Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGarth & Conrad Vernon
Voiced by: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Martin Short, Paz Vega
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As the recent Men in Black 3 showed, a third outing in a film franchise that already felt tired is a near-impossible task. The first two instalments in the Madagascar cartoon series grossed more than US$1 billion (Dh4.6bn) collectively, although this tale of zoo animals stranded in Africa was never a font of originality. So you might think Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted would be a desperately dull affair.
In truth, DreamWorks has put some thought into pepping up the adventures of Alex the lion (voiced by Stiller), Marty the zebra (Rock), Gloria the hippo (Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (Schwimmer). For starters, it's co-written by Noah Baumbach, the auteur behind the Stiller-starring Greenberg. Unusual, but a smart choice.
Secondly, the pace is so merciless you can't help but be swept up in the animals' jaunt around the continent – from a Monte Carlo casino to a travelling circus – as they try to head back to their New York Zoo. The Katy Perry-scored circus scenes, heavily influenced by the trippy visuals of Cirque du Soleil, are beautifully rendered, and the addition of new characters (particularly Short as a silly sea lion) works well.
Of course, next to Toy Story 3, this threequel crumbles into the dust. It doesn't possess an ounce of the heart, innocence or emotion that Pixar's classic manages. But then, it's arguably unfair to compare it with such a titan. Despite the circus theme, Madagascar 3 is hardly the greatest show on Earth. But it has enough joie de vivre to raise some genuine smiles.