Madagascar - A Movie Review

Any ideas on how we’re going to get out of Madagascar and back to New York?

Madagascar was released from the wild into theaters in 2005. Four zoo animals find themselves on a crazy adventure. Landing on the beaches of Madagascar, they have to learn to fend for themselves in the wild.

When I was a kid, I loved Madagascar. It always made me laugh. I think the main reason why I watched it was to listen to ‘I Like to Move it.’ Madagascar is a creative animated film with an exciting adventure and a message about friendship.

I love the interactions between Marty, Alex, Gloria, and Melman. Each having contrasting characteristics, they’re fun to watch. This film is about their dynamic. Testing their friendship throughout the film, the animals realize that their friendship is what saves them from danger.

With the excellent voice talents conducted by Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, they make this film come to life. They also make this friendship feel real. Some of their dialogue was improvised. Schwimmer’s comedic timing needs to be highlighted more as his hilarious performance as Melman.

Madagascar has fun and goofy characters. King Julian is one of my favorites. Sacha Baron Cohen had a blast in his role. He improvised most of Julian’s dialogue, which ended up expanding his role.

Let’s not forget about the penguins. The penguins became so popular for their dynamic that they got their own TV series and a movie. I have always enjoyed the interactions between the penguins. They have depth.

Multiple voices are credited for their work on Madagascar. Other voice talents include Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon, and several other voices to fill in as minor characters. The old lady will always be my favorite character.

In my opinion, Madagascar is a great example of scriptwriting and direction in an animated film. Writers focused heavily on character dynamics. In my most recent watch, the dialogue sparked my attention.

My favorite dialogue sequence is when the four animals are talking to each other in this clever one-shot. Unable to see each other because they are stuck in boxes, it’s the dialogue that highlights the scene. More films should do this.

Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath did a great job with animation, sight gags, and character dynamics. They also examined close research when developing the jungles of Madagascar. Some of it was based on paintings by Henri Rousseau.

Computer animation was used for this film. A lot of hard work goes into any animated film. A million CGI leaves needed to be created for one of the jungle scenes. That is commitment. The film is very colorful.

Animators had fun with the characters, exaggerating as many hilarious expressions and movements. Since Melman is a tall giraffe, the animators went over the top with how to frame him in scenes. It emphasizes the difference in the animal's shapes.

They changed the plot and character designs multiple times. That’s a good idea, especially for animated films. Experiment with ideas. Madagascar is an original film, has fun characters, and it’s funny to adult audiences.

Sometimes the comedy is too much. Writers would continue on one joke for too long or implement too many sight gags into a scene. Overall, Madagascar is a funny movie. I remember laughing in the theater a lot as a kid.

Most child audiences will like Madagascar. You have to see Madagascar if you have not seen it. Even as an adult, the film still makes me laugh.