PLOT: Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style.
THE GOOD: Fun. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is the second movie in a week that will have this label attached to it. The movie is good fun. There are movies that I really look forward to taking my daughter to see (anything by Disney or Pixar). There are movies that I don't want to take her to, but will if she really wants to (like Gnomeo & Juliet and Smurfs). And then there are movies that she wants to see that I am not completely against. Madagascar 3 falls into that last category for us. I've never seen any of the previous Madagascar movies, but one thing that is so great about this simple series is how cookie-cutter it is. You have the leader lion, the silly zebra, the hypochondriac giraffe, and the tender and caring hippopotamus. Did I get them all correct? I bet I did. Anyway, I was able to understand who characters were and what the story was about easily without seeing the previous two films. A lot of the advertising and promotion around the film uses the circus aspect of the story. While I thought this was going to be dumb, I'm happy to say that I think DreamWorks Animation pulled it off quite well. The circus scene was actually my favorite part of the entire movie, and not because they used Katy Perry's "Firework" (although, I do like that song). It's actually well-animated, choreographed, and synchronized. Like the rest of the film, the message is straightforward enough for kids to understand.
Still waiting for the scene where the lion returns to his natural instincts and eats all of his friends.
Voice talent and characters. I actually enjoyed the cast of voices in this film. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith are all back to reprise their roles. For this film, they added Jessica Chastain to play the circus cheetah and love interest Gia, Bryan Cranston to play the fallen hero tiger Vitaly, and the hilarious Martin Short to voice the character Stefano, a not-all-there circus sea lion. There is also a bear named Sonya who, for some reason, doesn't have a voice like the rest of the characters and instead almost acts like a real bear. She's hilarious.
It looks like the religious right were correct. Look at this additional unconventional relationship after so much approving of gay marriage.
THE END: You know, I really can't complain too much about Madagascar 3, but I can't say too many good things about it either. This is a movie you watch when there's nothing else to watch. Kids will love it, especially the "Afro Circus" song, but adults will find something to enjoy about it, too. Considering that Brave is coming out this Friday, it still wouldn't be a big shame to take the kids to check this one out, too. If you prefer quality over, well, this...
DISCUSS: What did you think of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted? Have you seen the previous films? Who is your favorite character? What is your favorite CGI movie?
That elephant in the middle is pretty stoned.
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