MADAGASCAR

Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath

Written by: Mark Burton, Billy Frolick

“We Killed Them, and Ate Their Livers”

The major battles of the new wave of Cartoon (on Animation) wars began with a film back in the mid-1990’s called Toy Story. It hit the theaters and the hordes of food stained and screaming kids followed in waves.

The parents were screaming as well, but for different reasons. Still the war rages on. Disney keeps the ‘old fashioned’ cartoons going and they still have their adoring fans, but he digital age has spawned a new type of fan, the older fan who goes to a film like Toy Story, Ice Age, or even the Madagascar not to be entertained by the buffoonish antics on the screen between the characters, but instead to marvel at the amazing technology that brings the characters on the screen almost to life.

Or, at least that is what they tell you. See, I think they are full of hooey. Yes, I said it. Hooey. You see, these ‘intellectuals’ like to make us and themselves think that they are more impressed with the digital media presented when in reality, they also like to see someone get hit with a giant rock and walk away from it; or watch a hypochondriac Giraffe swing through the trees like Tarzan, while rescuing a friend.

But, they can’t let anyone know this. They might be the type to sneer at the antics of the classic Three Stooges, while trying to reconcile the social structure between Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head and Rex with the socio-economic differences in our own society, but what they are praying for under their breath is for Woody to take that stupid rocket pack away from Buzz and save the day.

They want the classic stories of cartoons told the classic way, but don’t know how to ask for it. They want to see the Road Runner and Wiley Coyote fight it out in the newest digital effects.

They hope for the day when Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny once more go on a ‘Hunt’. But they don’t know how to ask for it so they take what they can get. And pray for a day when the new generations will finally see what classic characters Warner Brothers, Carl Stallings, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Mel Blanc, Tex Avery and of course, Chuck Jones left to the world.

Just think, wouldn’t it be great to see Duck Dodgers in the 24^th ½ Century with the digital effects and animation techniques we have today? I would.

But until we do get these great cartoons of yesterday given the once-over, we have to tide ourselves over with Toy Story, TS 2, Lilo & Stitch, Ice Age, Monsters Inc, and Robots and the other assorted two hour cartoons designed for the big screen to sell lots of toys, bring in lots of stained and screaming children and a lot of screaming parents when they see how much movie prices have risen since the last big cart… uhm… sorry, “Animated Feature of all Time”, Shrek 2 last year.

After the much disappointing Shark Tales last year, everyone thought that Dreamworks had bit the big one and would be sinking fast. When news of the newest release, Madagascar, hit the waves, people hoped that they would be able to see the Dream Team pull back from the abyss and climb into the sky again as a star.

The question of if they really succeeded or not isn’t easy to answer. While it does return somewhat to the goofy faces and action of the old time ‘real’ cartoons, it still has a few places that it missed the target. And I think that was mainly in the realm of cast.

I am sorry, but it is hard for me to see how any actor of any ability could actually screw up an animal voice in a cartoon. But I think this difficult act was attained here.

A group of animals in the New York Central Park Zoo are the best of friends. They care for each other, and look out for each other. Of the four, Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) and Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock) are best buds. They are almost an Abbot and Costello team up without the abusive humor and taunting.

When Marty expresses his wish to see “the Wild” they all try to talk him out of it, warning him of all the horrors that wait on the outside.

Of course this does no good, and Marty slips the coop. When Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) discovers this, he rouses Alex, and they take off after him with the party now including Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinket Smith).

The group find themselves surrounded in Grand Central Station, and after being knocked out, they find themselves on a slow boat to Africa. Along with them are two monkeys and a group of penguins that also escaped.

Here is the shock; the penguins are the brains of the outfit and also deliver the most enjoyment in terms of banter, dialog and stunts.

In one of the funniest things I have ever seen on a modern cartoon, the penguins escape from their cages and take over the ship they are sailing on. They break into the computers (not easy without fingers and opposable thumbs) and turn the ship south for Antarctica.

But not before circumstances send our four erstwhile heroes over the side of the ship and into the ocean where they float to the island of Madagascar, and make friends with a tribe of Lemurs.

After Alex scares off a group of hyenas, the king of the Lemurs (Sacha Baron Cohen) devises a plan wherein Alex will stay with the village and protect them from the evil residents of the ‘other side’ of the island.

Which works fine until Alex starts getting hungry and sees everyone as dinner. Thus enters the ‘morality play’ part of the story. Which was also the most boring and overdone of the film, and could have been wrapped up much easier.

We knew what would happen once Alex returned to his carnivore ways. It is a cart… uhm… Animated Feature, after all.

Don’t think I am dissing the whole film. The images of Madagascar were nothing short of “WOW”, and the colors and details were all outstanding to look at and see. There were times you just wanted the action to stop and just let you watch the stuff in the background.

Billy Frolick and Mark Burton took a great idea and turned it into a pretty good movie. That is what is sad. The problem is, like I said, the cast.
Ben Stiller is excellent as Alex. He is obviously having a great time, running around as the “King of Beasts” and strutting his stuff. Chris Rock is good as Marty, but I think there were times when his natural proclivity to swear like a drunken sailor had to be held in check and it showed in the final edit of the film. And that, I am sorry, pulls down the entertainment value of the film. It reduces it to something other then what it is supposed to be, fun.

Smith, as Gloria the Hippo just never seems to fall into the role. Perhaps she herself felt that playing a ‘Hippo’ did not fit her image. But I just didn’t think she put any emotion into her character.

And David Schwimmer was just perfect as Melman. Which means that he made the character as unlikable and dorky as he could and still made the Giraffe look more talented and able then he is in real life.

I still say the saving grace of the movie is the Penguins. They steal the entire movie and each scene they are in becomes funnier then the last one they had. And fortunately, the film makes good use of them, just not enough.

It is a fun film for kids, and most of the adults will like it, especially the pop-culture references that are splashed throughout the film. My favorite concerns the Statue of Liberty.