YMMV / Sing

• Adorkable: Buster Moon, being a complete doofus who is overly confident and optimistic in his plans and schemes that you can't help but love him being a Lovable Rogue. Special mention goes to how he just feels the moment and completely gets into singing "Call Me Maybe".
• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Was Marcus' rejection and his I Have No Son! moment with Johnny caused by a contempt towards singing as a career, anger at his son for choosing a different path than joining the gang, or was he acting on impulse out of anger that Johnny abandoned his post at all and inadvertently got the gang imprisoned?
  • Is Mike convinced to participate in the final show because he Took a Level in Kindness, or just to defend his wounded ego after being shut down from the crowd?
  • Was the Japanese red panda group that kept showing up unaware that they failed to make the cut, were they just that determined to be part of the show, or were they just messing around with Buster?
  • The contestants (sans Mike) deciding to easily forgive Buster for lying about the prize money amount (and nearly getting them killed by accident, when his squid tank plan goes horribly wrong). Was it because Ms. Crawly (who is with them when they go to the pool house) told them off-screen about the typo and explained that Buster was actually trying to deliver on the promise of a hundred grand? Was it because Buster is a Benevolent Boss who genuinely believed in and cared about all of them, constantly encouraged them, and helped them improve their hidden talents? Was it because witnessing Buster's heartbroken reaction in the ruins of the collapsed Moon Theater was enough to evaporate their anger and resentment? Or was it a mix of all three?
• And You Thought It Would Fail: Not too many people expected this film to succeed, with many claiming it was a stale copy of Zootopia with a very cliché, unoriginal plot about a singing competition. Despite all this, the movie managed to earn nearly $200 million in under two weeks, was the second leading film during Christmas weekend at the box office, and has gotten mixed to positive reviews by both critics and fans alike. The film was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Golden Globe in 2017, while "Faith" also managed a nomination for Best Song during the same ceremony, and a sequel released five years later.
• Applicability: Johnny's character arc can be read as an allegory for a Coming-Out Story. With Johnny's hidden love for singing being a metaphor for being gay/bi and how his father at first hates it, but learns to come around and accept his son for who he truly is. Johnny singing a song made by an openly gay man during the climax only adds an additional bit of fuel to the fire of that interpretation.
• Awesome Art: As expected from Illumination, the animation is beautiful to look at. This is easily Illumination's best animation to date. There are a variety of animals, from mammals, to reptiles, amphibians, fish, penguins, etc., the characters are expressive, and the backgrounds, like the Los Angeles-like city setting, Moon Theater, and the lighting and choreography, especially during the final performances, are breathtaking.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Mike. An insufferable asshole with no redeeming qualities, or a loveable and funny jerk with an incredible singing voice? Many are split over this. The fact that he's voiced by the ever-so controversial Seth MacFarlane, in addition to the Latin American dub portraying him with a heavy Argentine accent, didn't really help.
  • Buster Moon himself also qualifies. Some people say he's a likable character whose backstory and motivation makes him very sympathetic, and is a very kind manager to Ms. Crawly ^note When the prize money typo is revealed, he has to reassure the blubbering Ms. Crawly that he is not going to fire her over the mistake and the contestants. Others say that he's wholly unlikable because he begs rich people for money, lies to his contestants about the prize money when there was only a hundredth of it (the flyer typo was Miss Crawly's fault, but Buster still covered it up once he found out), and stealing electricity from a next door building and bioluminescent squid from a restaurant for a light show in one rehearsal. His combined Control Freak and Benevolent Boss aspects of his management style have also caused debates on whether or not Buster cares more about the show and keeping the theater open or if he cares more about the contestants involved in the show.
• Broken Base: Out of the main cast, Reese Witherspoon's singing has garnered the most divisive response, especially with her cover of "Shake It Off", with one part of the fanbase saying she sounded perfectly fine for the songs chosen for her while the other part say that she was awful and wasn't meant for this kind of movie, causing her to be often compared to Russell Crowe in Les Misérables (2012).
