For me, it improved at least a bit with a second viewing

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2010)

The first time I saw this 2005 DreamWorks Animation effort was in September 2008. I had seen "The Wild", a 2006 CGI film from Disney earlier that month, and wasn't that impressed. Knowing it was widely considered a ripoff of "Madagascar", I decided I had to see this film, and knowing that it was more popular than its successor, I had higher expectations for it, which were not exactly met. From what I remember, I thought it was only very slightly better than "The Wild", and I was hoping it would be higher above the 2006 Disney flick than that. Nearly two years later, I've deleted by previous review of the movie and watched it again. While it still certainly isn't a masterpiece in my book, it definitely was better with a second viewing.
A zebra named Marty, a lion named Alex, a hippopotamus named Gloria, and a giraffe named Melman are four friends who live at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. However, it's Marty's tenth birthday, and he dreams of seeing the wild. After he learns that the zoo's penguins are planning their escape, the zebra decides to leave as well. When his three friends find that he's missing, they leave the zoo and head out to Grand Central Station to catch up with Marty and convince him to return. They make it to their destination and catch up with their friend, but all four of them are soon shot with tranquilizer darts and later wake up to find themselves in wooden crates, not knowing that they are now on a boat, being taken back to the wild! On the voyage, the four animals accidentally fall overboard and are separated, but all of them wash up on the same mysterious shore in their crates! They don't know this at first, but they haven't been sent to another zoo. They are on the island of Madagascar, near the continent of Africa, and life here is more difficult than what they're used to!
The voices of the four lead characters are provided by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer, and these cast members all do a decent job with the voice-overs. The voice acting in general is very impressive, with comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien (a lemur in Madagascar), the voices for the military penguins (provided by Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, Chris Miller, and John Di Maggio), etc. The characters generally may not be the most outstanding ones in the history of animated films, but they can be interesting and provide a lot of humour. The leads can be funny with their conflict and Alex finding himself really craving steak, and so can the penguins on their separate adventure and King Julien, who is entertaining with his really funny lines and his version of "I Like to Move It", the hit song by Reel 2 Real. Cohen's talent probably helps. The humour isn't always great, as there are maybe too many sight gags at times, but there are still many funny parts, with not just sight gags but also some very humorous dialogue. As usual, the animation here is outstanding, with the characters and the backgrounds, starting with a very urban setting and then moving to the jungle, with some gorgeous CGI scenery! The plot may be a bit bland, but isn't exactly bad, and several other aspects really help to carry the movie.
When I first watched this movie from DreamWorks Animation, I could certainly understand many would consider "The Wild" a ripoff of it. Both films are about animals from a New York zoo going across the ocean to a jungle, where life turns out to be different and more dangerous than what they're used to. They're obviously not EXACTLY the same, but the major similarities are very noticeable. I haven't seen the second of the two since the first time I watched it, but have now seen this one twice, and like I said, my second viewing was definitely better. Since it's been nearly two years since I first and last saw the 2006 Disney film, it's not as easy to compare them, but I think I can understand why this DreamWorks one has wider appeal. I still can't imagine ever being blown away by this one, no matter how many times I watch it, but overall, it's still pretty good, and I recommend it for fans of these CGI family adventures, as long as they don't have a problem with it not being 100% clean.