Good but by no means great

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2005)

2005 was a weak year for animation to be sure. Madgascar stands up well, but in other years would have looked weaker than it is. It is a light, funny and wonderfully inoffensive family film, but all those good qualities make it a tad dull.
Madagascar knows how to make use of peripheral characters. The penguins, King Julian, the scared subway passengers, the monkeys all add to this movie and make it more interesting. Its lead, Ben Stiller's Alex the lion is the dullest of the bunch.
Madagascar opens in Central Park Zoo, where Alex is the star of the show. He loves his life. Luxury, steaks to snack on daily, legions of adoring fans and an endless parade of cheesy merchandise bearing his image. His friends Melman the Giraffe (a hypochondriac with all the medication he needs) and Gloria the Hippo (no body image problem here), seem content, but not as in love with the zoo as Alex.
Marty the Zebra, perfectly voiced by Chris Rock, is in a different zone. He runs on his treadmill, longing for the wild. He does not really know what that this, but he know instinctively that that is where he belongs. One day, h breaks out of the zoo and wanders Manhattan looking for the wild. This leads to the movie's funniest scene, with the escapee Zebra asking directions from a police horse.
Marty's friends chase after him to try and coax him back to the zoo, but all are caught and shipped off to a wild life reserve. On the way, their crates fall from their ship and they land in Madagascar.
From there, the story does not really go too far. It stays funny largely thanks for Sasha Baron Cohen and Cedric the Entertainer, but it is lightweight in comparison to its contemporaries.
If you are looking for a fun couple of hours with the kids, Madagascar is funny enough for the mom and dad crowd. Although the sequel has been announced, it is mediocre entertainment at best. *** out of ****.