Silly fun. That's my two word review of the new animated film from Dreamworks Entertainment, Madagascar. A light-hearted story about some Central Park Zoo animals that wind up in the title country, Madagascar is an enjoyable way to waste 90 minutes, especially if you are in a theater of kids who make laughing at the silly gags even more enjoyable.
As a children's movie, Madagascar succeeds with it's colorful animations and goofy characters. Dreamworks tossed in a handful of winks for adults (such as a Planet of the Apes scene stealer featuring a destroyed Statue of Liberty on a beach), but not nearly as many as we came to enjoy in Shrek and Shrek 2.
The lead characters are played by Ben Stiller (Lion), Chris Rock (Zebra), David Schwimmer (Giraffe) and Jada Pinkett Smith (Hippo), but the quartet of penguins seeking to escape the zoo to go to Antarctica stole the show. Funny stuff.
The film is rated PG, but it should have been G. I enjoyed it. But more importantly, my kids enjoyed it. I hope the film does well as encouragement for Hollywood to continue producing family-friendly entertainment.
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