A notice that Netflix would stop streaming this animation at the end of the year inspired me to prioritize it. I'd been uncertain because the ad campaign didn't appeal much to me, but the decent ratings and slightly more popular sequel got me interested.
Slightly corrupt producer Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) is on the verge of losing his live theater after a string of flops. He decides to host a sing-off, but his elderly secretary (director Garth Jennings) accidentally overstates the prize money in the flyers. His only hope is to impress a rich, haughty retired diva (Jennifer Saunders/Jennifer Hudson in youth) with the talents of amateur finalists.
You may have noticed that I said nothing above about an anthropomorphic cast, the aforementioned characters being a koala, an iguana, and a sheep, respectively. It's true that the plot could work with humans instead, and the trailer gave me the impression that the animals were a purely visual conceit. They didn't even seem to match species to personality stereotypes. To my relief, there are actually plenty of gags and quips that have to do with critters' size, shape, or instinctive behavior. It's just more Kung Fu Panda than Zootopia, to name two same-year anthro animations.
Anyway, this isn't just Buster's story; five of the finalists get just as much focus. Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), who has an absurd number of little kids even by pig standards and a husband (Nick Offerman) too tired from work to help, still hopes to fulfill her old singing dream, but since she lacks stage presence, she'll have to learn to dance with exuberant German pig Gunter (Nick Kroll), who's overrepresented on the Netflix cover image. British teen gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton) has to sneak to practice while his father (Peter Serafinowicz) insists on him participating in gang heists. Teen punk-upine Ash (Scarlett Johansson) yearns to come out of the shadow of similar boyfriend Lance (Beck Bennett), hopefully without resorting to the pop style Buster wants. Sinatra-like mouse Mike (Seth MacFarlane) is cockier and ruder than you'd expect from a pipsqueak, causing trouble to himself and others. And teen elephant Meena (Tori Kelly) must overcome crippling shyness at the behest of her grandfather (Jay Pharaoh).
Apart from Mike, these singers are easy to like. I think Rosita's my favorite just for being so industrious and resourceful. Johnny might be a stealth gay icon, given whose songs he sings and how little his dad approves. Meena...well, her close-folded ears are a nice touch. Ash has the most interesting image and deserves credit as the only one to write her own song, but unless she's at the tail end of her teens, I'm concerned that she appears to live with no adults. How does she cover the rent? ...Eh, Illumination Entertainment always leaves obvious questions unanswered.
In general, I like the cute animal appearances -- for the main characters. Members of the same species, even when not related, tend to look overly identical. The music is a mixed bag, well sung but usually more enjoyable to me when picked from prior decades. And it's just as well that most of the performers don't dance, judging from the rising backlash against dance party endings in animations.
Things take a pretty dramatic turn at the start of Act 3. To my mind, it's an improvement. There's still primarily lowbrow humor, but now I could appreciate the tender side.
This is the closest I've come to loving an Illumination feature. I plan to see Sing 2 someday.
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