'Sing" is brought to us by Illumination Entertainment — the animation studio that brought the "Despicable Me" series and last year's sleeper hit "The Secret Life of Pets." In many ways it's "La-La Land" with animals. In a color-filled, LA-like town inhabited by non-Homo sapiens in human clothing, a koala bear entrepreneur named Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) gets a bright idea on how to restore his failing theater: hold a singing contest and invite all the talented locals. To drum up interest, he offers a cash prize and a chance for the winner to become a professional.

This isn't a novel idea by any stretch of the imagination, but to Buster it's like a megawatt light bulb just switched on. As the centerpiece of "Sing," unlike real-life koala bears, who spend most of their lives sleeping, Buster is a furry bundle of indefatigable energy and boundless optimism. His plan is to get the contest going, unearth local talent and resurrect his beloved theater to its former glory. As Buster puts it: "Real talent from real life — that's what audiences want!"

Lovable Buster makes it easy to root for him but then virtually every character in "Sing" has a back story worthy of its own musical. There's Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) — a mother pig with oodles of kids, who dreams of a life beyond childrearing and housework. Her husband Norman (Nick Offerman) is oblivious to his wife's aspirations and has no inkling of her needs. It's only when he actually sees her on stage belting out Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" that he realizes what a bombshell he has married.