Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
(2012)
Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath have shown
remarkable dedication to their escaped zoo animal animated franchise, returning
to steer each of the sequels (here joined by Conrad Vernon). As such, the
formula is tried and tested; bring back the four main players (Stiller, Rock,
Schwimmer, Pinkett Smith), let the support steal the best gags (Baron Cohen,
Cedric the Entertainer, McGrath as the penguin leader), ensure there are
multiple hyperbolic set pieces and sprinkle liberally atop all of this a number
of Euro-cheese dance tracks. Oh, and don’t forget to include a dollop of
sentiment/moralising.
This is the DreamWorks formula, and whether
it is more or less successful creatively it usually pays off in box office.
Indeed, careening from this path hasn’t enamoured their shareholders (see Rise of the Guardians), although it
could be argued that if they tried to stretch themselves a bit more they’d have
more critical successes like How to Train
Your Dragon. Madagascar 3 is
perfectly serviceable and often very funny, but it’s largely indistinguishable
from the previous installments (I say that having enjoyed both of them, which
is just as well as they seem to be shown on a loop on TV).
This time round, the quarter follow the
penguins and monkeys to Monte Carlo (it appears that they got there just by
swimming, whereas the penguins flew by plane; given the travel difficulties
established later in the film, it’s just as well this is glossed over) to
persuade them to return to New York. Almost immediately they are subject to the
unwanted attention of Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand, excellent) an Animal
Control officer who has been amusingly rendered as both ungainly of body and
super-agile. It’s unfortunate that the highlight of Madagascar 3 is the breathless, hilarious chase sequence that takes
up the first 20 minutes. It’s *****-star entertainment, and one of the studio’s
greatest achievements to date.
After that, alas, things turn fairly
run-of-the-mill. The characters join a travelling circus, and of course there
are lessons to be learned, friendships to be tested and Animal Control to be
dodged.
The main guest vocals all acquit themselves
splendidly; Bryan Cranston is Vitaly the Russian hoop-diving tiger, Jessica
Chastain plays a rather sexy leopard and Martin Short is an endearingly dim sea
lion, Stefano. Nevertheless, as usual it’s Sacha Baron Cohen’s lemur who steals
the film. Julien’s romance with a performing bear is both ridiculous and
delightful. Elsewhere the penguins’ strategies are ever-inventive, but the
prize ruse must go to the monkeys disguised as the King of Versailles.
Enjoyable as the Madagascars are, they should really probably call it a day on the
franchise now. The anarchic impulses of the supporting characters tend to be
balanced by the more melodramatic pursuits of the leads (albeit, Rock’s zebra
usually gets to embrace the crazy) and there doesn’t seem to be much place left
to take the former (particularly with the finale taking place in New York).
It’s fashionable to embrace Pixar and
deride DreamWorks, but nothing is that simple. The first Shrek and How to Train Your
Dragon rank with the very best CGI animation and, while Dreamworks’ tendency
to sequelise is lowest common denominator, Pixar has now followed exactly the
same pattern. I wasn’t all that taken with the Kung Fu Pandas, but I’d watch them any day over Cars and Cars 2. Perhaps the best compliment I can give the Madagascar series is that when I
inevitably find one showing on the box I give it at least a couple of minutes
before switching over.
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