• Canon Fodder: Some regarding Lance, Ash's ex-boyfriend who cheats on her with Becky, another porcupine musician. He disappears after the aforementioned cheating scene (except for two brief scenes, one where Lance and Becky are shown performing in a bar, and another where Lance is legitimately impressed with Ash's original song), but there have been quite a few fanfics that focus on a regretful Lance trying to win back Ash's heart (with predictable results).
• Covered Up: Some kids might have thought “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” was a Tori Kelly original. It’s by Stevie Wonder (who duets with Ariana Grande on the original end credits song).
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • Ash breaking down in tears during her rehearsal is quite sad but the result is humorously one of the most melodramatic covers of Call Me Maybe ever heard.
  • And right after, Buster mutters to himself "I don't think anyone's gonna call her after that."
• Designated Villain: Judith, the llama who's trying to repossess the theater. She warned Buster multiple times that he needed to pay, and Buster kept avoiding her repeatedly—which unsurprisingly got him in more trouble. Even when she catches Buster and everyone performing in the remains of the collapsed theater, all she does is threaten to call the cops. Which, again, is the appropriate response since they're technically trespassing on property that isn't theirs. Subverted in that in the end she gets what she wants when Nana pays for the theater making things legally all right again, and that even before, she stood by and watched the show anyway.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Mike's Jerkass traits are generally downplayed in the fandom, especially among female fans (see Estrogen Brigade below). It doesn't help that he's voiced by the same person who voices fan-favorite Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Nana Noodleman is not introduced until the latter part of the movie, but she is liked by the fandom for being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold: someone who takes Buster to task for his shortcomings, but is ultimately shown to not be unreasonable.
  • The red pandas are a nameless running gag, and they are also Ridiculously Cute Critters. So they are this trope as well.
  • Nancy, the mouse that Mike tries to woo throughout the film, is pretty popular despite having very little lines (let alone screentime). Being voiced by Tara Strong doesn't hurt.
  • Marcus' two fellow bank robbers, Stan and Barry, are decently well-liked, especially for how they watch Johnny's performance without holding a grudge for how he bailed on the robbery.
  • The three shrimp and Ray the snail only get one brief singing scene apiece, but are pretty colorful characters, and some fans wish they'd made it past the auditions.
  • Several of the singers at the auditions became popular due to their brief but solid performances, such as the sheep singing "Kiss From A Rose", the crocodile singing "The Humpty Dance", the hippo singing "Stout-Hearted Men", the giraffe singing "Ben", and fans wish full versions of their songs would be released.
• Estrogen Brigade:
  • If social media is anything to go by, Buster has garnered himself quite a lot of fangirls thanks to his personality and sympathetic point-of-view.
  • Johnny, being a soft, kind, and gentle guy with a tough and thug-looking exterior. Being voiced by heartthrob Taron Egerton has definitely helped him win over fangirls.
  • To a lesser extent, Eddie, Mike, and Gunter also have their fair share of fangirls.
• Fandom Rivalry: With Zootopia, thanks to them both taking place in a modern-day setting with Funny Animal characters, not to mention that they both came out within the same calendar year.
• Fanfic Fuel:
  • Following up on Ash and Lance's break-up. Some fanfics have Ash starting another relationship (oftentimes with Johnny), some have Ash and Lance getting back together, and some have Lance returning to antagonize Ash and the porcupine rocker having to fend him off with the support of her new friends.
  • By the end of the film, Johnny now has all the freedom and independence he needs to make his own life choices and pursue his true passion. However, he's also been separated from his father and the rest of his clan for an unknown amount of time, while the trio are behind bars. Johnny-centric fanfics that are set after the film usually tend to be centered around the gorilla bonding with his new friends and finding his place among them, adjusting to living on his own for the first time in his life, and rebuilding his bond with his father while the latter is in prison.
