Madagascar (2005) - Rock and cast and a solid premise keep ugly animation afloat

♥♥♥

A colorful poster for Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath's Madagascar, which seems to indicate that the lead characters of the film float from New York to Madagascar in open wood-crates

A group of animals from the Central Park Zoo in New York break out and find themselves, - via a shipwreck, - stranded on Madagascar, where a lemur with delusions of grandeur and a wacky accent is the boss king.

Madagascar is written by Mark Burton (Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)), Billy Frolick (It Is What It Is (2001)) and co-writer/directors Eric Darnell (Antz (1998)) and Tom McGrath (Megamind (2010)).
Some time passed at first, before I came over just how computer-game-like, stiff and ugly the animation of this massive (and big-budgeted) movie is. And Madagascar never becomes a good film, because it has no serious core to it whatsoever, and it also isn't a quarter of the fun that it appears to think it is.
But the premise of wild animals getting lost in the wild is undeniably a bit funny, although these animals' fervent wish to simply return home to New York seems a bit ill-timed during the middle of the real world's natural extinction crisis.
It is the voice cast, and in particular Chris Rock (Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)) as Marty the plains zebra, who is high-spirited, which give the film its life and dashes of fun and charm.
Madagascar hoists, for instance, references to American Beauty (1999), which should fly unhindered over the heads of its core demographic (children), apparently attempting to impress and amuse its adult audiences. In this it fails.

Related post:

Tom McGrath: Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 75 mil. $
Box office: 532.6 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 7.10 times its cost)
[Madagascar premiered 25 May (Philippines) and runs 86 minutes. Development began in 1998, when the film was about a Beatles-looking band of penguins... Production took place in California. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and fellow new release The Longest Yard, to a 47.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it conquered the #1 spot in its 2nd week, spending another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#3) and grossing huge 193.5 mil. $ (36.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 42.6 mil. $ (8 %) and the UK with 40.6 mil. $ (7.6 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. The film spawned a Madagascar franchise: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Madagascar: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) and spin-off Penguins of Madagascar (2014), all financially very successful. A 4th Madagascar movie is in the works. Darnell and McGrath returned with Madagascar: Escape 2 Europe (2008). Rock returned in Red Hot Chili Peppers' Hump de Bump (2006, music video) and theatrically in his own I Think I Love My Wife (2007); Ben Stiller (Arrested Development (2005-19)) in Extras (2005, TV-series), Todd's Coma (2005, TV movie) and theatrically in Danny Roane: First Time Director (2006). Madagascar is rotten at 54 % with a 6.07/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Madagascar?