Boring and bedraggled.

| Nov 16, 2011

Lame scatalogical gags and worn pop-culture parodies abound, but the CGI animation romp is somewhat redeemed by the scene-stealing appearances of several supporting characters.

| Sep 20, 2008

Doesn't really live up to the promise that the idea and voice talent deserve. But it's still spirited, amiable, featherweight summer fun.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 7, 2006

The tenor can be shrill, but there's no time to get bored. And on top of that, most of the gags actually work.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2005

Feels as if it has been created from an animator's template.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 5, 2005

Highly recommended for kids and adults.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 7, 2005

It is winning; so much fun I can't wait to see Madagascar again. Heck, I might even go pick up a stuffed penguin.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 4, 2005

Like its jailbreak protagonists, the film grows more ambitious outside the confines of the zoo and truly takes off when the four best friends accidentally wash up on the shores of Madagascar.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 4, 2005

Lacking any meat on its bones, ['Madagascar'] is a cartoon about nothing. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 1, 2005

It paints itself into a very bizarre corner because at first, they are all friends and then all of a sudden they revert to being more like real animals. How do you do that and make it funny? Well, you don't.

Full Review | May 31, 2005

It's a brisk and lively getaway with genuine personality.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 31, 2005

Madagascar is great good fun, not only because the filmmakers have enlisted some wonderful voice talent but also because the visuals truly are marvelous.

| May 27, 2005

The fact is, apart from certain superficial visual distinctions, virtually all of the recent studio-produced, star-voiced computer-animated movies feel like they could have been produced on different assembly lines in the same factory.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 27, 2005

What makes it good is that the story is a kind of parable that suggests some seriousness beneath the surface, even sadness.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 27, 2005

The film ends with an obvious bid for a sequel, and why not? Madagascar and its charming critters deserve an encore.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 27, 2005

[It] looks stunning, but it's an ill-conceived mess that plays like two movies awkwardly spliced together.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 27, 2005

Brilliantly written, animated and performed, it not only bridges the child-adult divide, but also makes its kid-friendly humor smart in its own way.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | May 27, 2005

A wafer-thin yarn that might have done Sylvester and Tweety proud, but goes missing-in-action when stretched over 80-plus minutes.

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 27, 2005

A safe-as-milk, toy-ready, born-to-cross-promote piece of animated Hollywood product that will likely please children but leave adults dreaming of The Incredibles.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | May 27, 2005

Appropriate for the wee ones, this flick promises to please parents who will inevitably be in for repeat viewings.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | May 27, 2005