It isn't that Madagascar does not have funny moments, but its failing is the lack of smart jokes, imaginative adventures and infectious energy that we associate with animated films such as Shrek and The Incredibles, not to forget Finding Nemo.
Despite the winsome presence of stellar voices including Ben Stiller (Meet The Fockers) and Chris Rock (Lethal Weapon 4), Madagascar often hits a rough patch.
The story -- of four New York zoo critters who suddenly find themselves transferred to the wild and the consequent confusion and identity crisis they face -- certainly has quite a bit of appeal. But the film relies a lot on in-jokes and references to New York City that may not go well with the young.
Adults, on the other hand, will enjoy the many New York jokes and the parodic use of musical themes from such films as Born Free and Chariots of Fire.
But it is difficult to see this film not doing fairly decent business, though it might find it difficult to fly beyond the $150 million mark in North America.
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The movie begins with the zebra Marty (Rock) announcing to his pals on his birthday that his one big wish is to see the real wild world. His friends -- hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and lion Alex (Stiller) --- find it hard to believe that Marty is serious.
When they discover that Marty has sneaked out in the middle of the night, they decide to search for him in the hope of getting him back to the zoo before the authorities discover his misadventure.
Some of the funniest moments in the film occur when the friends follow Marty into Grand Central Station, and are unwittingly about to join him on a train ride to the wilds of Connecticut. But the confusion and havoc caused by the four friends put authorities on alert. They capture the fugitives and decide to send them to Africa, their native habitat.
More misadventures ensue, and the four find themselves in Madagascar where they try to make sense of the life around them, even as Alex misses the big raw, juicy steak he hasn't had in days.
The four friends soon find out that the island is ruled by a pompous mammal, King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his sidekick Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer).
Even as the aliens wonder how they should deal with the King and the sidekick, they are drawn into the fight between the King and the mongoose-like Foosa. The King is convinced that the four "New York giants" can scare the predators.
Meanwhile, Alex is so famished that he entertains the wicked thought of eating his closest buddies. His angst and the resulant look at survival instincts could have been developed into a strong side-plot.
By the time the film ends with a fairly rousing climax, children would have learned a few lessons about co-existence and rushing to conclusions about the grass being green on the other side. But they could well be yearning for some adrenaline-pumping plot devices.
While directors Eric Darnell (Antz) and Tom McGrath (The Ren And Stimpy Show) have used the lead voices fairly well, one misses the excitement the likes of Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy have brought to this genre.
Madagascar is one of those summer releases that feels like it's been rushed into theatres to attract big bucks. It could have done far better business had the animation been more sprightly and the voices livelier.
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