Scarlett Johansson, a Prickly Porcupine in "Sing" (Opens Jan 04)

Superstar Scarlett Johansson breathes life to Ash, a prickly teenage porcupine with a punk-rock attitude, in Universal Pictures and Illumination’s Sing, a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us.

Watch the featurette Be Like Ash below

In the film, Ash auditions for a singing competition with her egotistical, unsupportive jerk of a boyfriend, Lance (Beck Bennett), but only Ash makes it as a finalist. In rehearsals, her rebellious nature continually puts her at odds with contest producer Buster (Matthew McConaughey), who envisions her as a pop-star princess; meanwhile, she wants to write her own authentic rock songs that reflect her unique style. Ash will have to go through a painful breakup, but in the end she’ll prove her integrity and sing on her own terms.

While audiences know Johansson as an international superstar, not as many fans realize that she’s an accomplished singer/songwriter—who has released two albums and collaborated with Pete Yorn. As the voice of Ash, a disaffected porcupine who has been recently dumped by her no-good boyfriend, Lance, Tony Award-winner Johansson had to tap into her inner angst-ridden teen to deliver Ash’s powerhouse vocals.

While Buster initially sees Ash as a “Call Me Maybe” girl, Ash is determined to perform the type of music Lance tried to control when they were together. “Whenever Ash comes on the screen, I just melt,” sums producer Janet Healy. “Scarlett’s voice coming out of that adorable character is just wonderful. She’s riveting.”

Sing stars Academy Award® winners Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, alongside Seth McFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Grammy Award-nominated Tori Kelly.

Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing stars Buster Moon (McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal—some might even say delusional—optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five lead contestants emerge: Mike (MacFarlane), a mouse who croons as smoothly as he cons; Meena (Kelly), a timid teenage elephant with an enormous case of stage fright; Rosita (Witherspoon), an overtaxed mother run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets; Johnny (Egerton), a young gangster gorilla looking to break free of his family’s felonies; and Ash (Johansson), a punk-rock porcupine struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo.

Each arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life. And as Buster coaches each of his contestants closer and closer to the grand finale, he starts to learn that maybe the theater isn’t the only thing that is in need of saving.

Opening across the Philippines on January 04, 2017, Sing is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures. #SingMovie