Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Well, it's summer season again, time to start breaking out the raft of animated flicks. Hollywood is a business like any other business, so it should not be a coincidence that the majority of the animated films in the year would be during the summer season while the kids are out of school. And like most franchises go, Hollywood is definitely expecting to cash in on an already done idea. So when I saw "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted", I was pleasantly surprised.

This story starts where the other left off: in Africa. Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria (Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith) respectively, are still trying to get back to New York City and their beloved Central Park zoo, but first they must find the penguins who left them stranded in Africa. They travel to Monte Carlo where they attract the attention of the Animal Control Captain, Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) after gate crashing a party and are joined by the penguins, King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Co., the monkeys and a new arrival: a performing llama. How do a lion, zebra, hippo, giraffe, four penguins, two monkeys, three lemurs and a llama travel through Europe without attracting attention? Out of desperation of being caught, they join a traveling circus and work with Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer), Gia (Jessica Chastain), Stefano (Martin Short), Vitaly (Bryan Cranston) and others. They must convince these circus professionals that they are circus animals and subsequently help reinvent a dying circus all the while attempting to avoid BuBois and her officers.


Others to round out the cast are Andy Richter as Mort, Tom McGrath as Skipper (first policeman), Chris Miller as Kowalski, Christopher Knights as Private, and Conrad Vernon as Mason (second policeman).


This was well crafted by directors, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon. It was adequately written by Darnell and Noah Baumbach in that, even though the running time was only 85 minutes, it could cut to the chase and bit quicker in certain parts. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it just needed a little more polishing. It seemed like the writers depended a little more on the high explosive, very colorful visuals than plot substance. 

The visuals by Dreamworks Animation were stunning as with the two past Madagascar films, and I'm not usually in favor of a film having to be seen in 3D, but in this case, the process definitely made this incarnation work that much more. But any time you have a film that has so much action and is extremely over-the-top like an animated film is, 3D can only accentuate those aspects that much more.

If you're going to see this, see it in the theater, because a DVD on a 32" TV just will not cut it. After all, when you ride a roller coaster, you don't do it from home looking at one on TV, you actually get into one and experience it first hand.

Out of 4 stars: 3                       Rated: PG                      85min.