Madagascar (Good)
Dreamworks, the company behind Shrek, brings us a new animated feature film in the form of “Madagascar.” The thing about animated features is that they are pretty hard to screw up; not impossible, though, as we saw in 20th Century Fox’s “Robots.” This time, however, the animators have penguins on their side. The movie involves a gaggle of animals living in the New York City Zoo in Central Park. One of the animals gets a little curious about “the wild” and embarks on an escapade to discover if the grass really is greener on the other side. He ends up getting his three zoo friends involved, and what follows is a blah blah blah. Seriously, who cares? This movie was really good, but not because of its plot or even it’s main characters. The ambiance and supporting cast steal the show here, and with style. I found myself laughing out loud at the antics of the penguins, lemurs, and monkeys that I almost forgot that the movie was about a lion, zebra, giraffe, and hippo. While the plot was not bad in its own right, the charm of the show came from the curious quirks that the animators gave all of the animals in general, and I found more enjoyment watching them goof off than anything else. Add to that some beautifully styled visuals and inspired voice acting and you’ve got a winner.
