We like to...MOVE IT!!

With the DVD release of its sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the original Madagascar. 

I first saw this movie with my then three year old in theaters, he liked it but he didn't love it.  but later when it came out on DVD it he was alittle older an it became a favorite.  madagascar has a very dialog based sense of humor which makes it more appropriate for the 5-10 set than toddlers.  Although everyone can agree that the song move "I Like to Move It, Move It" is totally awesome and totally catchy.(It palys in the film and over the end titles)  Your child will be singing it long after you've tucked this movie away, don't say I didn't warn you.

Madagascar tells the story of four spoiled New York zoo pals who inadvertently get shipped to the wild when all the really wanted was to explorer a bit.  This film has an all-star cast that is aimed more at adults than children.  Ben Stiller voices Alex the lion, the star of the zoo, and the most reluctant to “go wild”.  Chris Rock is the free-spirited Marty the zebra; the most excited to try life out in the open.  Jada Pinkett-Smith is Gloria the hippo, a sassy, no nonsense balance to her male counterparts. And our final member of the foursome is David Schwimmer as Melman, the hypochondriac giraffe.

The friends crash on the shores of Madagascar and run into a very lively band of lemurs, ruled over by the hilarious King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen).  While Alex and his friends are just trying to get back to their old lives at the zoo, King Julien has a “clever plan” to use these “New York Giants” as protection from the dreaded fossa.  (As far as I can tell, the fossa is just small lions, it’s never really clear)  Alex, Marty and company do end up helping the lemurs, and Alex finds a nice alternative to eating meat so he doesn’t have to eat his friends, which is always nice.

The really funny bits of this film come from two side groups, the penguins from the zoo who also made the trip and commander te ship at one point.  And the two monkeys, they aren’t in the film much, but everything they say is funny.

This film ends happy, like most kid movies, but the nice thing for grown-up is that it is very funny all the way through.  You wouldn’t have to see this movie to understand the second feature, but I do think they work very well together and the story of the next one picks up right where this one leaves off.  So it’s definitely worth a rental.