Palatable 'Madagascar' lacks 'A-list' wow factor

The solstice is still a few weeks away, but you know it’s summer when the opening of an eagerly anticipated blockbuster is followed by a film aimed squarely at the family demographic. “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which, according to a manager at the Campbell Cine, sold out all five screens when it debuted at midnight May 19, fills the former category. The Dreamworks-produced “Madagascar” fills the latter.

While somewhat less entertaining than the previews hinted, “Madagascar” will pack in the preteen crowd and the adults who drive them to the theater. The film is good enough to keep both groups occupied, but it’s not one that will be remembered as a turn-of-the-millennium “A-list” animated feature.

“Toy Story” kicked off the modern age of computer-animated film a decade ago. The wow factor in “Toy Story” was huge. Audiences had never seen anything quite like it.

Similar films followed. “A Bug’s Life,” “Antz,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Shrek” and “The Incredibles” continued to push the envelope, and by now viewers are used to the look of this genre and tend to take it for granted. What can never be taken for granted – in any kind of movie – is the quality of the story. All of the films mentioned above not only looked great, but featured engaging characters and taut screenplays.

While “Madagascar” fills the bill in the looks department – and the characters are lovable and fun – the writing is a little flat. The basic story is fine, but the devil, as they say, is in the details. And there are sections of “Madagascar” where very little is happening.

The scene is the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) is the undisputed king of, if not the jungle, certainly the zoo. The crowds love him, and he loves the spotlight. He also loves his daily ration of steak.

Alex’s partner in the show is the wise-cracking zebra Marty (Chris Rock). A cynical sort might draw comparisons between this character and the wise-cracking donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy in the “Shrek” films.

Marty dreams of heading off to “the wild,” which he believes is somewhere in … Connecticut.

Alex and Marty’s other friends are Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), a sassy hippo from the ‘hood who borrows her movements from the hippos in Disney’s “Fantasia,” and a hypochondriac giraffe, Melman (David Schwimmer).

A gang of four rascally penguins are planning an escape. They’re tunneling out of the zoo and heading to what they believe is penguin paradise, Antarctica.

When Marty discovers their tunnel, he high tails it out of the zoo, too, and makes his way to Grand Central Station to hop a train for Connecticut. Alex, Gloria and Melman go after Marty to persuade him to come back. The sight of a quartet of wild animals running around New York City causes a riot. They and the penguins are captured and now dubbed as troublemakers. As such, they are to be transferred to other zoos.

An unexpected turn of events on the ship (those pesky penguins again) causes Alex and his pals to be swept overboard. They land on the island of Madagascar.

Marty is in heaven. Gloria is content. Melman is worried about his medication, and Alex wants to get back to his friendly confines and adoring public.

A tribe of lemurs welcomes these large animals from New York (“Hail, the New York Giants!”). They believe Alex can come in handy keeping their archenemies, the predatory foosa, at bay.

Shortly after they arrived on the island, a thought came into my head. The place is fine for Marty, Gloria and Melman; they are all herbivores. Alex, on the other hand, is a carnivore and is used to getting his beloved steak. He’s going to have to kill something or starve.

Indeed, this fact becomes a major plot point in the last act, but needless to say there is no bloody carnage done up in glorious pixilated animation. Alex does bite Marty on the butt, though.

And speaking of that, “Madagascar” uses a device that is a “must” in these films: flatulence and scatological humor. There are also several quick, but clever, references to other movies. Look for, among others, homage to “Planet of the Apes,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “Chariots of Fire,” “Ten” and a very quick gag that only students of TV’s “The Twilight Zone” will catch.

It’s only a matter of time before computer-animated feature films get to be so plentiful there’s bound to be major duds come along, but “Madagascar” is not that. The characters are endearing and the gags, while somewhat too few and far between, are funny enough. Kids will be entertained enough just watching all the animals. The ending, of course, left no doubt there will be a sequel. Better luck next time, Dreamworks.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.