Think of it as a case of poetic-or comedic – justice,complete with an endearing kid-sized moral.
In DreamWork’s animated feature “Madagascar,” it’s the character actors – not the stars – who turn out to be the kings of the jungle and its comedy. Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman may be the prime attractions at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan. But on an island far, far away, lemurs rock.
Even in the retooled pecking order of a controlled environment, Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) remains the mane event, but with a difference. As top predator, he is good friends with those who would be his prey: Hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), anxious giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and zebra Marty (Chris Rock).
Early in “Madagascar,” written and directed with loving panache by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the quartet celebrate Marty’s birthday.
Only Marty isn’t festive. He has been hankering for something wild, or better put, yearning for The Wild. For a mammal more circus performer than Serengeti denizen, that notion has its own fantasy elements. But Marty’s not the only one dreaming of escape: A band of penguins led by Skipper (voiced winningly by co-director McGrath) has been doing recon and digging tunnels.
After the tuxedoed foursome and the zebra escape, Marty’s pals fumble an intervention. Evidently zoological punishment doesn’t mean going to your cage without supper. It means going back to nature. Friends and penguins are crated and put on a cargo ship.
When the action shifts from New York City to the African island of the title, things go from cute enough to deliciously fun. Not only does Marty get his wish, audiences get a wild treat.
A quick geography lesson then. Madagascar is an African island east of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. Lemurs, strange rodentlike mammals that are actually primates, can be found only on Madagascar and the neighboring Camores islands.
| ‘Madagascar’
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After much beach-side recriminations, the four friends wander into a jungle, where the lemurs are throwing a kicking dance party. Even without the disco ball, these guys like to “move it, move it,” mostly at the wacky insistence of King Julien and his right-pawed man, Maurice.
Not since Timon, the “Lion King” meerkat, has an animated character been positioned to send scads of kids to the encyclopedia for a nature lesson.
Credit Sacha Baron Cohen as Julien, Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice, and Andy Richter as Mort, the wee-est lemur, for this joyous development. Their voices give ridiculous, cheeky charm to this wild kingdom excursion.
Cohen (perhaps better known by his HBO series moniker, Ali G) delivers a free-associative shtick that rivals anything Robin Williams has done in ages.
When Alex and his crew meet the lemurs, they immediately become more interesting. One could argue that this is the arc of comedy. But it runs a bit deeper than that.
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Animation relies on voice talent. It’s not the stars that shine here, but the sidekicks. While Chris Rock’s crazy oscillating rhythms find a perfect home in animation, Alex reminds us that Stiller’s humor most often comes from his hangdog, humiliated, frenetic body language. Unlike dad Jerry Stiller, his voice isn’t his most idiosyncratic tool.
But it turns out to be OK to be the straight cat in this tale. “Madagascar” provides a none-too-heavy meditation on the meaning of the wild. It also argues that friendship is more extraordinary than celebrity, that nurture can trump our darker natures, and that talking animals are still the stuff of great fun.
Appropriate for the wee ones, this flick promises to please parents who will inevitably be in for repeat viewings. Think of them as the “Madagascar” Dads and Moms.
Film critic Lisa Kennedy can be reached at 303-820-1567 or lkennedy@denverpost.com.
“Madagascar”
***½
PG for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements|1 hour, 26 minutes|ANIMATED|Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath; voices by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter|Opens today at area theaters.
