Madagascar

Madagascar – Zoo animals; Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe, live a seemingly idyllic life in the Central Park Zoo. But turning 10 years old has Marty yearning for a life in the wild. Accidentally getting himself and his friends transported to the very wild island of Madagascar, the animals face strange animals and dangers they never knew existed, including one from within their own ranks.

Madagascar (2005) – Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22473682

Rating: U

Running Length: 85 mins

Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer

Genre: Animated, Comedy

REVIEW: ‘MADAGASCAR

‘Madagascar’ is one of Dreamworks’ most successful franchises and with its talking animals and bright, dynamic animation, it’s not difficult to see why. The characters are all larger-than-life and are so engaging that kids instantly relate to them. Unfortunately this doesn’t automatically make ‘Madagascar’ a deserving classic and although all the elements are there for greatness, it sadly falls somewhat short.

The characters may be appealing, however they struggle to move past two dimensions, especially neurotic, hypochondriac giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and the sassy, plus-sized hippo of colour, Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) neither of whom move even a step away from their stereotypes. The plot itself has legs to hold some weight but its disappointing need to focus mainly on (admittedly fun) characters takes away the depth it teases us with. Alex reverting to his natural, wild self seems to more or less come out of nowhere (other than a couple of mentions of hunger) and then disappears once it becomes convenient.

Having said all of this, ‘Madagascar’ is undeniably entertaining, especially for little ones; its humour is infectious and the supporting characters (the penguins, monkeys and King Julien) are full of hysterical one-liners which are bound to be repeated over and over.

CONTENT: IS ‘MADAGASCAR’ FOR KIDS?

The animals get annoyed at the ‘ambient’ sounds that have been left on at the zoo which include insects chirping and bird sounds, when this stops, the breathe a sigh of relief as they hear the real sounds of the city – a car crash, gunshots and a woman screaming.

When the animals escape the zoo, a cop sees them a radios in while looking at Marty saying ‘A zebra right in front of me, can I shoot it?’ getting the reply ‘Negative’.

Alex is shot with a tranquilizer dart and has psychedelic visions, he sees the faces of his friends spinning round and distorting and patterns like a kaleidoscope. This lasts around 20 seconds before Alex passes out, when he wakes up he is hit with another dart causing more hallucinations but they are sped up and last for around 5 seconds.

A character who is trapped inside a crate regurgitates a paperclip and uses it to pick the lock. We mention this as it could be imitable for young children.

When other characters who are also in crates fall into the ocean, they float away from each other. They call out to one another and we see the crates getting farther and farther away from one character’s viewpoint and the calling voices getting increasingly quieter. This could be a little sad but the characters find each other again fairly quickly after this.

A female character steps out of the ocean and two starfish are attached to her chest and a crab across her lower torso, looking like she is wearing a bikini. She tells them ‘Alright boys, fun’s over!’.

A character chases another because they are angry with them. The character being chased exclaims ‘Sugar honey iced tea!’ (an acronym of S-H-I-T) and as they run away, the chaser states ‘I’m gonna kill you, then dig you up and clone you, and then kill all your clones!’

Predators called ‘The Fossa’ attack a group of lemurs while the others get away, a small child-like lemur is surrounded by the Fossa; it is terrified, whimpering and shaking. The Fossa have manic eyes and slowly approach the lemur. They are seen shortly after seasoning their prey, preparing to eat it although they are soon scared away and none of the lemurs are harmed.

A character begins to revert back to their natural, wild state and begins to see other animals as steaks, including his friends. His eyes change, becoming manic and his razor-sharp claws come out. There are several scenes where he chases other characters who are unable to reason with him. While this never becomes fatal, younger children may struggle to understand why a previously nice character is trying to kill his friends.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘MADAGASCAR’ FOR KIDS?

The characters may not have a great deal of depth and the plot is somewhat thin but ‘Madagascar’ is unarguably a big hit for youngsters and we feel it is appropriate for all ages.

• Violence: 1/5
• Emotional Distress: 1/5
• Fear Factor: 1/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5
• Bad Language: 1/5
• Dialogue: 1/5 (a character says of people ‘We killed them all and ate their livers!…..Gotcha, didn’t I?’
• Other Notes: Deal with themes of friendship, a yearning for another life, an animal’s natural instincts, letting go of anger and coping with a sudden change of circumstance

Words by Laura Record

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