SING (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital HD)
Release Date: March 21, 2016
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Video: 1.85:1 1080p Widescreen
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS 2.0
THE RATINGS
The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰
Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
Now here's a 3D Blu-ray worth singing about.
Now here's a 3D Blu-ray worth singing about.
Reviewed by Gavin King
Don't let fear stop you from doing the thing you love.
Making a good movie is hard. You need a skilled director, a talented cast, bright yet nuanced cinematography, polished special effects, and top-of-the-game sound mixing. But it's not just the technical specs that make a terrific movie what it is. Hollywood is all about brilliant stories and original ideas, and it takes a brainy, imaginative, and intelligent screenwriter or screenwriters to turn Courier New font into sparkling cinema magic onto a silver screen. Today's cinema is chock-full of bright ideas that pull moviegoers to the auditorium seats that leave movie buffs of all ages excited to be transported from the real world of stressors and insecurities to a universe beyond or close to human reach. Whether out-of-this-world adventures about mammoth-sized monster battles and laser-gun-involved alien battles or deeper, more thought-provoking cinema involving more complex subjects like depression or unfortunate impairments from everyday life, it seems that, this day, there's a movie for everyone to enjoy, no matter how long or short it may be.
Sing is Illumination Entertainment's seventh official film in their already solid radar of wonderful films (okay... maybe excluding Hop). It tells the story of aspiring singers who not only want to win a goal but also belt their hearts out in a passion that lies deeper than their attraction of the citywide advertisements that claim "Singing Competition: Win $100,000!" The movie is as beautifully complex as it is colorfully animated; as exceptionally performed as it is emotionally wrenching, a film that is so, so much more than the stylish TV advertisements claim it to be. Yes, the movie is about music, and, yes, music is the film's driving force, but its key narritive points are what make it a truly unforgettable film that stands as one of the best animated films of the decade.
Buster Moon's (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) theater is struggling. He's one of the many who are part of a Zootopia-esque city that's completely inhabited by animals of all shapes and sizes. Ever since he was a little koala, he's been in love with theater, and has since built his very own Moon Theater - a dream come true for him in this case. But now it's in shambles. Simple stage shows like War of Attrition and Rosie Takes a Bow aren't making enough dough for his historic theater to stay alive. In desperate need of new options, he finally comes up with a new idea that's sure to get his theater back in business: a singing competition! Moon sets the prize money amount to $1,000 (keep in mind, he hasn't been making great money lately due to little attendance at his theater), but due to a mishap involving Moon's secretary Miss Crawly (voiced by Garth Jennings) and her glass eye (weird, right?), the prize money is changed to $100,000! To make matters worse, Crawly, after she prints all of the $100,000-stamped ads for the competition out, accidentially sends them flying all throughout the city, sparking the massive attention of animals from neighborhood to neighborhood. The next morning, Moon is suprised to see a huge line of animals formed at the front of his theater. Looks like the singing competition sparked more interest than he thought! Out of the cacophony of singing, yodeling, and doo-wop-ing animals, a few stand out from the crowd: a gorilla named Johnny (voiced by Taron Egerton) who's part of a gang but would rather be on stage busting out his piano, a stay-at-home momma pig named Rosita (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who's responsible for taking care of 25, you heard that right, 25 piglets, a gambling mouse named Mike (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) who's only in it for the money, a punk-ronk porcupine named Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) who wants to create her own song for the contest, a totally ga-ga pig named Gunter (voiced by Nick Kroll) who's been paired up with Rosita for the competition, and a timid, shy elephant named Meena (voiced by Tori Kelly) who loves to sing but can't get over her stage fright. Now that Buster Moon's got a good number of strong contestants in his singing competition (although he can't seem to get rid of those red pandas...) but not the money that was accidentially put into the pamphlets, Moon's going to realize that it always isn't about how much money one will win - it's about teamwork, effort, and heart that goes into each and every one of these contestant's songs.
