Sing (2016)
- The incredible score for Sing was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Garth Jennings originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- The original script for Sing was written over a decade before production finally began in 2016.
Sing is a 2016 American animated jukebox musical comedy produced by Illumination Entertainment and directed by Garth Jennings. The film follows Buster Moon, an optimistic koala voiced by Matthew McConaughey, who owns a struggling theater and stages a singing competition as a last-ditch effort to save it from foreclosure. The contestants include Rosita, an overworked pig mother of 25 piglets voiced by Reese Witherspoon; Ash, a punk-rock porcupine voiced by Scarlett Johansson; Johnny, a young gorilla defying his criminal father to pursue music voiced by Taron Egerton; Meena, a shy elephant with a powerful voice voiced by Tori Kelly; and Mike, an arrogant mouse crooner voiced by Seth MacFarlane.
Sing deployed its jukebox format effectively, featuring covers of dozens of popular songs spanning multiple genres and decades โ from Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder to Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. Each character's musical journey provided emotional resonance, particularly Johnny's conflict between family loyalty and artistic ambition, and Meena's struggle to overcome crippling stage fright. Taron Egerton's performance of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" was a standout musical moment.
The animation, while not reaching the sophistication of Pixar or Disney, was colorful and energetic, perfectly suited to the film's upbeat tone. Sing earned $634 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, a strong commercial performance that spawned a 2021 sequel.