  • Since Mike and Nancy's fate is left ambiguous by the end of the movie, a lot of fanfics that are centered around the street muscian like to explore the question of whether or not he and his girlfriend managed to escape the bear gangsters who were hunting them. Quite a few fanfics have been written about the other theater animals reacting with shock and horror, once they learn what became of the two mice in scenarios where they really did lose their lives to the bears.
• Fanon:
  • Popular belief is that Johnny's mother is dead and died either when he was born or very young. Johnny's mother is never mentioned one way or another in the movie. The same thing goes with Meena's father, who is never seen or mentioned.
  • None of the contestants are given last names so it's common to see the fandom simply giving them the surnames of their respective actors (Johnny Egerton, Ash Johansson, etc).
  • Due to their ages being ambiguous, Ash, Meena, and Johnny are usually interpreted as university age rather than teenagers.
  • Unlike Johnny and Meena, Ash is shown to live on her own at a young age, and she seemingly has no one else around to turn to for support except Lance at the start of the film. She also never mentions her family once in either this movie or its following sequel. So a lot of fanfic writers like to headcanon that Ash had a big falling out with her parents in the past, about her desire to become a punk rocker, and she's currently not on good terms with them.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
  • The movie did very well in Japan, which is known for its love for musicals, and stayed No.1 in the box office in three weeks, overthrowing Moana and preventing Kong: Skull Island from taking over. It also has a noticeable prominence at their Universal Studios park, with the "Sing on Tour" attraction.
  • There is also a sizeable fan base in Canada.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • In-universe, Buster's singing competition idea was seen as cliché and stupid, and nearly everyone thought it would fail and end in disaster. In the end, it ended up being a big success and widely loved. Meta-wise, this ends up describing the movie's pre-release reception and how well it did post-release.
  • In the Japanese dub, Ash is voiced by Masami Nagasawa, who previously voiced Yuri Aikawa, the girlfriend of Souchi Negishi aka the shock rocker Johannes Krauser II in the animated adaptation of Detroit Metal City. In the anime, Yuri doesn't know a thing about her boyfriend's double life as a rock star. In this film, Yuri is now the rock star.
  • The song Taron Egerton's character, Johnny, performs during the show is Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" complete with him playing the piano, which is hilarious in hindsight for two reasons:
    • In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Elton John makes a cameo as the organist for Eggsy's (Taron Egerton's character) wedding.
    • Three years after Sing, Taron Egerton portrays Elton John in the Rocketman biopic, a casting choice the rock idol himself approved of.
  • This won't be the last time Illumination hires an adult cartoonist for one of their movies.
  • Maybe things didn't work out between Scarlett Johannson and Beck Bennett, but she’d go on to marry Beck’s SNL castmate, Colin Jost.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: Many people were quick to criticize the movie’s generic-sounding plot, claiming it’s the same old story about saving an establishment through a fundraiser concert they’ve already seen a million times before. This is even lampshaded by Eddie the sheep when Buster tells him his idea of organizing a singing contest.
  "Who wants to see another one of those?"
• Jerkass Woobie: Mike. A complete jackass con artist who is implied to have no home or money to his name, so he's had to put on a tough act to survive on the streets. He's a street musician who lives off of tips and it's likely his suit and saxophone are his only possessions.^note (The car was entirely loaned by the bank which he has no means to pay back.) It's why he's so adamant on winning the prize money as it will help turn his life around but now he's being hunted down by the bear mafia, possibly for life, which is why he had to ditch town and never come back for the sequel.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • The moment the main trailer was released, fangirls immediately began making plans to see the movie just to hear Taron Egerton sing.
  • More than a few Family Guy fans are only interested in this movie because Seth MacFarlane voices Mike.
• LGBT Fanbase: The musical theater aspect has won over LGBT fans. Johnny's character arc has resonated with a lot of LGBT viewers, who view it as a parallel to an LGBT teen struggling to accept who they are and gain their family's acceptance. Buster and Eddie also have quite a bit of Ho Yay throughout the film, which led to people envisioning them as a gay couple.