Making a good movie is hard. You need a skilled director, a talented cast, bright yet nuanced cinematography, polished special effects, and top-of-the-game sound mixing. But it's not just the technical specs that make a terrific movie what it is. Hollywood is all about brilliant stories and original ideas, and it takes a brainy, imaginative, and intelligent screenwriter or screenwriters to turn Courier New font into sparkling cinema magic onto a silver screen. Today's cinema is chock-full of bright ideas that pull moviegoers to the auditorium seats that leave movie buffs of all ages excited to be transported from the real world of stressors and insecurities to a universe beyond or close to human reach. Whether out-of-this-world adventures about mammoth-sized monster battles and laser-gun-involved alien battles or deeper, more thought-provoking cinema involving more complex subjects like depression or unfortunate impairments from everyday life, it seems that, this day, there's a movie for everyone to enjoy, no matter how long or short it may be.
Sing is Illumination Entertainment's seventh official film in their already solid radar of wonderful films (okay... maybe excluding Hop). It tells the story of aspiring singers who not only want to win a goal but also belt their hearts out in a passion that lies deeper than their attraction of the citywide advertisements that claim "Singing Competition: Win $100,000!" The movie is as beautifully complex as it is colorfully animated; as exceptionally performed as it is emotionally wrenching, a film that is so, so much more than the stylish TV advertisements claim it to be. Yes, the movie is about music, and, yes, music is the film's driving force, but its key narritive points are what make it a truly unforgettable film that stands as one of the best animated films of the decade.
Big news is abroad for the Moon Theater...
Buster Moon's (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) theater is struggling. He's one of the many who are part of a Zootopia-esque city that's completely inhabited by animals of all shapes and sizes. Ever since he was a little koala, he's been in love with theater, and has since built his very own Moon Theater - a dream come true for him in this case. But now it's in shambles. Simple stage shows like War of Attrition and Rosie Takes a Bow aren't making enough dough for his historic theater to stay alive. In desperate need of new options, he finally comes up with a new idea that's sure to get his theater back in business: a singing competition! Moon sets the prize money amount to $1,000 (keep in mind, he hasn't been making great money lately due to little attendance at his theater), but due to a mishap involving Moon's secretary Miss Crawly (voiced by Garth Jennings) and her glass eye (weird, right?), the prize money is changed to $100,000! To make matters worse, Crawly, after she prints all of the $100,000-stamped ads for the competition out, accidentially sends them flying all throughout the city, sparking the massive attention of animals from neighborhood to neighborhood. The next morning, Moon is suprised to see a huge line of animals formed at the front of his theater. Looks like the singing competition sparked more interest than he thought! Out of the cacophony of singing, yodeling, and doo-wop-ing animals, a few stand out from the crowd: a gorilla named Johnny (voiced by Taron Egerton) who's part of a gang but would rather be on stage busting out his piano, a stay-at-home momma pig named Rosita (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who's responsible for taking care of 25, you heard that right, 25 piglets, a gambling mouse named Mike (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) who's only in it for the money, a punk-ronk porcupine named Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) who wants to create her own song for the contest, a totally ga-ga pig named Gunter (voiced by Nick Kroll) who's been paired up with Rosita for the competition, and a timid, shy elephant named Meena (voiced by Tori Kelly) who loves to sing but can't get over her stage fright. Now that Buster Moon's got a good number of strong contestants in his singing competition (although he can't seem to get rid of those red pandas...) but not the money that was accidentially put into the pamphlets, Moon's going to realize that it always isn't about how much money one will win - it's about teamwork, effort, and heart that goes into each and every one of these contestant's songs.
Sing is all about courage, heart, and the love that one has over his or her passion of doing what they love to do best. It's not just about how the song can influence one's love for doing what they do best but also a message of doing what you put your heart to in the first place. It's likely Moon picked these contestants not only for their superficial talents but also likely because they're true singers, not just people who walk across the street looking at an ad for Moon's singing competition and trying it out just for the money. It's not clearly explained if this was Moon's reason for his choices in the first place, but it's a wonderful example of how a film's deeper themes that are swept by via the movie's exterior anatomy can really protrude in all the positive ways with this kind of film. Take Meena, for example. She loves nothing more than to sing but can't help but get nervous when she up on stage holding a microphone in her hands. Fast foward to the end of the movie (spoiler alert!) where the competition is finally happening. Notice how Moon saves Meena for last. Beyond all his past thoughts, he realizes the true essence of what makes Meena love singing as her passion. He knows she can be shy, but Moon builds up confidence in Meena by not making her better than all the other contestants but by simply giving Meena all of the heartfelt courage he can give her. Themes like this are everywhere in Sing, and they help make the movie a truly heartfelt, sweet movie that makes it more thought-provoking that most other animated adventures out there.
