Headscratchers / Sing

Headscratchers pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

• If Lance is such a jerk, why did Ash stay with him until he cheated on her? He clearly displayed his horribleness throughout the movie like telling Ash to stick to the backing vocals so she doesn't "ruin his song", not listening to her, calling her a sell-out and mocking her songwriting skills. Why did it never occur to her that if Lance doesn't treat her with respect and love like a proper boyfriend should, maybe he isn’t the right guy for her and she should dump him?
  • Because it's an abusive relationship, albeit Lance isn't doing it too maliciously. Ash probably knew how to play the guitar but got into the scene by dating Lance. She doesn't realize that she's more talented because she's never had the chance to push her limits for anyone to notice. She also does love him. Once she was placed in a situation where her skills were noticed and people supporting her, she gained the support and perspective to realize that he was holding her back. In a way, it's like a parent discouraging a child's artistic talent to protect them from a difficult life and rejection.
  • As an addendum, here's a theory. The two met as healthy individuals, formed a relationship, and decided to break into the music scene together. However, things didn't pan out, in part because they can't work together (not just because Lance holds Ash back; in their first scene, Ash actually sings over him, showing that the two are both trying to lead the song). Frustrated, Lance took it out on Ash. Ash, remembering Lance as the nice person she met and being more flexible, goes along with it up to a point. It's also possible that's the reason he tunes in at the end instead of blowing her success off: he's found a gig, so he's less stressed out and can give a less self-defensive appraisal of Ash's abilities.
  • If anything, they're too similar. Both obviously need validation and possess a somewhat fragile ego, which unfortunately leads them into confrontation with each other as they both want the same thing. Lance's cheating on her is jerkish, but given his support at the end we're clearly not meant to infer he's a irredeemable asshole.
• How old is Ash? She's explicitly referred to as a teenager several times, but she seems to own, or at least be the person on the lease for, the place she shares with her boyfriend (given that she kicks him out when she finds out he's cheating), and her parents are not in evidence at any point. In real life, no one is going to rent to a teenager even if they're old enough to sign a contract.
  • While not likely to apply in this case, a teenager can rent an apartment if they meet all the other requirements and can provide documentation of emancipation. For Ash, she could be 18 or 19. That would still make her a teenager but allow her to rent an apartment with a day job.
  • She might also look younger than she is, and can't find the energy to correct them.
  • Maybe one of her parents own the apartment room and she just hangs out there with her boyfriend.
• Why didn't Buster just tell the contestants about the mistake regarding the prize money the moment he found out about it? There's no reason for him to keep it a secret from them. The only contestants who cared about the money up to that point (before Johnny promised to win it to bail his dad out of jail) were Ash and Mike and the others were just in it for the singing, so Buster wouldn't risk losing many contestants. He could've just said "Sorry, folks, bit of a mix-up with the flyers. The prize money is actually $1000, not $100,000". It would've saved him a whole lot of trouble, wouldn't it?
  • Just because we know most of the contestants weren't in it for the money doesn't mean he knows, too. It's not like they put out their personal information to him during their auditions. Considering the supposed prize money was the reason many showed up, he logically assumed everyone was in it for the cash.
  • Buster is extremely optimistic and unrealistic. Backing down isn't his style, he's all about moving forward and making do with what he's got. It might not be sensible, but it's who he is. Specifically, he believed that somehow he would gather the money, just like somehow he'd be able to restore the theater. And in fact a big part of him going to Nana Noodleman was so he could get the money from her; if he could manage to get it one way or another, the contestants would never have to know, and the successful show would help pay off Judith and the other creditors.
  • After all the other screwups that have happened, he's probably afraid of the fallout from admitting this one, given how widespread the information was.
• Porcupine clothes. How do they even work?
  • Lined with metal on the inside.
  • The biggest problem is that the quills on their backs are all standing up and apparently going through their shirts. How do they put on their shirts without flattening their quills - and how do they take it off when the quills are already going through it?
  • Their quills are in the back of their body. They probably put it on in a manner similar to a smock or apron: they put on the front, then hook it into their quills.
• This is probably due to Hollywood logic, but does anyone have any plausible reasons how Marcus' gang was able to evade arrest for so long? They have no qualms carrying out heists in broad daylight and live in the same city they loot from.
  • Given that most of the cops appeared to be rhinos, there actually may be a reason for this. Allegedly, rhinos have terrible eyesight (not that anyone has really been able to truly check. They get aggressive when people get close. Weirdly, the aggressiveness could come from now being able to see the person, but I digress). So, you have strong and persistent, but very nearsighted animals acting as the police. That's also where the bunny masks come in. While other animals would think "Obviously, that's a gorilla in a bunny mask,", the rhino cops may just think it's a really tall black and white bunny.
    • This is now my headcanon.
  • This is Truth in Television: it can take years for a criminal (or a gang, in this case) to be caught.
• There's the same Headscratcher as with the other 2016 animated movie all about animals, in the "Sing" universe what do carnivorous and omnivorous animals eat if they share the same society with prey animals? Carnivores need to eat other animals to survive, it's the cycle of life.
  • Considering that all animals - even bugs - are anthropomorphic, my guess would be either artificial meat, or that all animals, even predators, are vegetarians in this world (except when they need to dispose of someone, like the bears do with Mike).
