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1073
Madagascar - A friend won't devour you but they might bite you in the butt!
Pros
Funny, fun characters, great to look at, colorful
Cons
that my son had to go to the bathroom during a good part!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
An enjoyable children's movie for the entire family!
Over the Memorial Day weekend we decided to venture out to the movies to see the latest from Dreamworks, Madagascar. Surprisingly for an opening weekend of the movie and it being a holiday movie the theatre was only sparcely occupied - but perhaps that is because we picked a 6pm showing to attend and everyone else was off barbecuing.
About Madagascar
Madagascar is a Dreamworks film about 4 animal friends who are residents at the Central Park Zoo in New York City - Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). At the zoo they are stars entertaining kids and senior citizens alike daily. They are living the high life at the zoo and are very catered to - for example Alex gets his mane blown out and eats filet mignon, and Melman is a hypocondriac seeing all sorts of special doctors for various ailments.
But, as good as life is for them- the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Marty the Zebra is celebrating his 10th birthday and has a bit of a mid-life crisis. Inspired by some lunatic penguins who are digging to antarctica he decides to venture out in search of greener pastures - Connecticut to be exact.
Ever see a zebra in Times Square?
But, when his friends realize Marty has left they go after him and get caught in Grand Central Station and sentenced to being relocated to a different zoo (a game reserve in Kenya to be exact). But, as their luck would have it the ship they are on doesn't quite make it to Kenya and instead ends up in Madagascar where the four friends get to experience living and loving in the wild jungle.
How does the boat end up in Madagascar?
Can these 4 catered-to animals make it on their own?
Will Alex the Lion have Marty the Zebra as a steak dinner?
Do the 4 friends stay in Madagascar?
Do the crazy penguins ever make it to Antarctica?
Our Thoughts on Madagascar
My 4 1/2 year old enjoys animated movies and loves animals and zoos so I thought this one would be a good choice for him. The rating on the film is PG and after doing a little research I deemed it would be appropriate for him to see. (For reference he has seen the Shrek movies and Shark Tale and pretty much all of the Disney movies out there). There are some potty type jokes about monkey poop, and one about a rectal thermometer but nothing raunchy or overly inappropriate. Like a lot of the animated films out there many of the jokes go right over the heads of the kids and its the parents you hear laughing aloud from the row behind you. (Of course the parents behind us were probably laughing at my wild child and not the wild animals on the screen).
The character development in Madagascar was pretty good. Alex the lion starts out as the egomaniac but goes on quite the inner journey over the course of the 80 minute movie. Marty is the dreamer and very devoted friend. Melman the hypocondriac giraffe provided a lot of laughs for me. And, Gloria, the hippo has a big personality and heart - determined to keep the 4 friends together through thick and thin. The crazy penguins trying to escape to Antarctica are a riot!
The length of the movie, at 80 minutes, seemed right to me. There were a few moments where the pacing of the movie was a bit slow but for the most part it breezed by and held my child's attention. Of course, my son views going to the movies as an interactive experience which in this case included stuffing himself with popcorn and halfway through the movie standing up on his booster seat, pointing at the screen and proclaiming "THIS IS A LION!" (I'm sure part of him being so enamored with the lion had to do with the lion sharing the same name as him - Alex!).
I enjoyed the music in Madagascar which includes the popular song I like to move it, Stayin' Alive from The Bee Gees, the Chariots of Fire theme, Born Free and even Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Talk about a diverse soundtrack!
As for scary parts - I really didn't find this movie to be all that scary nor did my 4 year old. There's a pretty intense scene where the animals are surrounded by armed officers in the middle of the train station early in the movie. And, later on - in madagascar - you see some skeletons from the crashed plane hanging up in the lemur territory. Kids might get upset when Alex the Lion is struggling to control his appetite and animal instinct and almost eats his best friend Marty but just reassure them that Marty will be ok and all is good - this is a kiddie movie afterall and unlike most of the Disney flicks out there I'm happy to report no parental type animals die in this film!!! The subject matter which includes themes of friendship, animal instinct, contentment, captivity and more - can be viewed on a variety of levels - some more mature than others. I didn't find the overall "message" of the movie to be shoved down my throat which is something a lot of kids movies do.