Sing is so much more than just wonderful themes. Sing is all about music, and that aspect doesn't disappoint in the slightest. The film's last 20 minutes are a real treat; if you aren't cheering along with the characters, you need to check your pulse. The film offers a nice mix of both modern covers and original pieces, the former having fun with Taylor Swift's Shake it Off and Elvis' I'm Still Standing, and the latter hugely impressing with solos like Scarlett Johansson's Set It All Free but also the film's end credits beat with Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande's Faith, which actually recieved a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song (and for good reason; it's a surely toe-tapping, fun beat that's one to write home about). Voice performances fit the characters and their songs perfectly. The standout in this reviewer's opinion is Scarlett Johansson, who, from the time I heard her song, had no idea she could sing this damn good. It's almost like she was born for singing, but was just hiding it for a surprise for this movie. And what's not to love. Whether the timid but beautiful voice of Tori Kelly as Meena or the snarkier, more scheming performance of Seth MacFarlane as Mike, every voice performance by each actor/actress shines, no two ways about it.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a fantastic animated movie if the technical aspects didn't shine. Sing's animation is top-of-the-line good. Granted, it may not come to the absolute photorealism that films like Pixar's The Good Dinosaur are trademarked for, but there's no mistaking the attention to detail that protrudes from each animal, city street, Moon Theater nook and cranny, and other digital aspect from Sing that practically makes for a 108-minute reference reel of gorgeous animation. But I just can't get over how phenomenal Sing overall is. For what it's worth, it's a true achievement for all involved. It's a hard tie between this and The Secret Life of Pets for Illumination's best film yet, but both are so good that it's hard to pick a favorite. Families, movie buffs, everyone, mark my words: pick up Sing on Blu-ray for some of the finest family entertainment you have to entertain yourself and your kids out there. I promise you. You will not be disappointed.
SING 3D Blu-ray - Video Quality
Sing is what 3D Blu-ray is all about. Here's an eye-popping, though never overtly gimmicky, third-dimension presentation that nails depth of field and works as a wonderful representation of lifelike spacial definition to objects near and far. Some of the best "beyond the window" effects occur when objects seem to protrude towards the viewer, like in chapter three when Miss Crawly lets all of the singing competition advertisements fly outside the theater window and into the big city. The effects of the papers flying towards the screen is so impressive and, in fact, so enveloping that it practically feels like the viewer could reach out and snag one of the yellow sheets. Naturalism is a strength, too. The 3D presentation is never exaggerated to an effect that seems too hyperbolic or excessively unnatural. Rather, the image benefits from a lifelike representation of how the human eyes would interpret it. Example: At the beginning of chapter four, we see an aerial view of the Moon Theater as animals wait in line for their auditions. To see a 3D image that's too gaudy and exaggerated for effect would be unnatural, as the 3D image here is rather focused on how us humans would see it from that angle. It's an excellent 3D touch that enthusiasts of the format can appreciate. As for the main components, the 3D Blu-ray is just as colorful and detailed as the 1080p 2D Blu-ray, despite some extremely minute aliasing that occurs at very sparing junctures.
EXTRA SCREENSHOTS:
The Q-Teez.
Sing is so much more than just wonderful themes. Sing is all about music, and that aspect doesn't disappoint in the slightest. The film's last 20 minutes are a real treat; if you aren't cheering along with the characters, you need to check your pulse. The film offers a nice mix of both modern covers and original pieces, the former having fun with Taylor Swift's Shake it Off and Elvis' I'm Still Standing, and the latter hugely impressing with solos like Scarlett Johansson's Set It All Free but also the film's end credits beat with Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande's Faith, which actually recieved a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song (and for good reason; it's a surely toe-tapping, fun beat that's one to write home about). Voice performances fit the characters and their songs perfectly. The standout in this reviewer's opinion is Scarlett Johansson, who, from the time I heard her song, had no idea she could sing this damn good. It's almost like she was born for singing, but was just hiding it for a surprise for this movie. And what's not to love. Whether the timid but beautiful voice of Tori Kelly as Meena or the snarkier, more scheming performance of Seth MacFarlane as Mike, every voice performance by each actor/actress shines, no two ways about it.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a fantastic animated movie if the technical aspects didn't shine. Sing's animation is top-of-the-line good. Granted, it may not come to the absolute photorealism that films like Pixar's The Good Dinosaur are trademarked for, but there's no mistaking the attention to detail that protrudes from each animal, city street, Moon Theater nook and cranny, and other digital aspect from Sing that practically makes for a 108-minute reference reel of gorgeous animation. But I just can't get over how phenomenal Sing overall is. For what it's worth, it's a true achievement for all involved. It's a hard tie between this and The Secret Life of Pets for Illumination's best film yet, but both are so good that it's hard to pick a favorite. Families, movie buffs, everyone, mark my words: pick up Sing on Blu-ray for some of the finest family entertainment you have to entertain yourself and your kids out there. I promise you. You will not be disappointed.
