Madagascar - Complete DVD Collection

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As computer animations go, Madagascar was never going to match the heart of Toy Story or the knowing comedy of Shrek but it’s a fun little family movie. With animated features constantly trying to appeal to adults through wry in-jokes, it’s nice to see Dreamworks simply going for pure entertainment without the smug cleverness.

The first film follows a gang of pampered animals in New York zoo. Their every need is catered for but Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock) yearns for the great outdoors. He ropes Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) into an escape attempt which fails and they’re expelled from the zoo, boxed-up and sent to Africa. But a rogue gang of penguins crash the boat and they end up on a strange island.

They all, rather predictably, learn how to survive in the Madagascan wilderness and Alex battles with his natural instinct to hunt which obviously gets in the way of his friendship with Marty, who’s at the bottom of the food chain. The vocal work is superb, especially from Sacha Baron Cohen as the hedonistic king of the lemurs, and the film itself is striking and colourful, perfect for keeping the little ones entertained.

The sequel provides more of the same with an escape from Madagascar by air crash-landing in an African wildlife reserve. There the characters find their own species and a sense of belonging while Alex is reunited with his parents and tries to fulfil his destiny by taking over the pride. It’s all a bit Lion King but, like the first film, Cohen provides the craziness and the penguins steal the show with their sharp banter.

As animated features have become more ubiquitous there has been a dip in quality. Compared to what else is out there, this double bill is always going to be a safe bet.

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