Sing can be reviewed in two completely different ways; the adult view and the children’s view. However, it can be summed up honouring both – adults will enjoy this Illumination Entertainment film only if they think like a child and take a child with them. Both perspectives are as important as each other but only one truly matters – the kid’s.

Buster Moon (a koala voiced by Matthew McConaughey) is in debt after a string of bad shows hosted by his theatre. His last pitch at rejuvenating his reputation and his business is his sheer faith in a talent show which brings together Meena (an elephant voiced by real life Idol contestant, Tori Kelly), Johnny (a gorilla voiced by Kingsman and Eddie The Eagle actor, Taron Egerton), Mike (a mouse that sounds a lot like Ted and Peter Griffin, possibly because it is Seth McFarland), Ash (a porcupine who showcases Scarlett Johansson’s singing voice), and last but not least, Rosita (a pig and mum of 25 piglets voiced by Reese Witherspoon).

In the very first scene we are introduced to each of these characters, with a small insight into their home lives and their goals, and we follow them right through to see how they overcome their personal obstacles, while working in sync to bring the show to life for Buster.

It is a star-studded cast in a kid’s movie full of messages of encouragement, motivation, dreaming big and never giving up.

As an adult, I am forced to see the predictability. While the introductions roll in, it’s easy to foresee exactly where it will go for that particular character. As an auntie of a 7 year old whom I took with me to watch this animation, it was colourful, well-paced, easy to understand and most importantly, fun. You can’t help but wipe that smile off your face when you realise how much joy it bring to kids.

Sing is still an absolute delight for the big kids, too. The singing is tremendous and the music makes heads bop and feet tap. The storyline is simple for younger viewers to follow which makes this the perfect movie for kids under 12 years old.

What is undeniably notable about Sing is the various and diverse amounts of messages. With Rosita, it can be said that it will inspire anybody to work hard at dreams, no matter the life circumstance. Johnny is a great example of following your true purpose, even if support is slim. Meena will encourage introverts to use fear on their side and just do ‘it’. Ash will tell you, you can get through any hardship if you never give up and use it to your advantage. Buster shows a similar message with his story of being knocked down, but punching through to get back up. It is Mike’s message which is the most inappropriate, as the Sinatra sounding mouse shows us where arrogance gets you; stealing and cheating gets you chased by thugs.

There are some standouts by supporting acts, such as that of a fabulous and flamboyant pig named Gunter (voiced by Nick Kroll), whose peculiar love of dance can also convey the message of loving oneself and ‘be who you want to be’. He added comedy to serious scenes. Giggle-worthy moments also came from Buster’s assistant, Karen Crawly (an iguana voiced by Garth Jennings) whose glass eye would pop out all the time, which kids found hilarious. This leads me to my point of having two views. It’s not going to be easy to watch as a ‘mature’ audience member due to the childish humour, such as when a character accidentally farts. That’s the type of comedy writing that is a winner with children. Nevertheless, the focus should remain on the fact that Sing was made for kids. In a time where most animated movies are filled with adult themes, or adult targeted or based jokes, Sing was made keeping in mind the little guys.

Except for maybe two or three other moments, it becomes obvious that the funniest scenes are those we’ve already had the pleasure of laughing at in the trailers. They are great moments, though; for example, when Rosita dances to the Gypsy Kings in the middle of grocery shopping, where she is complimented by the security guard who makes an announcement stating, ‘that was awesome’.

Though something like a financial downfall is a little too complicated for a seven year old to understand, the creators have used simple language to bring the story across, and grasp the child’s interest through the whole film. The easiest way to see if a children’s movie works whilst sitting in a cinema, is to just look around. Kids lose interest quickly, but with Sing, they are able to connect with characters and have fun with the music and the colour.

After the success of Secret Life of Pets, Illumination Entertainment has scored big with two hits in a row.

Sing is adorable and charming. Take the kids, think like a kid and be a kid. It’ll make it easier to enjoy and adore. It’s a 3 out of 5.