Overall
Madagascar really is a fun, visually appealing movie for kids and even moms and dads to attend. The characters will make you chuckle and the story line is simple. For Dreamworks, this is definitely a step up from Shark Tale but nowhere near Disney quality of a Finding Nemo or Lion King. Still, if you are looking for a good film to take your kids to this one's a good pick! If your child likes animals they will like Madagascar. My son pointed out the different animals and really enjoyes them. Madagascar is like going to the zoo, the movies, and the safari all in one trip!
www.madagascar.com
About Madagascar
Madagascar is a Dreamworks film about 4 animal friends who are residents at the Central Park Zoo in New York City - Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). At the zoo they are stars entertaining kids and senior citizens alike daily. They are living the high life at the zoo and are very catered to - for example Alex gets his mane blown out and eats filet mignon, and Melman is a hypocondriac seeing all sorts of special doctors for various ailments.
But, as good as life is for them- the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Marty the Zebra is celebrating his 10th birthday and has a bit of a mid-life crisis. Inspired by some lunatic penguins who are digging to antarctica he decides to venture out in search of greener pastures - Connecticut to be exact.
Ever see a zebra in Times Square?
But, when his friends realize Marty has left they go after him and get caught in Grand Central Station and sentenced to being relocated to a different zoo (a game reserve in Kenya to be exact). But, as their luck would have it the ship they are on doesn't quite make it to Kenya and instead ends up in Madagascar where the four friends get to experience living and loving in the wild jungle.
How does the boat end up in Madagascar?
Can these 4 catered-to animals make it on their own?
Will Alex the Lion have Marty the Zebra as a steak dinner?
Do the 4 friends stay in Madagascar?
Do the crazy penguins ever make it to Antarctica?
Our Thoughts on Madagascar
My 4 1/2 year old enjoys animated movies and loves animals and zoos so I thought this one would be a good choice for him. The rating on the film is PG and after doing a little research I deemed it would be appropriate for him to see. (For reference he has seen the Shrek movies and Shark Tale and pretty much all of the Disney movies out there). There are some potty type jokes about monkey poop, and one about a rectal thermometer but nothing raunchy or overly inappropriate. Like a lot of the animated films out there many of the jokes go right over the heads of the kids and its the parents you hear laughing aloud from the row behind you. (Of course the parents behind us were probably laughing at my wild child and not the wild animals on the screen).
The character development in Madagascar was pretty good. Alex the lion starts out as the egomaniac but goes on quite the inner journey over the course of the 80 minute movie. Marty is the dreamer and very devoted friend. Melman the hypocondriac giraffe provided a lot of laughs for me. And, Gloria, the hippo has a big personality and heart - determined to keep the 4 friends together through thick and thin. The crazy penguins trying to escape to Antarctica are a riot!
The length of the movie, at 80 minutes, seemed right to me. There were a few moments where the pacing of the movie was a bit slow but for the most part it breezed by and held my child's attention. Of course, my son views going to the movies as an interactive experience which in this case included stuffing himself with popcorn and halfway through the movie standing up on his booster seat, pointing at the screen and proclaiming "THIS IS A LION!" (I'm sure part of him being so enamored with the lion had to do with the lion sharing the same name as him - Alex!).
I enjoyed the music in Madagascar which includes the popular song I like to move it, Stayin' Alive from The Bee Gees, the Chariots of Fire theme, Born Free and even Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Talk about a diverse soundtrack!
As for scary parts - I really didn't find this movie to be all that scary nor did my 4 year old. There's a pretty intense scene where the animals are surrounded by armed officers in the middle of the train station early in the movie. And, later on - in madagascar - you see some skeletons from the crashed plane hanging up in the lemur territory. Kids might get upset when Alex the Lion is struggling to control his appetite and animal instinct and almost eats his best friend Marty but just reassure them that Marty will be ok and all is good - this is a kiddie movie afterall and unlike most of the Disney flicks out there I'm happy to report no parental type animals die in this film!!! The subject matter which includes themes of friendship, animal instinct, contentment, captivity and more - can be viewed on a variety of levels - some more mature than others. I didn't find the overall "message" of the movie to be shoved down my throat which is something a lot of kids movies do.
Overall
Madagascar really is a fun, visually appealing movie for kids and even moms and dads to attend. The characters will make you chuckle and the story line is simple. For Dreamworks, this is definitely a step up from Shark Tale but nowhere near Disney quality of a Finding Nemo or Lion King. Still, if you are looking for a good film to take your kids to this one's a good pick! If your child likes animals they will like Madagascar. My son pointed out the different animals and really enjoyes them. Madagascar is like going to the zoo, the movies, and the safari all in one trip!
www.madagascar.com
