Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)
by Tom McGrath, Eric Darnell, Gary Trousdale
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tom McGrathDirector: Eric Darnell, Gary Trousdale, Tom McGrath
Brand: DreamWorks
Writer: Tom McGrath
Writer: Eric Darnell
Writer: Billy Frolick
Writer: Mark Burton
Writer: Michael Lachance
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-15
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Dreamworks Animated
Movie Reviews of Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: New Yorkers, comedy, nice landscaping -- what's not to like?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is what happens when you choose top talents all around to make an animated film: you get a tight story, likeable and distinct characters, great dialog and a quirky but state of-the-art look. What's more, the adults as well as the kids are entertained. All this and more went into the making of Madagascar.
Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) are fast friends in a New York zoo. We presume they have lived there all their lives because it's obvious that none of them are aware of the natural order of predators and prey. They are also every bit the pampered New Yorkers that any celebrity humans of the city are; they live on schedules, customized diet plans and adoration. For the most part the animals are quite content with their urban lifestyle, except that is for Marty. He dreams of what it would be like to run free in the wild - or at least his fantasy version of the wild that he gets from zoo murals and publicity ads. So one day, he orchestrates his own escape just for the heck of it, and his friends must follow in order to, uh, save him. It was a disaster all around, but it got the attention of animal rights nuts, which ended in all of the animals heading on a ship for a wildlife preserve in Africa.
To make a long story shorter, the penguins had plans of their own and they hijacked the ship for Antarctica. The four animal friends were jettisoned overboard accidentally and then drifted off course to the island of Madagascar (which they mistake for the San Diego Zoo). This is the setup for some of the funniest misunderstandings and comedic moments of the movie. Was the wild everything that Marty was hoping for? Can Alex get over the loss of his star status now that he has competition from a lemur king - and more importantly, where is he going to find a steak in this freaky new place? And, will Melman and Gloria be able to keep them all out of trouble?
As far as I am concerned, Madagascar is the best family film since Toy Story 2 (which my kids watched nearly every day for a few months, once upon a time. I know, it's just horrible of me!:). Everything was superbly done, from the big name stars' voices on down to the minor characters', the design of the animals, landscapes, etc and the little details that went into the animation. The humor worked through dialog jokes on the adult level (but never inappropriately) and visually for the kids. The whole experience had LOL moments and a sense of fun and delight. And of course it was impossible to resist the adorable but not syrupy lemurs and penguins. I can honestly not find one thing to fault or criticize about this movie - splendid job!
Dvd extras include interviews with the cast and creators, which I found fun and interesting. Madagascar is without a doubt one for your permanent home collection. Enjoy.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Summary of Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)
A pack of not-so-wild animals experience some serious culture shock when they move from the Big Apple to the Mighty Jungle in this computer-animated comedy. Alex (voice of Ben Stiller) is a lion who enjoys a charmed life as one of the leading attractions at a zoo in New York City's Central Park. While Alex and his pals Marty the Zebra (voice of Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippo (voice of Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (voice of David Schwimmer) are happy with their lot in life, they occasionally have a certain curiosity about the outside world, and when the zoo's penguins decide to make a break for it, Marty follows them into the city. Alex, Gloria, and Melman set out to find Marty before he gets into trouble, but they're a bit too late, and soon the zookeepers have decided that the animals are restless and need to be returned to the wild. Soon the critters find themselves living on the coast of Madagascar, where they quickly discover they aren't quite suited for living in the wild. Madagascar also features the voice talents of Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, and Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G).The penguins steal the show. In the sprightly Madagascar, a mid-life crisis inspires Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock) to escape from his lifelong home, a New York zoo. His equally pampered friends--Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer)--then escape to bring him back. Unfortunately, their attempt at damage control persuades zoo officials that the animals are unhappy, so all four get shipped to an animal preserve in Kenya...only a squad of maniacal penguins change the destination to Antarctica. The quartet end up on an island where, in addition to meeting some hedonistic lemurs, they learn about the food chain--and that Alex is a different link on the chain from the other three. Madagascar doesn't achieve the snappy perfection of a Pixar movie, but it tops most other computer-animated efforts; the collision of friendship and predator instincts makes for an unusually gripping conflict. The vocal performances of the central characters is serviceable, but Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) provides topnotch lunacy as the lemur king, and the penguins--voiced mostly by the animators themselves--are the best thing in the movie. --Bret Fetzer
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