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

Color:

Color

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:

In the scene in the plane, Julien, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is waving around an arm from a human skeleton. At one point it make the "westside" sign (middle two fingers crossed so that the four fingers look like a W). This is a nod to Ali G, one of Sacha Baron Cohen's earlier characters.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Fossas are spelled "foosa" in the film. This is actually the way the word is spelled by the natives of Madagascar.

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:

Spoofs Cast Away (2000)

Soundtrack:

Dead Already

I've Seen Better And Worse. Overall, It Is A Decent Kids Movie That Can Hold Adults Attention As Well.

Let's face it, it's hard to put out a good animation movie that is equal to Shrek, The Incredibles or Finding Nemo. Those are hard movies to follow but Madagascar is by no means a bad movie. In fact, I will still rate this pretty high, as I enjoyed it without watching the clock.

The plot was very easy for children to follow while not so simplistic that adults become bored in the middle. The simple plot was that 4 animals raised in a zoo venture out into the wild and quickly realize how easy they had it back home in the New York Zoo.

There was quite a few humorous scenes in Madagascar, but my favorite has to be the "distinguished" chimps who get offended that the thought of looking or smelling like a monkey is bad. An honorable mention is the penguins who also got more than they bargained for in Antarctica.

While some of the graphics are sub-par to other movies I've mentioned, like Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) for instance. At times they look sort of like clay-mation or something, and other they look positively life-like. The scenery and the lemurs stand out as the most beautifully rendered parts of the movie.

This movie is great for getting the kids out of the house and not too bad if the normal adult wants to get away and enjoy something more suitable for the family as well.