• Like You Would Really Do It: Buster initially picks Daniel the giraffe over Johnny at the audition, but since Johnny was a major character in the pre-release trailers, we the audience knew something would probably happen to reverse this decision. Buster eventually decides that the challenge of talking to a giraffe is going to drive him nuts, so he calls Johnny back and picks him after all. Similarly the trailers made it clear that Meena would get to sing during the show, so obviously her being turned down initially had to be rescinded later—as it turns out, thanks to Pete ending up in the hospital.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Not really related to the film, but the Happy Meal tie-in commercial, with its' catchy jingle and Johnny ordering a Happy Meal despite the fact that he is way too old for one, has caught the attention of 4chan and a slew of other internet people.
  • Proud Monkey Father.^note In early 2021, the clip where Marcus sees Johnny's performance on television and proudly declares "that's my son" has received many edits, replacing the footage of Johnny with a different video of a primate doing something funny.
  • Brian the Mouse.^note Due to their similar personalities, appearances and sharing the same voice actor, it became very popular for Family Guy fans to compare Mike to Brian Griffin.
• Moe:
  • Many contestants could count as this, but special mention goes to Johnny, Rosita, and Meena.
  • Buster is even regarded as such by some due to being an Adorkable tiny sharp-dressed koala.
• Narm Charm:
  • Rosita and Gunter's performance (especially Gunter's face poking out of the intentionally cheaply-designed cardboard appliance and it becoming his costume) is at first so over the top that people in-universe thought it was hilarious (the newscaster started laughing as well).
  • Eddie offering to dry the cars that Buster is washing with his body by also rubbing himself over the cars manages to be incredibly cheesy and touching at the same time. It really is a great example of what the proper critical term for Narm is, bathos.
• Popular with Furries: Zig-zagged. One would think a World of Funny Animals would be very popular with furries, but it did have an audience due to its' more varied species compared to most media Popular with Furries. Sing is peppered with obscure species both in crowd shots and even starring roles. On top of that, Ms. Crawly manages to avert common stereotypes with reptilian characters.
• Portmanteau Couple Name:
  • Johnny and Ash together are called 'Jash'.
  • Buster and Eddie together are called 'NoodleMoon'.
• Ron the Death Eater: Ash's ex-boyfriend, Lance, tends to get this treatment. In the film, Lance is a pretty straightforward jerkass with no redeeming qualities, who constantly puts her down, cheats on her, and then has the nerve to blame her for his own infidelity. However, in Ash-centric fanfics where Lance is the antagonist, his character is often turned into an outright stalker, murderer or sexual predator to provide some additional conflict.
• Signature Scene: Johnny's performance of "I'm Still Standing" is perhaps the most well-known scene in the movie, partly because Taron Egerton provides a stellar cover of one of Elton John's classic songs, and partly because it's the climax of two different characters' arcs at once. It's the culmination of Johnny's growth into a more independent person, who's going to take his life and his future into his own hands from this point forward. It's also the point where Marcus finally sees his son for who he really is and who he's always been, and is driven to break out of prison to make amends with Johnny because of that realization.
• So Okay, It's Average: The general critical response is that the film is decent and the music is great, but the plot is incredibly predictable, and the fact it's a World of Funny Animals is completely irrelevant to the story, and the movie does nothing new or interesting with the formula. Still, many will agree that it's better than The Secret Life of Pets.
• Squick:
  • The Gasshole buffalo passes gas twice right against Buster's head, shortly before running off farting several times over.
  • Ms. Crawly's glass eye has a tendency to pop out frequently and she is usually not seen cleaning or washing it before placing it back in her eye socket.