  • The carnivores might feed on animals that don't appear in the movie such as chickens or cows.
    • Except even chickens and cows◊ are anthropomorphic (the chicken is on the bottom-left corner, and there are at least two cows on the picture).
    • Perhaps they farm Humans for food!?
    • Something no one considers, even in the other movie: organ donation. When an animal dies, they receive a proper funeral, but rather than be buried or cremated, their body is processed. Consider that prey generally outnumber predators 10-1, and some megafauna like elephants, rhinos, and whales being butchered would provide plenty of meat. In addition, omnivorous animals, such as dogs, wolves, foxes, etc. could supplement their diet with calories from vegetables and fruits, and it's not an impossible system to implement.
• Near the end of the movie when Johnny's "I'm Still Standing" performance plays on the TV in his dad Big Daddy's prison cell, his dad can't recognize that's Johnny by listening to it, but only when he looks at the TV does he recognize Johnny. How does Big Daddy fail to recognize his own son's voice?
  • Big Daddy hasn't heard Johnny sing before, and being such a negligent father he may not have been sharp enough to recognize Johnny's singing voice like his regular voice.
  • Likewise, he was probably kicking himself for what he said to Johnny and hearing singing likely didn't help with his guilt. Odds are he would have demanded the music be turned off even if it hadn't been Johnny.
    • Marcus did request the other inmates to turn the music down so he could wallow. When they didn't, the curiosity is what compelled him to look. Also, since he was not supportive, it's likely Johnny didn't sing in front of his father enough to recognize it.
  • It's the opposite to all the above actually. It's implied that the other inmates were watching the show since the beginning, due to them being in jail and it being covered by a news channel. Marcus was kicking himself so hard that he didn't register that the music was on until Johnny really started to sing, like the Gorilla, who was also in the gang, that was that was filing his nails didn't register it was Johnny at first since it was background noise. Until he looks up and sees who's singing for a few seconds. It's less that he's not recognizing Johnny's voice, since it's the thing that brings him out of his depressive episode, but more that it's coming from such an unexpected source and he's not in a proper state of mind that he can't register what's going on properly, until he sees his boy for a few seconds.
• At the beginning of the movie, after Big Daddy and his cohorts successfully rob a bank and speed off in their car, Johnny resorts to running to catch up to them, and Big Daddy throws him right into the trunk with him. How did Johnny manage to run fast enough to catch up to a car at full speed?
  • You saw Big Daddy swiftly maneuver across rooftops during his escape. Maybe high athleticism is natural for gorillas.
• Big Daddy scolds Johnny that he was supposed to be keeping a lookout for any snooping rhino cops. Actually, Johnny did warn them by walkie-talkie that the cops had already come in, so what was the problem?
  • The problem was by the time Johnny tried to alert the gang, the alarm went off (so it was probably hard to hear their walkies) and they were on the move.
• Shouldn't Buster have gotten into some legal trouble for littering after distributing the flyers that way, even it was an accident?
  • Generally littering is classified as knowingly discarding items, when in Buster's case it was an accident. Plus, even if he was fined, he could easily contest it in court unless the police actually saw him dumping fliers everywhere.
• Some characters wear clothes made of leather. If all animals are anthropomorphic, what are these made of? Faux leather?
  • That, or perhaps people who are organ donors in this world include their hides on that list.
• While it's quite likely the theater wasn't insured due to no funds, shouldn't there have been a criminal investigation into the bears for the destruction they caused? There's quite a few witnesses and they're not exactly low-profile.
  • Excellent question. Mike also could pin attempted murder on them. And they can't really contest what he owes them. It was a "friendly poker game" in a club.
  • It's possible that there is an investigation pending. Investigations can take a LONG time. Plus, with the way the bears dress and speak, it feels implied that they're part of the Russian mob.
• Ash's barbs fly off at random moments and hit people. In a world where porcupines are people, shouldn't there be a law insisting that porcupines keep their barbs trimmed and blunted at all times? I mean the entire population is a blinding risk.
  • At least in Ash's case, it seems to be involuntary and only when she's excited.
• Why didn't Johnny suffer any legal consequences for involvement in his father's criminal gang activity? Keep in mind that when we first met Johnny, he was the lookout for the gang to alert them to any police. He was also recruited to drive their getaway car during their planned heist. That technically makes Johnny a criminal accessory. At the very least, the police would have had grounds to detain Johnny for questioning.
  • Johnny, although he tried to make it back, technically abandoned the gang and was not there when the gang was arrested. And his father probably didn't drop a dime because he loves his son.
• If Buster (ostensibly) had $100,000 laying around to give away as a prize, why wasn't Judith demanding he pay the bank from that money?
  • The money may have been coming from sponsors, grants, or another outside source; Buster might not have had access to it in the first place, and may never have been able to touch it. A lot of arts prizes are awarded that way.
  • Plus, she can't just walk up to him and say "Hey, heard you have money, it's mine now." even if he DOES owe the bank. She'd have to take him to court and have a judge order him to fork it over.
• Just where and when did Lance meet Becky?
  • Once Ash joins Buster's show she isn't home very often because she spends so much time at the theater preparing for the show. That leaves plenty of opportunity during the day for Lance to have started talking to someone else, especially since their relationship was already on the rocks. We don't really know where Lance spends his time when he isn't at the apartment so he could have presumably met her just about anywhere.