Madagascar (2005)

Directors:

Eric Darnell
Tom McGrath

Writers:

Mark Burton (written by) &
Billy Frolick (written by) ...

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Ton On The Run

Plot:

Spoiled by their upbringing with no idea what wild life is really like, four animals from New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar, among a bunch of merry lemurs

Plot Keywords:

Zoo | Lion | Madagascar | Zebra | Penguin

Awards:

3 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

Ben Stiller	...	Alex (voice)
Chris Rock	...	Marty (voice)
David Schwimmer	...	Melman (voice)
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Gloria (voice)
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Julien (voice)
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Maurice (voice)
Andy Richter	...	Mort (voice)
Tom McGrath	...	Skipper / Fossa / Panicky Man on Subway (voice)
Christopher Knights	...	Private (voice)
Chris Miller	...	Kowalski (voice)
Conrad Vernon	...	Mason (voice)
Eric Darnell	...	Zoo Announcer / Lemur #1 / Fossa / Subway Car Announcer (voice)
David Cowgill	...	Police Horse (voice)
Stephen Apostolina	...	Police Officer (voice) (as Steve Apostolina)
Elisa Gabrielli	...	Old Lady (voice)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese | Spanish | German | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | Taiwan:GP | Sweden:Btl | Philippines:G | Switzerland:6 (canton of Zurich) | Spain:T | Denmark:A | Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre (theater release) | Malaysia:U | UK:U (cut) | South Korea:All | Brazil:12 (DVD re-rating) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Czech Republic:U | Ireland:G | Mexico:AA | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | Germany:o.Al. | New Zealand:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Peru:PT | Norway:A | Hong Kong:I

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The shot of Times Square after Marty asks the police horse for directions prominently features a Hewlett-Packard logo. Hewlett-Packard is the official computer provider for Dreamworks Animation.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Skipper asks the talking monkey if he can read, he says that he can't read but Phil can. Earlier on in the film, the talking monkey takes what appears to be a newspaper from a trash can and starts reading it. However, if you look at the newspaper, it is actually a comic.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alex the Lion: Surprise!
Marty the Zebra: Aaahhh! Alex! Do not interrupt me when I'm daydreaming. When a zebra's in the zone, leave him alone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Flushed Away (2006)

Soundtrack:

I Second That Emotion

So Much Could Have Happened on This Island...

Okay. Here we go. Before watching this film, if you read what it is going to be about, you will find something that could be promising. Four animals that are close friends in a zoo end up being stranded in the wild where one of them--the lion--finds out that it is his nature to hunt down the other three. Now that makes a good story! But the thing is that the story barely even touched on that. It seemed to go nowhere and throughout the time that I watched this, I felt as if it were still beginning and we were being introduced to the characters, including the ones that later come into play. I didn't feel as if the peak of the plot was ever reached because I started thinking: What is the plot? Where is this movie trying to go? Nothing really happens. This film is like a large introduction that never really goes anywhere. It barely touches the middle of the story when it suddenly ends. A big hole was certainly there when the credits came up. A lot could have been done with this story. We also never really connect with any of the characters. They are just there. The voices are done well and they really match with the characters, but that's mostly it. There is not a lot of character development. But the good news is that many kids will enjoy this. There is plenty of light humor, especially with the penguins who steal the show most of the time. There are cute parts and the visuals are all right. This is no Shrek and it is a little below Shark Tale in my opinion. Dreamworks could have had a much better film. So much more could have happened on this island, but alas we were only introduced to it and nothing else. No, this movie is not horribly bad, but it is not very good either. I give it an average at best. It is watchable but that is it for me. The story was handled too weakly. This movie really had potential. But hey, at least the kids most likely will enjoy it =)

5.8/10 Stars