succeed (voiced by Tori Kelly), and many, many more.
Not only is the music extremely engaging, but the talent of each singer blows the audience away. The movie touches on some classics, such as “Stay with Me”, “Shake it Off”, and “Hallelujah”, while also incorporating some original tunes; “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” and “Set it all Free”.
Yes, the music is awesome, but that’s not the key factor that drew such a large audience. No, the abundance of fans comes from the movie’s humor. Never, ever have I laughed so hard at a kids’ movie. Usually children’s movies throw in some humor to attract unwilling parents, but Sing does not have to do that. Its humor is appropriate and approved for all ages– the adults in the theater were laughing just as hard, and maybe even harder, than the kids. The characters create a connection to all kinds of people– underappreciated moms, moody teenagers, crazy old lizards, and more.
Now, although I know Sing is directed towards kids as it is animated and the characters are all animals, the movie could have easily been made with real actors and been adored by adults.
Although 2016 may have come to a rough end, Sing provided the humor and wit I needed to finish the year with a bang.