SING - An animal pleasure on the cinema
INTERKULTUR's review of the animation movie “SING”
If you like formats like American Idol, The Voice or Got Talent, the "SING" animation movie from Illumination Entertainment is just the thing for you. Coupled with an impressive 3D technique and a colorful mixture of over 85 pop songs, young and old visitors can look forward to an entertaining cinema release.
In some countries the movie is on the screen since December 8. Now SING is also overheating in the American cinemas. In Germany, the animation movie is already leading the cinema charts and has thus replaced its currently largest rival and long runner "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
But what makes the movie so special? Is it the selection of the performed music? The animal actors being perfectly adapted to human characters? Striving for glory and wealth? INTERKULTUR says: It’s the mix that makes it work!
The optimistic theater lover Koala Buster Moon tries to rescue his affected theater "Moon" with a singing contest. Decoyed by unintentionally generous prize money, thousands of animals try their luck in the competition. Among a first selection Buster chooses the last finalists including Rosita the pig (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), Johnny the gorilla (Taron Egerton), Mike the mouse (Seth MacFarlane), Ash the porcupine (Scarlett Johansson) and Meena the elephant (Tori Kelly).
Each of the animals has its very own reasons to participate in the competition. However, they all pursue the desire for fame and success. So Johnny the gorilla tries to escape from the criminal family activities and stand on his own feet. Rosita the pig, however, is looking for a new adventure that she can cope on her own beside her husband and twenty-five (!) Piglets, thus she can escape the monotony. The porcupine girl Ash uses the music to defy her lousy ex-boyfriend and the clumsy elephant girl Meena overcomes her stagefright.
Human stereotypes are hidden in each of the characters, which the visitors can rediscover by their own and making them also smile about themselves. In the movie, the characters of Frank Sinatra, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Seal, Crazy Town, The Chordettes, Sam Smith, Katy Perry, Elton John and The Beatles are given an animal image that in some scenes fits like chalk and cheese.
The credo of the film was personally worded by the theater director: Don’t let fear stop you from doing the thing you love", he preaches to the teenager Meena before her big performance of Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah"…
…Spoiler alert: True words like these must of course also be translated into the final. Buster not only succeeds in inspiring new visitors, but also wins the sharp-tongued sheep diva Nana Noodleman as a sponsor for rebuilding his theater. So his theater love can continue.
Our summary: An entertaining movie fun with lots of stuff to sing along.
The End.