SING 3D Blu-ray - Video Quality
Sing is what 3D Blu-ray is all about. Here's an eye-popping, though never overtly gimmicky, third-dimension presentation that nails depth of field and works as a wonderful representation of lifelike spacial definition to objects near and far. Some of the best "beyond the window" effects occur when objects seem to protrude towards the viewer, like in chapter three when Miss Crawly lets all of the singing competition advertisements fly outside the theater window and into the big city. The effects of the papers flying towards the screen is so impressive and, in fact, so enveloping that it practically feels like the viewer could reach out and snag one of the yellow sheets. Naturalism is a strength, too. The 3D presentation is never exaggerated to an effect that seems too hyperbolic or excessively unnatural. Rather, the image benefits from a lifelike representation of how the human eyes would interpret it. Example: At the beginning of chapter four, we see an aerial view of the Moon Theater as animals wait in line for their auditions. To see a 3D image that's too gaudy and exaggerated for effect would be unnatural, as the 3D image here is rather focused on how us humans would see it from that angle. It's an excellent 3D touch that enthusiasts of the format can appreciate. As for the main components, the 3D Blu-ray is just as colorful and detailed as the 1080p 2D Blu-ray, despite some extremely minute aliasing that occurs at very sparing junctures.
SING 3D Blu-ray - Audio Quality
As mentioned before, Sing is a movie which revolves 100% around music, and the Blu-ray's included Dolby Atmos lossless soundtrack is reference-quality bliss. Let's get the obvious out of the way first; the music sounds fantastic. Whether the source cues utilized for songs like the film's opening bit Gimme Some Lovin' or performance pieces like I'm Still Standing, the track is a natural at taking the film's tunes and perfectly saturating them through the stage for constant aggression. During Rosita and Gunter's Shake it Off performance, when Rosita dresses into her black outfit, the music goes into a full-out bass drop as she re-enters the stage, making for one of the track's best weighty effects. Not only are the surround utilized via the film's songs, but they're also brought in action through various excellent sound effects. Near the 9-minute-mark as we zoom out of Mike's stairwell solo, we can hear the sound of two trains passing through the surround channels, but we also fully lassoed for immersion as Moon's theater collapses. The sounds of debris, water sloshing, and the structure cracking are all around us, placing the listener right directly into the chaos. Atmospheics are fully engaged, too. City exteriors spring to sonic life with the sounds of cars passing, horns honking, and foot traffic. A restaurant is nicely enveloping, too, with the natural sounds of clanking dishes and background classical music playing. The cherry on top of an already standout track is crystal-clear-sounding dialogue with a natural-front-center placement with moments of nice reverb across the surround stage. Illumination just seems to be getting better and better at completely enveloping sound design, and Sing is no exception.
SING 3D Blu-ray - Special Features
- The Making of Sing Director Garth Jennings is interviewed and he explains his first time working on an animated feature. He goes through the animation process, character design, casting, and more. Fans of the film will enjoy this.
- Finding the Rhythm: Editing Sing Editor Gregory Perler walks us through how editing works on an animated movie like this.
- Character Profiles are fun interviews with the cast and them talking about their roles. These include Matthew McConaughey as Buster Moon, Reese Witherspoon as Rosita, Tori Kelly as Meena, Taron Egerton as Johnny, Nick Kroll as Gunter, and Garth Jennings as Miss Crawly.
