Sing

SING

Director : Garth Jennings

Year : 2017

Genre : Animation

Rating : ***

'Sing', the latest animation from Illumination Studios could easily have been an annoying one-note kids-friendly cartoon full of cliches and tiresome characters but thanks some good voice work from some of Hollywood's finest and a number of colourful and well choreographed musical sequences make this a surprisingly entertaining watch. Briskly directed by Garth Jennings ('The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' and 'Son Of Rambow') and set in the same anthropomorphic world of 'Zootropolis', 'Sing' tells the story of a group of hopeful animals who enter a talent competition set up by a down on his luck theatre owner. At first glance, 'Sing' looks like an animated version of The X Factor or American Idol but it deceptively has more heart and passion than many of the similarly themed kids pictures made today as well as the numerous TV shows it is trying to emulate. The impressive voice cast which includes Scarlett Johansson, an unrecognisable Matthew McConaughey, John C. Reilly, Seth MacFarlane and Reese Witherspoon to name just a few are all great fun (even Jennings himself is pretty damn funny as a glass-eyed iguana) while the story itself is simplistic enough for children to enjoy without being too stupid or irritating for adults - all leading up to an all singing all dancing finale that will have audiences of all ages tapping their feet and humming along with the movies eclectic conveyor belt of classic pop and rock hits. It's probably not going to win any awards this season but for what it is and for what it so easily could have been, 'Sing' is an immensely enjoyable musical adventure that stands head and shoulders above Illumination's last two features 'Minions' and 'The Secret Life Of Pets'.