Madagascar/Shrek 2 (2005)

This double feature contains two animated films sure to please the whole family. MADAGASCAR: 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 Marty the Zebra, whose longing to explore beyond his cushy Central Park Zoo boundaries is the impetus that ultimately strands him and his pals on the shores of savage Madagascar. Marty loves the new, edible scenery, but his best friend Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) begins to starve since his diet of thick steaks has been cut off, and the rump of his friend starts to look mighty tasty. Their other friends, a hypochondriac giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a sassy hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), try their best to think of a solution as the call of the wild slowly turns the starving Alex into Marty's worst nightmare. Meanwhile the hilariously self-aggrandizing King of the Ocelots (Sacha Cohen) has a plan to use Marty to repel his own carnivore problem. This kid-oriented comedy stays adult-friendly every step of the way, thanks to a clever script that mixes New York humor and even some existentialism with the pratfalls and spit-takes. Jolts of comedic brilliance are supplied by some Arctic-bound escaped-con penguins and a couple of literary apes. It's not a musical, but classic songs from the likes of Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis, Jr., keep the montages flowing loose and sassy.SHREK 2: In this meet-the-parents sequel to the romantic fairy tale in which two ogres fall in love, SHREK 2 brings the lovable green menace (voiced by Mike Meyers) back to the big screen for a second round of mischief. This time around, in addition to the voices of Cameron Diaz (as Shrek's sweetheart, Fiona) and Eddie Murphy (as their companion, Donkey), Julie Andrews and John Cleese chime in as Fiona's parents, Queen Lillian and King Harold. Surprising newcomer Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas)--a slyly funny tabby honed for swashbuckling adventure--joins the crew. Last but certainly not least, the conniving duo of vain Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and his power-hungry mom, the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), spice up the action. When Fiona insists that her new husband Shrek visit her parents, they travel to Far Far Away (a Disneyfied medieval version of Hollywood) where everything goes wrong. The King and Queen are outraged to see their daughter married to an ogre, and while Fiona tries to calm them, Shrek sets out to find a solution. He finds it, in the form of a Happily Ever After potion, which only complicates matters, drawing all parties into a confused exchange of magic and spells, all for the sake of true love. With shimmering animation giving SHREK 2 near-3-D visuals, the witty scripting and eclectic pop music soundtrack keep the film hopping along with an upbeat pace. "Holding Out for a Hero" by Frou Frou and "Livin' la Vida Loca" by Eddie Murphy are the most raucous of the film's many great songs, though more subtle numbers such as "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows and "Little Drop of Poison" by Tom Waits certainly enrich some key scenes of this enjoyable family film.