Madagascar

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By Todd Karella
May 27, 2005

Original Story Synopsis:

While searching for a friend who has disappeared from his cage, four inhabitants of the Central Park Zoo (A Lion, Zebra, Giraffe & Hippo) find themselves captured and being sent back to Africa.

As if that isn't frightening enough for four animals bred in captivity, it's even worse when they end up shipwrecked on Madagascar.

Dreamworks is known for its quality pictures and this looks to be no exception.

The trailers so far have been quite good, and the penguins alone are hysterical. So feel free to head out to the theatre for some fun.

Movie-Pix Best Guess:

Rated PG

Movie-Pix Hit or Miss

Best Guess Results:

Thankfully, animated films have moved away from those of the past that needed a musical number every few minutes.

This film has no hidden messages or even tries to make you learn a lesson. It's a wonderfully funny film that is sure to entertain all audiences.

~Some silly fun for everyone~

It's nice to see an animated film that doesn't feel obliged to clobber you over the head with a moral, but instead is created for the sole purpose of having fun.
If you're one of those people that like to suck the fun out of a film, then maybe you can extrapolate the moral of "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it."
Personally, I like the moral "Don't eat your friends," a wise and important lesson we should all heed.
The story is set in the Central Park Zoo, where all of the animals are happy and enjoy entertaining the people. Well, there is one that's not so happy. It's the Zebra, Marty (Chris Rock), who just turned 10 years old and wants something more out of his daily routine.

His Friends, Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and the Neurotic Giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) try and cheer him up, but there's no deterring Marty from wanting to experience life in "The Wild".
Once his friends go to sleep for the night, Marty sneaks out of the zoo and heads for the train station. Everyone knows that "The Wild" is in Connecticut and the only way to get there is by train.

When Melman wakes up and finds Marty missing, the animals decide they must rush to their friend's aid and save him from his foolish plan. The only problem with that is the fact that humans don't speak animal talk and fail to understand their noble intent. The sight of seeing so many escapees from the local zoo throws them into a panic.
After being captured, the entire zoo is closed and the animals are being shipped off. While most of the animals are locked up in crates, the wile penguins manage to escape and seize control of the ship.

In the chaos that ensues, the crates containing the four friends stranded on an island. At first they think it's the San Diego Zoo until they run into a group of Lemurs and find that they are in "The Wild" and on Madagascar.
The Lemurs are a group of fun-loving creatures, led by their insane King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen). At first they are frightened by the new arrivals, but when they learn that these newcomers frighten away the predators who want to devour them, they decide it's best to welcome them into their tribe.

While it sounds like a good idea, the tables turn rather quickly as Alex begins to hunger for his favorite food, steak. Since none of them know where the humans found the steaks they fed to the lion, they are all shocked when he starts trying to eat them.
It's now up to the three remaining friends to find a way to bring Alex back to his senses and return him to his normally care free self.
As with most films, we know there's going to be a happy ending. The laughs are steady and the antics of both the penguins and the lemmings more than make up for any plot deficiencies.