Maybe not the most original animated movie, but I still liked it a lot

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2005)

I've got several animated movies in my private DVD collection, even though I'm no longer a kid. And yes, I always buy them for myself, since I don't have any children (and not planning on having one soon either) or a younger brother or sister. On the other hand, I must also say that I have a rather specific taste. I don't really like the average Disney fairy tale-like movies. I prefer movies like Ice Age, Shrek, The Incredibles,... in which some fine animation is combined with excellent humor. After seeing the trailer for this movie, I was really curious about it. Would it be for children only, or would an adult like me also be able to enjoy it?
"Madagascar" tells the story of four animals at New York's Central Park Zoo who have lived there all their lives, don't know what life in the wild is like and don't want to know it either... except for Marty the Zebra. When he breaks out of his cage and makes a trip through the center of New York City, his friends Alex the Lion, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo go after him to get him back. But the humans think that the four escaped because they wanted to go back to the wild and that's why they are put on a boat and sent to a wild reserve in Kenia. However, when their ship is hijacked and their boxes are accidentally thrown over board, they end up on a desolate island where they will experience what life in the wild can be like and how much it differs from what they have known all their lives...
Although this movie isn't perfect - especially the last part didn't always do it for me - I must say that I had a good time watching it. The animations for instance are excellent. I like the way the animals look (even though they may perhaps not be as 'perfect' as what you might see when Pixar had made them) and the surroundings are marvelous (New York city, as well as the island). I guess it is just a matter of taste, but in my opinion you can't really compare the different styles of animation. Disney differs from Pixar and Pixar is different when you compare it to Dreamworks. What's wrong with that? If all the animations looked the same, everybody would complain and say that they never try to create their own style and are only copying what works.
Next to the animation, I also liked the diversity in the characters. Take for instance Alex. He's the star of the Zoo and he knows it, while Melman is a hypochondriac who always feels sick and Gloria is a huge hippo who clearly doesn't mind about her size. I even liked Marty the zebra, always craving for attention, but not seen as interesting enough by the audience. And those four characters are also joined by some very good sidekicks. Take for instance the penguins who acted like military commando's or the monkeys who act like they have a lot of style, but still do what any other monkey would do. I really liked the diversity in characters and had several good laughs with each of them.
When I read the reviews from other viewers, I sometimes can't help smiling. The main reason for that is because some people seem to forget that this is just an animated movie, not a documentary. If you really want to see how these animals live and act, don't you think it would be better that you watch the National Geographic Channel, go to a zoo or go on a safari? I'm sometimes asking myself: Do they think the same about Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote? Or do they really believe that a coyote knows how to work with dynamite and can fall of a 1000 ft. cliff without dying? This is still an animated comedy so I don't care whether the animals look truthful or not (by the way: have you ever seen a monster like Shrek or a talking donkey in real life? I haven't, but that doesn't mean that I can't like them). The same for their comments on the humor or the - in their opinion - lack of it. They believe that the humor in the movie was only good for kids. I'm sorry, but I see that as an insult. I'm an intelligent 27-year old with two college degrees, but I'm still able to laugh with those 'stupid' and 'childish' jokes and the situation humor like for instance Alex falling in a field of cacti. When they see it in a Charlie Chaplin movie or "Road Runner", they say it is excellent, but when it is done in an animated movie about some zoo-animals, they no-longer like it. Make up your mind people...
All in all this is a movie that will not only appeal to children. The mature audience - it doesn't matter if they go watch it on their own or with kids - will have a good time with it as well. Next to a lot of situation humor, you will also get some fine references to well-known movies, which your children will probably not connect to another movie, but love anyway. My favorite reference was the "American Beaty"-scene in which Alex sees steaks falling out of the sky instead of rose leaves. Even though the end wasn't as strong as the biggest part of the movie, I still loved this movie enough to give it a 7.5/10, maybe even an 8/10. And if that means that I'm an immature man, so be it...