Lots and Lots of Fun

Rating: Null/10 (13 October 2012)

"Madagascar" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" were decent entries in DreamWorks' animated line-up. The first one had good ideas, nice slapstick and stylized animation but a story that quickly lost steam halfway through and a had screenplay that just wouldn't keep quiet. The second one was more story-oriented and had better character development, but a lot of the fun that defined the first film felt absent. I could only imagine what a third "Madagascar" was going to do with these characters and such. From the trailers, I thought it looked like a disaster in the making. Just a safe, harmless money-maker for DreamWorks so they could support the more ambitious works like "How to Train Your Dragon" and the upcoming "Rise of the Guardians".
Fortunately, I was proved wrong. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" knows exactly what it wants to be: A crazy, over-the-top, colorful comedy for both kids and adults. What was actually surprising was that this was almost devoid of the mean-spirited humor and pop culture references that dominated a lot of the older DreamWorks' computer animated films and the first two "Madagascar" films. This one focuses more on the story, even though the story may not be spectacular by any means. It's your basic get back home story, and the animals join a European circus to get there. They pull a nice big lie, you know the deal. The character development is good too, in fact I thought the zoo gang was far more interesting in this film than they were in the first two. I also enjoyed the new characters, as the second film's new batch of characters were bland and forgettable. The circus gang is just as likable as the zoo gang, if not more interesting.
"Madagascar 3", like its predecessors, also has very good animation. This time, the writers take the silliness and launch it over the top. This is essentially the whole idea of the franchise realized. All the rules are thrown out the window: There's crazy antics from the film's villain running through walls like a wrecking ball to the characters hanging off of the chimpanzees on a makeshift helicopter. The first 20 minutes alone are some of the wildest, craziest stuff you'll see in an animated film this year. It's all handled well too, the animators probably had a load of fun with this film.
Even more satisfying is the screenplay, which Noah Baumbach (Wes Anderson's protégé) spiced up. As I said earlier, this one balances both the story and the fun without having one overshadow. There are a few problems, and the movie isn't great by any means. It's basically a fun animated film. It's certainly not Pixar or something else, and it knows it. It just wants the audience have a good time. I sure did.