Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
The head Penguin, Skipper (Tom McGrath), tells the Private (Chris Knights) his mission is to be "cute and cuddly". - CONTRIBUTED
MADAGASCAR, THE latest foray into animation, is a story of exploration and friendship. The movie is directed by Tom MacGrath and Eric Darnell, both of whom co-wrote the screen play along with Mark Burton and Billy Frolick.
It is essentially the tale of four New Yorkers who end up in the jungle - the real jungle, not the concrete one, the jungle where one can tell the predators from the prey by their teeth. Children will find a lot more to enjoy than the adults (though adults should by no means be bored).
Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Melman the Giraffe (David Schimmer) are four of the attractions in a New York City zoo, with Alex being the main draw. However, the four are also very good friends. According to the story, they are living the bliss of captivity, having three meals a day and all their vitamins. This is particularly important for Melman, who is something of a neurotic.
Their life of bliss is about to come to an end, however, when Marty's escape from the zoo prompts their being returned to the wild. Of course, none of them has ever been to the wild, which they could not tell different from Connecticut. The result is that when they reach the wild they are at a loss as to what to do.
An accident of fate lands them on the shores of Madagascar (which mysteriously has no people) Here, their friendship will be tested. Though Alex and Marty have been best friends for years, it has always been in the confines of the zoo where they had their every need attended to. The relocation to Madagascar has the friends fending for themselves, which brings about much tension as they literally go wild.
The film brings a welcome break from the pop culture allusions that have been creating a glut in the animation industry, replacing creativity with cheap product placement. While there are pop references, it is nowhere as blatant as Sharktale or even Shrek 2. Unfortunately, the entire film is neither as inventive as either Shrek movies, nor as dramatically gripping as its nearest animated relative The Lion King.
However, it does have some good characters. Though Marty, Gloria, Alex, and Melman are the main stars of the show, the four penguins are the highlight of this flick. Bent on escape they are borderline psychotic, or at least an amalgam of crazy, crazy and crazy. They are absolutely fabulous, bringing laughter each time they touch the screen.
King Julien (voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen) is also interesting. The king of the lemurs is quite given to dancing and partying and makes for some fun scenes. However his Indian sounding accent is a little out of place, given Madagascar's position off the southern coast of Africa. However, one really cannot expect too much truth from a film of this nature, so it is allowable.
The result is that Madagascar is entertaining and it only runs for 87 minutes, so it does not last two long. While it does, though it is a good adventure. Especially when the penguins are about.
