By BETSY SHARKEY By BETSY SHARKEY ADVERTISING Los Angeles Times Family film “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is a neon-saturated, high-flying trapeze act with enough frenetic funny business that it’s a wonder the folks behind this zillion-dollar franchise about zoo
By BETSY SHARKEY
Los Angeles Times
Family film “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is a neon-saturated, high-flying trapeze act with enough frenetic funny business that it’s a wonder the folks behind this zillion-dollar franchise about zoo critters on the lam didn’t send the animals to the circus sooner.
All the big-time voices are back, with Ben Stiller reprising Alex the lion, the de facto leader of the band. Chris Rock remains impossibly optimistic as Marty the zebra. Jada Pinkett Smith’s Gloria the hippo is still keeping it real and David Schwimmer’s Melman the giraffe continues his fussing and fretting. It’s an appealing collection of personalities, although it wouldn’t be enough if the penguins and the chimps weren’t around creating havoc, which they are.
The Central Park Zoo in New York — the gang’s home and the starting point for their first adventure in 2005 — is still their destination, and pop culture is once again up for roasting to try to keep grown-ups from squirming, which they will. But “Madagascar 3,” like its predecessors, is mostly about the ups and downs of friendship of the playground variety — the better to keep little ones giggling, which they will.
The film opens in the African desert where the zoobies ended up in 2008’s “Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa.” The pull of home is getting stronger and soon the penguins and monkeys make a mad dash to a Monte Carlo casino to pick up some fast cash — they want it to pay to patch the plane to get the whole gang back to New York. The antics have a familiar feel that comes from having a very stable cast and crew. Directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath have been there from the beginning, and this time they’re joined by Conrad Vernon (a DreamWorks regular who co-directed “Monsters vs. Aliens” and has worked on other projects).
No doubt more hands were needed to try to get some control over the sprawling screenplay by Noah Baumbach and Darnell. The story lurches around Europe, from Rome to the Alps, slipping into the Colosseum, lifting coin from casinos, riding all manner of trains and dispensing little nuggets of wisdom in the dialogue along the way.
Although the critters want to get home, most of their energy is expended in trying to evade French animal control’s fearsome Capitaine Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand).
Chantel proves to be an excellent villain with, McDormand putting just enough tang in her tart French accent to send chills and thrills.
The animation artistry of “Madagascar 3” is at its best under the big top, all cotton candy fluff and razzle dazzle. The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well.
When Chantel’s persistent, Javert-esque chasing leads the fugitives to a line of circus cars on a train track, Alex decides this may be the perfect way to escape her clutches. It is certainly the film’s salvation, because circus acts are a natural stage to push 3-D effects to dizzying extremes.
The filmmakers take full advantage of the technology, wrapping all the splashy tricks and flights of derring-do in a kaleidoscope of color that seems at times to literally spin off the screen.
Joining the circus also gives the filmmakers an excuse to introduce a few new characters who look as if they might be in “Madagascar” for the long haul. Chief among them is the tiger Vitaly (Bryan Cranston, wielding a mean Russian accent). He once was the circus’ main attraction but has lost his courage. It doesn’t mean he’s thrilled that Alex and the others are around with a bunch of new big ideas for a spiffed-up big top. But then someone needed to mix it up when Chantel is out of sight.
Too bad Alex and the gang couldn’t just have stayed at the circus for the duration, but then London was calling and New York was ever on the horizon.
