Europe Doesn't Need This.

Rating: 5/10 (16 June 2015)

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012): Dir: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon: Voices: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen: Third entry in the Madagascar animated franchise involves a fish out of water plot where our trusty lion, zebra, giraffe, and hippo venture to Europe to reclaim those gambling penguins and chimpanzees. This results in sightings that land them as the target of animal control officer Chantel Dubois. She is relentless in her pursuit and seems to have more lives than most horror movies monsters. This results in some laughs but the material is still thin. Our heroes luck out when they go into hiding at a travelling circus in hopes to land back to the zoo in New York. This introduces fresh new characters such as a tiger whose impressive fire hoop act bares bad memories. Also, there is a female jaguar who can flip from the swings. There is the stammering sea lion struggling to organize an event well past its prime. This is all quite predictable with an effective subplot involving the tiger but little else. They all learn a valuable lesson about friendship and teamwork that opens new doors but the collaboration of such creatures is still a head scratch vision best left to younger minds. Children will enjoy the colourful animated wildlife and amusing antics, but frankly, watching Animal Planet is much more educational and far more entertaining than this fiasco. Adults will not find this as solid as The Secret World of Arrietty but as family entertainment this trip to the circus is suffice juvenile entertainment. Score: 5 / 10