Dir. Eric Darnell/Tom McGrath, 2005, US, 86 mins
Cast (voice): Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron-Cohen and Cedric the Entertainer
Under the watchful eye of feature film animation head honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dreamworks lucky streak (Shrek 1 & 2, Chicken Run, Shark Tale) continues unabated with its latest release: Madagascar. Directed by Eric Darnell (who helmed Antz) and Tom McGrath (who directed The Ren & Stimpy Show), Madagascar tells the tale of Alex the Lion (Stiller) and Marty the Zebra (Rock), two inter-species friends who pass their days grazing and entertaining school children at their enclosures in Central Park Zoo.
Plied with steak on a daily basis, Alex is oblivious to his natural instincts to kill and is unaware that in the wild he would’ve eaten his bosom buddy Marty a long time ago. Marty, unhappy with his lot, longs to leave the confines of the Zoo and travel to ‘the wild’. Unsure of where ‘the wild’ actually is, Marty attempts to catch a train there, only to be foiled by Alex with Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Pinkett-Smith) in tow.
Fate steps in as Marty, Alex, Melman and Gloria leave the Zoo after a separate break-out staged by the Zoo’s somewhat militaristic penguin population and using the penguin’s kung-fu skills, some stealth tactics and luck, they manage to commandeer a cargo ship and set sail for the Promised Land. As the lack of steaks becomes apparent, hunger sets in and Alex soon finds his instincts taking hold. As a result, Alex and Marty find their friendship sorely tested. The group eventually run ashore in the eponymous ‘wild’ where they encounter a bizarre array of animals, most notably the surreal King Julian of the Lemurs (Ali G‘s Baron-Cohen). As the group becomes aware of the wonders of their newly discovered home, they are forced to choose between their brave new world and the pampered luxuries of the Zoo.
A recent spate of animated features has seen the animation genre explode in popularity. The Toy Story films, along with The Incredibles, Monsters Inc & Finding Nemo have drawn audiences in their millions. Subsequently, Pixar has become the dominant force in feature film animation. However Dreamworks’ output (with the exception of the rather ordinary Shark Tale) has been consistently great. With its quick witted script and gag-a-second pace, Madagascar is no exception. There is much here to amuse both children and adults alike. As usual, a lot of the comedy is as much to do with the superb animation as it is with the performances. As Alex the Lion, Stiller is in typically funny form, as is Rock’s Marty the Zebra. Schwimmer’s hypochondriac Giraffe, Melman is a hilarious creation and Baron-Cohen’s hysterically surreal King Julian the Lemur threatens to steal the show.
However it’s Skipper the Penguin (voiced by Director McGrath) and his motley crew of Special Op’s penguins: Kowalski and Private, that is the funniest thing featured in an animated film in a very long time. Perhaps it’s this humble reviewer’s personal quirk but cute, animated Penguins doing Kung-Fu and acting like Lee Marvin in the Dirty Dozen is quite simply, hysterical. Humourous characters aside, it’s the overall silliness and willingness to just be plain weird that are Madagascar’s most endearing qualities. So, if you are looking for a film that will have your kids laughing as much as yourself, you’ll simply just have to see it.
JARROD WALKER
Madagascar is released on region 2 DVD on 28th November 2005 by Universal Pictures and contains the following extras:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 Surround
English SDH
Penguin Commentary - Those four plotting penguins - Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico - who set the entire story in motion with their planned escape from the zoo to head for the "wide open spaces of Antarctica" reminisce about their on-set antics.
Filmmakers' Commentary - From classic cartoons and children's books to the paintings of renowned French artist Henri Rousseau, in this commentary the Madagascar filmmakers reveal the design influences that helped shape the fantastical island of Madagascar. Filled with fun anecdotes about the production process such as the individual hurdles each of the characters presented to the animation team, ranging from Alex's mane, to Melman's neck, to Gloria's rather rotund girth and even Marty's particular talent for shifting from being a quadruped, walking on all fours, to a biped, and how the off-screen friendships of the voice talent added to the character's relationships.
Mad Mishaps - A montage of the most amusing technical goofs that occurred during the Madagascar production.
Meet The Wild Cast - An entertaining introduction to Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe, and the talented actors that brought them roaring to life.
Enchanted Island - Sponsored by the Madagascar Conservation Organization, get an exciting location-by-location tour of the beautiful and exotic island of Madagascar!
Behind The Crates - Led by writer/directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the teams at DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks reveal how they used state-of-the art computer animation to bring Madagascar from storyboards to the big screen.
The Tech of Madagascar - A behind-the-scenes look at the technical expertise required to create this animated film.
Dreamworks Kids Menu - Includes the "I Like To Move It, Move It" Video, several set top games for the family including: bEqual Game , Learn To Draw , Matching Lemurs , Marty's Birthday Wish , Madagascar Symphony and Fossa Wack - and DVD-Rom Printables.
Cast and Crew Bios
Photo Galleries
The two-disc edition includes The Madagascar Penguins in "A Christmas Mission" plus additional penguin-related extras including a Penguin Cam, Behind the Igloo featurette and Silly Penguin Tricks featurette.
The extras run approximately 70mins on the single-disc, and 103mins on the double-disc edition.
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