Susan Granger’s review of “Madagascar” (DreamWorks Animation)
Heralded by “Born Free,” Alex the self-absorbed Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) is King of the urban jungle, happily reigning over New York’s Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – monochromatic Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock), Melman the hypochondriacal Giraffe (voiced by David Schwimmer) and Gloria the savvy, sassy Hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) – have always been pampered, albeit in captivity. Problem is: Marty’s bored. So when some “psychotic penguins” shovel underground, trying to escape to Antarctica, he heeds their call of the wild – with his friends following close behind. When his attempt to reach rural Connecticut is foiled at Grand Central Station, animal rights activists force the zoo to crate up the quartet and ship them off to their natural habitat, a Kenya Wildlife Preserve. But when the penguins hijack the ship, they accidentally slip overboard into the sea. Joyfully reunited on a sandy beach – to “Chariots of Fire” music – the four zoo animals discover they’re on a strange island where thousands of tiny lemurs party hearty, dubbing their visitors “New York Giants.” While Madagascar looks like paradise, it becomes a treacherous world of predators and prey. The classic “fish-out-of-water” screenplay by Mark Burton & Billy Flolick and Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath is filled with deliciously wry humor – inventive both visually and verbally – and directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath keep up a sharp pace. The computer animation is first-rate artistry, filled with vivid, astonishing detail. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Madagascar” is a hip, hilarious, adventurous 8. A fun-filled good time for you and the kids, and the kid in you, it’s my #1 comedy choice this Memorial Day weekend.
