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Madagascar: Frank's Take
01/07/2005 . Source: Frank Ochieng 
In the DreamWorks family flick Madagascar, we're treated to an innocuously animal-oriented fable that will no doubt entertain the kiddie masses with its infectious silliness. However, the slight knock on Madagascar may be its surprisingly plain and punchless presentation that doesn't necessarily make anyone forget about the thriving vibes of a Toy Story or understated sweetness of the uneven Ice Age. Buy Madagascar in the USA - or Buy Madagascar in the UK  Madagascar (2005) DreamWorks Distribution LLC
1 hour 26 minutes. Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer. Directed by: Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath.
With the recent onslaught of exceptional animated fare being ushered into cinema theaters, the pressure is certainly on for demanding studios to keep on producing top notch family films. Audiences have been pampered by noteworthy hits such as the Shrek movie series and the Brad Bird treasured gem The Incredibles that captured the fascination of satisfied moviegoers. So there's an obvious intention to continue such a wave of colourful animation in the filmmaking process that will bring this desired genre to its ambitious knees.
In the DreamWorks family flick Madagascar, we're treated to an innocuously animal-oriented fable that will no doubt entertain the kiddie masses with its infectious silliness. However, the slight knock on Madagascar may be its surprisingly plain and punchless presentation that doesn't necessarily make anyone forget about the thriving vibes of a Toy Story or understated sweetness of the uneven Ice Age. True, Madagascar does ably balance its giddy mix of goofy gags that will appease various levels of the demographic observers.
And there's something quite endearing about the simplistic premise that enjoys a pleasurable pacing for the kids to follow along with undiscriminating interest. However, as visually down-to-earth this movie may be with its assortment of talking animals coupled with silly-minded jokes, Madagascar fails to serve up anything memorable or distinctive that would challenge the progression of other advanced entries that cleverly seized the imagination of previously appetizing animation. Still, Madagascar playfully aims to please its intended viewers (read: tykes) with its wandering spirit.
Although notably lacklustre and illogical in some of its storytelling devices, the movie boasts some energetic voice acting by the spry cast that enables the movie to compensate for its bland flavour. For the most part, Madagascar is quaint in its wittiness and scattered poignancy. This is not necessarily a petting zoo of fresh anecdotal insights but it has the mellow heart of a casual cartoon that pokes at your computer-generated consciousness.
Zebra Marty (voice of Chris Rock) is an inquisitive 10 year-old four-legged soul saddled in the middle of a confined existence within the Central Park Zoo. Marty stirs up some curiosity about being part of the wilderness experience. Essentially trapped in the zoo practically all of his life, the Stripped One yearns to know of his true humble beginnings. However, he's the only one who wishes to absorb his "homeland".
Marty's zoo buddies-self-assured Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), neurotic Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith)-seem to be content with their surroundings and don't share the hunger of Marty's philosophical malaise. In fact, Marty's crew is pro-zoo environment and think that the dissatisfied penguins (who harbour visions of escaping the venue) are completely clueless.
Being fed up about his smothering "home", Marty manages to escape the zoo where he ends up at Grand Central Station looking to hop a ride to Connecticut where he believes there is stretches of his beloved wilderness to be found. Soon his animal pals depart the zoo and hope to convince Marty to come back to both their caged home and his senses. Unfortunately, Marty and his cohorts are captured and the plan is to ship these bewildered beasts to a Kenyan wildlife preserve.
Through some unforeseen circumstances the quartet of creatures end up being marooned off the coast of Africa on the island of Madagascar. Clearly our hairy heroes are helpless and need some guidance in getting along at the unfamiliar exotic location. With no human presence whatsoever, Marty and company are eventually met by a horde of lemurs led by King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen, HBO TV's Ali G) and his sidekick Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer).
In an effort to look out for his own hide, King Julian puts in a bid to receive protection from the majority of ravenous big shot beasts. Not only is King Julian cunning at watching his precious back but also he's gracious enough to inform Marty and his brood that the food they eat won't be served by human hands-the food is THEM! Yes, eating each other is a must in the game of survival!
The film awkwardly sets up a few existential dilemmas that are cutesy at times but incoherent at other moments. Will Marty and his carnivorous cohorts be able to chew on fellow animals to survive? Was the decision to get a feel for the true wild habitat a right one or were these hasty creatures better off being ignorant about their "roots" while remaining fussed over at the claustrophobic zoo? Is it really worth the trouble finding out about their unpredictable instinctual fiber to defend and attack even if it's something that goes against their inherent good-natured personalities?
Screenwriters Billy Frolick and Mark Burton oversee a schizophrenic script that throws out convenient conflicts at random then never bothers to address the nonsensical incompleteness of its revelations. For instance, it's funny how these zoo animals are knowledgeable of certain deeds that find them so resilient and resourceful. Yet when it comes to not realizing that their dining selections were from the parts of other animals that fed their bellies then the story expects the audience to buy the naiveté or innocence of the periled pests.
What redeems Madagascar is the understanding that its occasional gaffes aren't that detrimental because the core targets are the munchkins who wouldn't grasp such inconsistencies one way or the other. Add to the festivities a slew of pop-cultural footnotes and an abundance of miscellaneous goofiness and the movie is passable as a viable diversion of disjointed fun and frolic.
Frank Ochieng
(c) Frank Ochieng 2005
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