Wonderful...!

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2005)

A wonderful movie for all ages.
This films really follows in the footsteps of recent animated blockbusters as Finding Nemo,Shrek, Monster Inc., The Incredibles, Ice Age etc. The story works very well, and it is obvious that the team behind is people who knows their media. It stays on the same course all the way through, something that really is the essence of the success of the animated films these last years, something other writers can really learn from. And that's all the comparison I will do, because it really is its own movie.
A wonderful thing about it is the references to other movies like The Planet of the Apes and American Beauty. Very obvious references I might add. This also means that the filmmakers are aware that a growing number of gross comes from adult audiences as well, and you then have to assume that the story is written for them as well.
The style of the movie is like we are use to in normal cartoons, just put into a new media. And it works very well, you're always aware of it, and yet you sit and really is in awe of the texture of for instance Marty(Chris Rock). The technique is definitely as is to be expected.
Hanz Zimmer, who's becoming a very well known man within the animated world, does a moderate good job, the music is there and really gives the effects it needs, but is just background. Directing is good, and all the characters works in their own way on the screen but are best together. There's a huge deal of very well timed jokes and they all somehow seems to work.
The characters are very amu... sorry, highly amusing. Chris Rock is almost best as voice(like in Dr. Doolittle), where Ben Stiller although he comes through still is more enjoyable as live action. But both of them are easily identified. Jada Pinkett is a bit to anonymous, and David Schwimmer is just great, although his character wins in being a good background joke. Now for the minor characters, as often with these films, the minor characters gets a way with so much attention they deserve a little more attention. The three penguins are awesome, and is the ideal kick starters for this movie. They deliver almost nothing but laughs. The king of the wild Julien(Mr. Ali G) is fun, although without his sidekick Maurice(Cedric) he would be nothing. And then there's the two monkeys also very enjoyable. One minor thing is to me that in seems that the Sabletooth tigers from Ice Age seems to have been copy-pasted into this movie for action, a bit sad but nothing that the movie itself doesn't salvage.
I would rank it among the top ten movies of this year, it is very fun and works very well in most ways. 8/10