It paints itself into a very bizarre corner because at first, they are all friends and then all of a sudden they revert to being more like real animals. How do you do that and make it funny? Well, you don’t.
Comment
05/31/05
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Madagascar (2005)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:13
Rotten:22
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: A solid if unspectacular CGI flick.
Theatrical Release:May 27, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $193,136,719
Synopsis: The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature. Chris Rock does the voice of... [More]
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
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Reviews for Madagascar
Top CriticMadagascar is great good fun, not only because the filmmakers have enlisted some wonderful voice talent but also because the visuals truly are marvelous.
05/27/05
Top CriticThe fact is, apart from certain superficial visual distinctions, virtually all of the recent studio-produced, star-voiced computer-animated movies feel like they could have been produced on different assembly lines in the same factory.
05/27/05
Top CriticWhat makes it good is that the story is a kind of parable that suggests some seriousness beneath the surface, even sadness.
05/27/05
Top CriticThis doesn't signify progress for the computer-animated medium. If anything, it's regression.
05/27/05
Top Critic[It] looks stunning, but it's an ill-conceived mess that plays like two movies awkwardly spliced together.
05/27/05
Top CriticBrilliantly written, animated and performed, it not only bridges the child-adult divide, but also makes its kid-friendly humor smart in its own way.
05/27/05
Top CriticA wafer-thin yarn that might have done Sylvester and Tweety proud, but goes missing-in-action when stretched over 80-plus minutes.
05/27/05
Top CriticA safe-as-milk, toy-ready, born-to-cross-promote piece of animated Hollywood product that will likely please children but leave adults dreaming of The Incredibles.
05/27/05
Top CriticAppropriate for the wee ones, this flick promises to please parents who will inevitably be in for repeat viewings.
05/27/05
Top CriticA delight. Co-writers and -directors McGrath and Eric Darnell, along with their entire team, have done a terrific job with their sweet and whimsical story.
05/27/05
Top CriticAntic, cute, scattershot, it's a remarkable-looking but terribly uncertain bit of CGI fluff, with its richest humor off to the sides of the action and a whole lot of average in the middle.
05/27/05
Top CriticThe movie seems a little undernourished in the story department, and attempts to infuse the proceedings with adult-pleasing humor don't always rise to brilliant levels.
05/27/05
Top CriticIt's a good-humored, pleasant confection that has all kinds of relaxed fun bringing computer-animated savvy to the old-fashioned world of Looney Tunes cartoons.
05/27/05
Top CriticSputters to an end without building to any sort of satisfying conclusion.
05/27/05
Top CriticIt'll be fun for the smaller kids, but there's not much crossover appeal for their parents.
05/27/05
Top CriticMadagascar makes you long for a time when story was more important than cleverness; before having celebrities voicing the characters was a marketing requisite; before you needed to be thoroughly immersed in pop culture to get the gags.
05/27/05
Top CriticThe animation is visually stunning, and the animals' stylized rendering and friendly look is in keeping with the energetic mood of the movie.
05/26/05
Top CriticMadagascar will have you roaring, but in the right way.
05/26/05
Top CriticThe movie fails to satisfy on such a fundamental level that it either must be setting itself up for a Madagascar 2 or must hope that the audience isn't paying too much attention. I vote for the latter.
05/26/05
Top CriticLatest News for Madagascar
December 05, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Writers Warm to Madagascar 2; UK Critics Liked Lakeview Terrace
With thirteen new releases in the UK cinemas this weekend, let Rotten Tomatoes help you sort the tinsel from the turkeys. We have animals on the loose in Madagascar: Escape 2... More...
August 15, 2008:
Weekly Ketchup: Kung Fu Panda 2, Wheel of Time and more
This week's Ketchup bottle brings news about Kung Fu Panda 2, Madagascar 3, development news about the Wheel of Time series, and casting news about Mike Myers and Billy Bob... More...
June 07, 2007:
Release Dates Set for "Shrek 4" and "Shrek 5"
Well, release years anyway, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg. More...
March 08, 2007:
Chris Rock Hangs with Zebra Pack in "Madagascar 2"
"Madagascar" had Marty the zebra searching for his wild home in the jungles of Africa. Since the movie made so much money, all the zoo animals are back in the wild for... More...
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