• Superlative Dubbing: The Japanese dub deserves a special mention since it received lots of praise, especially from non-Japanese viewers, partly due to its All-Star Cast of very well-known Anime voice actors and the fact many of the voice actors are professional singers as well. Special mention to Maaya Sakamoto's performance as Rosita, as she sings in English very well and is considered far superior to Reese Witherspoon’s criticized performance. The rest of the cast, who sing in Japanese, aren't slouches either, taking into account they are singing Japanese covers of English songs, including ones from genres that are niche in Japan, like gospel.
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!: Fans of Zootopia were quick to trash the movie even before it came out as a rip-off of said movie. Whether or not Illumination actually did take cues from Zootopia when creating Sing is debatable; Disney changed the premise and character focus of Zootopia repeatedly during production, whereas Sing mostly stayed the same during its three-year development. Other than being set in a CGI World of Funny Animals, the two movies are actually quite different in several ways:
  • Zootopia's setting is futuristic and is designed by animals for themselves, whereas Sing's setting is more-or-less identical to real-life human cities and towns in the 2010s.
  • Zootopia anthropomorphizes only terrestrial non-primate mammals, whereas Sing anthropomorphizes all animals, including invertebrates.
  • Zootopia uses Animal Stereotypes to craft a Beast Fable that explores modern-day prejudices, whereas Sing uses Animal Stereotypes for merely visual gags and otherwise presents the animal characters as re-skinned humans in a straightforward music story.
  • Zootopia has an overarching Big Bad, whereas Sing lacks a proper villain.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • The fact that the movie is set in a World of Funny Animals has absolutely no bearing on the plot at all, and there are surprisingly few animal-related gags.
  • If there's a scene with a musical group made entirely of turtles at an audition, how can you not have them sing Happy Together?
• Win Back the Crowd: Those who don't or haven't accused Sing of being a rip-off of Zootopia felt that the film was better than anticipated.
• The Woobie: Nearly the entire cast.
  • Johnny. Artistic and sweet, Johnny is torn between following his own dreams of becoming a singer and pleasing his father by becoming part of his criminal gang. When he tries to secretly do both, it eventually lands his father and the entire gang in prison, and his father angrily shuns him because of it. After Buster's deceit is revealed, Johnny openly admits that the competition has ruined any chance he has of his father ever speaking to him again. Luckily, his dad eventually comes around after seeing Johnny's stellar performance and escapes from prison just to apologize to him. By the end of the film, Johnny now has all the freedom that he needs to become his own man and pursue his true passion, but he also has to accept the fact that he's probably going to be separated from his father and the rest of his clan for a long time as well while they're behind bars, so his subplot ultimately wraps up on a very bittersweet note.
  • Rosita is an overworked mom who feels her singing is going to waste and who feels unappreciated and unnoticed (and is not entirely wrong about the latter).
  • Norman is an implied example. With twenty-five kids, he and Rosita both have a lot of mouths to feed everyday. He works so hard for his wife and children that he usually lacks the energy to notice them.
  • Meena is also an example; her stage fright is so bad that she can't even sing at the audition, and even when she does get to be part of the show she ends up chosen to be a stagehand instead of a singer. Then she does finally get to be a singer, only for the entire theater to be destroyed by flooding - and the poor girl almost drowns to death during the destruction.
  • Ash in the wake of her nasty break up with her boyfriend Lance after catching him cheating on her. She fails at Trying Not to Cry and is clearly devastated by her loss.
  • Buster. As if the backstory with his father, how he obtained the theatre, and how apparently every production he's ever held there has sucked isn't enough, a huge misunderstanding caused by Ms. Crawly's glass eyeball eventually gets him in trouble for lying about the prize money. He's so behind on his bills that he forgot (or was unable) to pay the power company and is about to be repossessed by the bank. And the mobsters coming to steal the prize to pay off the debts Mike owes them results in the destruction of the entire theatre. Seeing him cry over his father's washing bucket and the Heroic BSoD he goes into afterward is devastating, and even when he lashes out at Meena with his own self-esteem issues, you can't help but feel sorry for him. The clincher is him having to wash cars himself, and just how he does it.

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