Madagascar DVD Review (Ben Stiller) Empire Movies

MADAGASCAR DVD REVIEW

Madagascar
(DreamWorks Home Entertainment)

The Movie

The Extras

Reviewed by

8/10

Brendan

Madagascar is the story of a group of animals locked up in New York's Central Park Zoo who are set to be shipped to Africa after a failed escape attempt. On the way to Africa, their ship is hijacked by a mischevious gang of penguins and the group of pals that include a lion (Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) end up on the island of Madagascar. The once pampered animals are forced to survive in the real wildlife amongst a tribe of lemurs (voiced by the likes of Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter) and some much more dangerous creatures. Animal hijinks ensue.

Now available on DVD, Madagascar is full of bonus features that are sure to keep both adults and the kiddies entertained. First off, I'll start with an "easter egg" that I managed to find (accidentally). On the main menu if you move the cursor up above the "Play Movie" icon, two penguins will appear. Press enter and there is a short feature on the animation in the movie. It is all visual as there is no speaking, just video that is played out to synthesizer music. Nothing too special.

Next is the DWK feature (Dreamworks Kids) which includes the "I Like to Movie It, Move It" video and a "Games & Activities" section that includes six games/activities for the kids. I really didn't get into this one too much but I'm sure the kiddies will enjoy it.

The Madagascar Penguins in "A Christmas Caper" is a 12-minute animated short that stars the famous penguins up to no good. It's pretty damn funny.

The Special Features menu includes the following:

Mad Mishaps - 1 1/2 minutes of animation errors that didn't make the movie.

Meet the Wild Cast - 7 1/2 minutes where we get to meet the voices behind the character of Madagascar. Includes interviews and some behind-the-scenes footage.

Behind the Crates - Approximately 23 minutes, this is a detailed look at the making of Madagascar with interviews with the main cast and people involved in the making of the movie. Not a bad piece.

The Tech of Madagascar - 5 minutes in which we learn about the technical aspects of Madagascar from the computer geeks responsible for this work.

Enchanted Island - Almost 8 minutes where we learn about the real island of Madagascar. Pretty interesting stuff.

Penguin Chat - The penguins comment on the scenes in which they appeared. It's okay but A Christmas Caper was much funnier.

Commentary - Directors Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell give us their take on the making of the movie. Most of the talk is about the technical aspects of the film. Not one of the more interesting commentaries I have ever been forced to listen to.

The bonus featues section also includes previews of Shrek 2, Shark Tale and Kicking and Screaming; sections with bios of the cast and filmmakers; production notes; and a galleries section.

There is also a feature called "Crack-The-Code". For this feature, you have to find penguin feet that are hidden throughout the DVD and highlight them to get letters that spell out a word that allows you to play a game with the penguins. I was able to crack the code but I have so far failed miserably at the penguin game.

Overall, Madagascar is what I would consider my favourite animated movie of the year. It's fun and funny and that's all I need when I'm watching this type of movie. And best of all, I think it's good for both adults and kids. The DVD is loaded with bonus features, a lot of them more for the kids but a few featurettes that seem to repeat themselves over and over but are nevertheless decent. I would definitely check out A Christmas Caper, it's worth a few laughs.

Features
"The Penguins In A Christmas Caper", "I Like To Move It, Move It" Music Video, Penguin Commentary, "Fossa Whack" and "Learn to Draw!" Activities, "Behind the Crates", "The Tech of Madagascar", "Mad Mishaps", "Crack the Code" Feature

Video
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio
English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles
English Captions, English, French, Spanish Subtitles

Release Date
November 15, 2005

Rating
G

Length
86 mins.

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