Next on our list is 2016's sensational animated film "Sing". A theater owning koala puts everything on the line to put on the greatest show his theater has ever seen. The voice cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Jennings, Nick Kroll, Jay Pharaoh, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jones, Rhea Perlman, and Jim Cummings.
The film opens at a theater. The audience is enthralled as they watch a young Nana Noodleman wow them with her sensational voice.
Nobody is more enthralled than a six-year-old Buster Moon. As he says in the film, he fell in love that night with everything about the theater, and "his plans to become the first koala bear in space were suddenly toast." Years later, we see that Buster now owns the theater and it's fallen into disrepair.
We also meet some of our other main characters. There's Johnny, a young singing gorilla whose dad (pictured) is the head of a gang of big-time thieves that uses a car garage as a front for their real operation.
There's Rosita, a singing stay-at-home mom who is feeling overworked and underappreciated by her twenty-five piglets and husband.
Next we have Ash, who is reduced to singing backup for her boyfriend, but feels she has so much more to contribute.
Meena is a shy girl who has a powerhouse voice. She's also afraid to use it. Her family is supportive, and wants her voice to be heard, because they know she's a star.
Rounding things out is Mike, a smooth, tough-guy Sinatra-esque singer who has got a lot of personality.
Knowing his theater is badly in need of repairs and also that he's behind on mortgage payments to the bank, Buster Moon needs a big idea to bring in some much-needed cash. While having lunch with his best friend Eddie, he hits on an idea: a singing competition.
He gets back to his office and has his assistant, Miss Crawley, print up some fliers that announce the singing contest and a one thousand dollar prize to the winner. When she's finished, a fan accidentally blows the papers out the window. Buster says that's one way to spread the word.
Unfortunately, Miss Crawley made a mistake and printed that the grand prize will be one hundred thousand dollars instead of a meager one thousand. This definitely generates a lot of interest.
The next morning, a huge line that circles the block has formed in front of the theater. Buster and Miss Crawley throw open the doors to let the auditions begin.
A myriad of contestants featuring all different sorts of music come to get their big chance. Some are down-right horrible, while others are actually very good.
The reactions given by Buster and Miss Crawley during the performances are hilarious!
When he's made his decisions, he tells Miss Crawley to announce that everyone should get on stage for his final announcement.
Buster announces his choices to the thrilled participants. He tells them to go home and get some rest, because rehearsals start first thing in the morning.
Having not made the cut, Meena decides to give it a second try. She bakes Buster a cake, but instead of putting her in the show, he offers her the job of stagehand. The first thing she does is give him an assist in getting the electricity back on (which had been cut off because he hadn't been paying the bills).
Unfortunately, his extension chord pins Miss Crawley against her desk while she's giving Johnny a piano lesson and simultaneously eating a sandwich.
A bank representative comes to the theater and announces that unless Buster can pay what he owes on the mortgage, they will foreclose on it.
He heads over to his friend Eddie's house to brainstorm ideas on how to get backers for his show. Finally, he gets one. Eddie's grandmother is none other than Nana Noodleman, who's show Buster was at when he realized he loved the theater. He wants to pitch it to her to be an investor in his show.
Once he gets a meeting with Nana, he tells her to come to the theater because he's made it better than ever and will give her a special performance of a version of the show. (In reality, things at the theater have gotten worse.) Intrigued by the idea, Nana says she'll come.
Meanwhile, all the contestants have lost their motivation when it comes to rehearsing. Some how or other, they find it again. Rosita finds hers while she's doing some late night grocery shopping. When the time comes, they're all ready to perform for Nana.
At the last minute, Buster and Meena put together a spectacular display for Nana, who is suitably impressed. Although, it doesn't last long.
During the performance, the box containing the grand prize of a hundred thousand dollars is broken. The contestants find out that the prize isn't what they thought and they are devastated. They don't have long to wallow in their shock, however.
The new special effects spring a leak, and before Buster can even realize what's happening, his whole theater collapses.
To make matters worse, Judith from the bank has come by to foreclose and repossess the pile of rubble that was once a grand theater.
Feeling depressed, Buster does the only thing he can think of: washing cars. He's extremely unhappy and lonely.
Eddie and Miss Crawley join him, and Buster's mood starts to brighten.
While washing cars, he hears Meena, who is singing within the rubble of the theater. He goes to her and tells her how impressive she is. He asks her to be in the show. He's decided that the show will go on right on the grounds of the old theater. Buster gets the other contestants to join the show again, even though he can offer them no prize money. They all readily agree.
As the show opens, the audience is pretty much empty, except for a few seats sold to family members and a couple of randoms. But the show starts anyway.
Rosita and her partner Gunter wow the audience with their rendition of "Shake It Off".
As he and their children watch, Rosita's husband Norman can hardly believe that it's his wife on the stage.
The sequence takes a dramatic turn, and Gunter and Rosita change their costumes mid-song for an epic finish.
When the song ends, Norman and the kids jump onstage to greet Rosita as the curtain drops.
It's really an excellent sequence that deserves a moment of your time. Smiles guaranteed. 😁
Next up is Johnny, who wows the crowd with his version of "I'm Still Standing".
It's completely catchy, and you'll be singing it for days!
The song even impresses Johnny's father, who is in prison. Johnny's father is even inspired to reach out to his son and make amends for his gangster lifestyle.
The other acts do great as well, and by this time, the audience has grown considerably. Meena steps out onto the stage to begin her song, "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing".
She begins timidly, but soon gets into the rhythm and groove of the music.
During her song, the backdrop of the theater falls down, revealing the beautiful cityscape awash in moonlight.
The song is a lot of fun, and will have you grooving and dancing right along with Meena.
After her song, the audience leaps to its feet with applause. Even Nana is impressed and seemed to enjoy the whole evening.
The theater is rebuilt and, with Nana's help, is bought and paid for. Buster Moon couldn't be more thrilled as he cuts the ribbon to the "New Moon" Theater. Cast rundown:
Matthew McConaughey.............................Buster Moon
Jim Cummings........................................Russian Bears And that's it for Sing. The film benefits from a superb soundtrack. In fact, 15% of the film's $75 million budget went for securing the rights to the songs used in the movie. A sequel is planned for next year. I'm hopeful that it lives up to the first. As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.
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