slightly entertaining animal cartoon

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2005)

I must admit to not being a fan of the Dreamworks animations. They don't look particularly inventive, the voice talent is often at best distracting, or at worst, poor, and the stories are very sparse.
Madagascar really is no exception to the rule. We first meet the heroes of the film - the animals - at the New York Zoo. Marty (voiced by Chris Rock) is a zebra bored with captivity and longing for the freedom of the wild. Alex (voiced by Ben Stiller) is a vain yet cowardly lion, happy to pose for the public in his cage, and so full of himself that he buys Marty little icons of himself as birthday presents. Melman (voiced by David Schwimmer) is a hypochondriac giraffe, while Gloria the hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) is an earth momma, keeping her pals in check.
There is a also a small mafia of penguins in the zoo who want to go to Antarctica. These are funny and inventive characters, but a little at odds with the rest of the film.
This film has its moments - the animals going on the subway to Grand Central Station; the squirrels and chipmunks who rule the island of Madagascar (the wild Marty is so keen on); and the film and TV references - Hawaii Five O, Born Free, Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, and more.
But the characters are two-dimensional, the script is needlessly childish (yes, I know it is for kids, but give them some credit for having brains), and the film is pretty pointless, other than the same old 'you've got a friend' theme that pervades almost every film from the studio. The voice talent is just OK (and Ben Stiller in particular makes Alex irritating) and the animation is boring.
Not one I'd rush to see again.