Madagascar (Film)

Title: Madagascar
DVD, 2005
Starring Ben Stiller and Chris Rock

Another movie recommended by some of the children I work with (where are they getting all of these movies from?). This one I borrowed from one of my co-worker's whose children appear to be the Siskel and Ebert of kids movies.

Description:

'Madagascar' tells the story of a group of zoo animals from the wilds of Africa. The only problem is, that these New York City animals are much more Big Apple showbiz types than real African wildlife. Alex the Lion (voiced by Stiller) is the star of the show, drawing in the biggest crowds with his mighty Lion's roar. Alex and his best friend Marty the Zebra grow disillusioned with the captive life and plan an escape from the zoo with a group of their friends. The animals are captured upon their escape and are deemed too wild for captivity and shipped off to an African wildlife reserve. A group of surly and strangely militaristic penguins take over the boat en route to Africa and accidentally crash-land the ship in Madagascar. There the meet the mighty (or not so much) King Julien of the lemurs (voiced hilariously by Sasha Baron Cohen) and discover more about themselves than the ever could in the zoo back home.

Review:

With such a great cast of voice actors, it is no wonder this movie is such a success. The story is really cute and funny and the viewer really falls for the characters. The lion Alex starts to regain his hunter's instincts after his escape from the zoo and the audience starts to empathize with him. The penguins, acting like a rogue military battalion, provide much of the comedy relief (along with the lemur king) and both kids and adults will be chuckling along constantly. With just the right mix of moral consequences, character development and downright knee-slapping comedy, this is a movie that is sure to satisfy the whole family.