Madagascar (2005)
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A group of zoo animals find themselves stranded in the wild and must adapt to life on the island of Madagascar.
The story
In New York City, a lion named Alex lives in the Central Park Zoo as a star attraction with his friends: a zebra named Marty, a giraffe named Melman, and a hippopotamus named Gloria. Marty grows tired of his life in the zoo and decides to follow a group of penguins to the wild. After a series of mishaps involving a ship and a journey across the sea, the quartet finds themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar. They must navigate the challenges of the wild and adjust to their new environment while dealing with their own instincts and the reality of being away from the safety of the zoo.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Marty decides to escape the Central Park Zoo to experience the wild, he is joined by Alex, Melman, and Gloria during a chaotic journey. They are eventually shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar. There, they encounter a community of lemurs led by King Julien XIII. As Alex struggles with his predatory instincts in the wild, the group faces various dangers, including a pack of predators called fossas. The penguins, who are a commando unit, eventually land their ship at Madagascar. While the lemurs celebrate the group's presence, the penguins secretly keep the fact that they have run out of fuel, leaving the quartet stranded on the island for the time being.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eric Darnell; Tom McGrath
- Writers
- Mark Burton · writer; Billy Frolick · writer; Eric Darnell · writer; Tom McGrath · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ben Stiller · Alex; Chris Rock · Marty; David Schwimmer · Melman; Jada Pinkett Smith · Gloria; Sacha Baron Cohen · King Julien XIII; Cedric the Entertainer · Maurice; Andy Richter · Mort
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- friendship; identity; adaptation
- Tone and mood
- humorous; whimsical
- Setting
- New York City and the island of Madagascar.
- Premise and plot tags
- anthropomorphic animals; zoo escape; survival
- Franchise connections
- Madagascar
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice acting and visuals, but criticized the story and some of its humor. It was a success at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.2 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Top 10 Animation Films · American Film Institute · 2008 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The character King Julien was originally intended to be a minor character with only two lines.; The film's score features a cover of 'I Like to Move It' by Sacha Baron Cohen.; The animation of the movie began in 2004 after the production of Shrek 2.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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