- "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" Music Video Tori Kelly sings her fantastic song.
- Making a Music Video With Tori Kelly takes a vlog-like tour through the making of Tori Kelly's music video for Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing.
- "Faith" Music Video by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande. Another great song!
- "Faith" Lyric Video A typography of the above song.
- "Set it All Free" A similar typography to the last supplement, this time with Scarlett Johansson's song.
- Sing & Dance! "Faith" A few dancers show off their cool moves to the song Faith.
- The Sing Network is another fun supplement that consists of TV-commercial-like "spots" for Sing's various services and gadgets, including Gunter's Dance Studio, The Moon Theater, Rosita's Babysitting Gizmo, Miss Crawly's Matchmaking Service, and In the News, my personal favorite, which is an E! entertainment-like program which highlights Buster Moon, Gunter, Rosita, Johnny, Meena, Ash, and Mike.
- The Best of Gunter highlights the film's posh pig. "We're going to be spicy, no?
- Mini-Movies include the following three shorts and a brief making-of:
Gunter Babysits Rosita leaves Gunter in charge of her crazy piglets. Those kids can be a hassle!
Love at First Sight Johnny sets up Miss Crawly for online dating. She's a hit with everyone, even the snakes!
Eddie's Life Coach Eddie's mom signs him up for an infomerical product. Trust me, he'll get fit in no time!
The Making of the Mini-Movies features interviews and the fun and themes of making the mini-movies.
- The Making of Sing Director Garth Jennings is interviewed and he explains his first time working on an animated feature. He goes through the animation process, character design, casting, and more. Fans of the film will enjoy this.
- Finding the Rhythm: Editing Sing Editor Gregory Perler walks us through how editing works on an animated movie like this.
- Character Profiles are fun interviews with the cast and them talking about their roles. These include Matthew McConaughey as Buster Moon, Reese Witherspoon as Rosita, Tori Kelly as Meena, Taron Egerton as Johnny, Nick Kroll as Gunter, and Garth Jennings as Miss Crawly.
- "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" Music Video Tori Kelly sings her fantastic song.
- Making a Music Video With Tori Kelly takes a vlog-like tour through the making of Tori Kelly's music video for Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing.
- "Faith" Music Video by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande. Another great song!
- "Faith" Lyric Video A typography of the above song.
- "Set it All Free" A similar typography to the last supplement, this time with Scarlett Johansson's song.
- Sing & Dance! "Faith" A few dancers show off their cool moves to the song Faith.
- The Sing Network is another fun supplement that consists of TV-commercial-like "spots" for Sing's various services and gadgets, including Gunter's Dance Studio, The Moon Theater, Rosita's Babysitting Gizmo, Miss Crawly's Matchmaking Service, and In the News, my personal favorite, which is an E! entertainment-like program which highlights Buster Moon, Gunter, Rosita, Johnny, Meena, Ash, and Mike.
- The Best of Gunter highlights the film's posh pig. "We're going to be spicy, no?
- Mini-Movies include the following three shorts and a brief making-of:
Gunter Babysits Rosita leaves Gunter in charge of her crazy piglets. Those kids can be a hassle!
Love at First Sight Johnny sets up Miss Crawly for online dating. She's a hit with everyone, even the snakes!
Eddie's Life Coach Eddie's mom signs him up for an infomerical product. Trust me, he'll get fit in no time!
The Making of the Mini-Movies features interviews and the fun and themes of making the mini-movies.
SING 3D Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation
Sing represents everything an animated film should be. It's smart, thought-provoking, funny, irresistible... apply any positive adjective in the book, and it'd apply to Sing. Its themes are emotionally hitting yet never at the expense of lightheartedness, and it's the closest the studio has ever come to winning a fight with Pixar in terms of overall quality. The movie is guaranteed to win over music lovers and score the happiness of converts, too. Universal continues their winning streak of fantastic animated film 3D Blu-ray's in the tradition of The Secret Life of Pets. It's a wonderful package; the 3D is wonderfully immersive yet expertly natural and astonishingly detailed, the audio is fully immersive and very aggressive, and the supplements are just the icing on the Blu-ray cake. Old or young, Sing deserves to be on the shelf of every Blu-ray (3D) collector. Sing earns my highest recommendation.
EXTRA SCREENSHOTS:
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