he movie opens in New York City's Central Park Zoo. We meet Alex the Lion, a pampered creature living the good life, who likes to perform for kids who come to the zoo on school field trips. Alex has several good friends: Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo. Unlike Alex, Marty longs to escape to the "wilds" of Connecticut, and one night he breaks out of the zoo. His three friends take off after him, but before long they are all captured by animal rights activists, who want to return them to their natural habitat.

Soon the foursome find themselves shipped off aboard a cargo ship to a wild animal refuge in Africa. When the penguins on the ship mutiny during a storm, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria end up being swept off the deck and washed ashore in Madagascar. Now they are truly in the wild, and they don't have a clue how to survive. While trying to find their way off the island, they meet a tribe of lemurs, ruled by King Julian and his right-hand man, Maurice.

Classic Slapstick, Great Visuals
Madagascar offers lots of laughs, with classic slapstick moments, but it also turns briefly serious, when the ravenous Alex has to restrain himself from taking a bite of his friend Marty. The PG rating is for mild language, crude humor, and some thematic elements. The "supporting cast" of lemurs, penguins, et al. provides plenty of entertainment, with pop-culture jokes aimed at the parents in the audience.

Visually, Madagascar is a treat, with stylized retro characters and bright colors. The voice cast includes Ben Stiller as Alex and Chris Rock as Marty.

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