By the time Madagascar 3 came out, I was just entering high school, so that meant that I pretty much fell out of love with the franchise as a whole. Looking back at the first two movies as an adult, you may recall that I decently enjoyed the first movie and even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the second movie, there still were a couple of things that did make me at least grateful that I watched it. seeing the trailers for this third installment at the time, I didn’t think this movie would be any good and would be doomed to be as underwhelming as the second movie. However, much to my shock, I surprisingly got a kick out of watching this movie even though is made more for kids, it managed to put a smile on my face and made me realize why I enjoyed the Madagascar franchise when I was younger.
Taking place right after the events of Escape 2 Africa, our main four friends Marty (Chris Rock), Alex (Ben Stiller), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman (David Schwimmer) are still stuck in Africa waiting on the penguins to come back from Skipper’s (Tom McGrath) honeymoon in Monte Carlo. It seems though they are taking too long so the four friends along with the lemurs go to Monte Carlo themselves to retrieve the penguins so they can get back to their home in New York. However, their presence catches the eye of Chantel DuBois of animal control who will stop at nothing until Alex’s head is hers. Needing to take cover, the friends hideout in a circus train where they meet the circus animals who say they are going to America to perform their act, the only thing is that the circus really sucks at performing. So now it's up to Alex and the rest of the gang to get the circus back on its feet while finding out where they truly belong.
The story is constantly hilarious except in the moments when the movie needs to slow down and express emotions, which it does very well. Even though the story does use the liar revealed plotline which has been done so many times in other family movies, the movie still finds a way to work around the cliched storyline and tell it in a way that is more charming and less repulsive. While the situations our heroes end up in are at their most over-the-top and cartoony, the film surprisingly has a pretty big heart that comes from characters' backstories or characters' reminisce of the past which is unexpected and gives the movie a facelift to make the storyline a lot more interesting. There are many fun callbacks to the first movie and the jokes are downright hysterical with the bonus of slapstick which is well-timed like in a great loony tunes cartoon. The film also has the advantage of taking place in countries all over Europe which creates some nice diversity and makes the adventure unique from the previous Madagascar films. The only complaints I may have with this film may involve some of the jokes or Julien’s subplot with falling in love with a bear. Other than those aspects, this is a Madagascar film that is quite frankly the most well-written and well-executed out of all of them.
The characters are back and are at their best in this third outing. The main four friends may not have much conflict with each other, but their charm and charisma are so dang incredible that having very little conflict can pass when the writing makes them enjoyable to watch. Marty Alex Gloria and Melman are very enjoyable and each does their part to make their characters worthwhile. Heck, this movie even fixed the problem I had with the second movie which is Gloria and Melman’s relationship which is written so much better in this movie compared to how forced it was in the last movie. The fan-favorite penguins are back as well and they get much more screen time which is great seeing as they were such as blast to watch in any of the previous Madagascar movies. The movie also throws in new side characters and unlike Madagascar 2 they are much better written and a lot more memorable this time around. Characters like Gia and Stephano are fun and adorable in their performances but it was Vitaly who surprised me the most as his backstory did make me care a lot about him and his relationship with the other circus animals makes it feel like he really does care even if he doesn’t show it. All the characters are balanced well so that each gets time to shine and nobody feels left out, which is very impressive by this franchise’s standards.
The Animation like in the previous films retains that over-the-top cartoony aesthetic and the third one is possibly the one that has the most fluid character designs and the most creative backdrops. The animal characters both old and new are at the most fluid and clean that I’ve ever seen them be in, they are detailed but also rubbery which comes in handy when they are doing spastic movements. The locations of Europe are very well done and the circus performance during the end of the second act is downright some of the best use of animation that has come from the franchise yet. The visual gags never disappoint and the animation on Chantel DuBois is so expressive that I’m surprised the animators didn’t get the recognition in bringing her character to life. It’s a full-blown cartoon as anything goes and the movie often breaks the rules compared to what you’d see in a Disney or Pixar film. This is not only some of the best visuals from the Madagascar franchise, it may also debatably be the best visuals I’ve seen from the DreamWorks studio which is saying quite a lot.
The music is once again done by Hanz Zimmer who does a great job at delivering an epic and lively score even though the movie itself is just one big Tex Avery or Chuck Jones Cartoon. The orchestrations are great but it's impressive in the way they insert the pop songs into this movie. Instead of having them be inserted into the movie so the film can sell you the soundtrack, the movie cleverly uses pop songs to work alongside the visuals so it can make for a unique experience. The best example of this is when the film plays Katy Perry’s “Firework” over the circus performance which is meant to work with the visual splendor of the performance instead of taking it away. There is also another rendition of “I Like to Move It Move It” which is mixed in with Marty’s circus afro joke which is funny but also very catchy. I would not expect any less from Hanz Zimmer and he fully delivers his all with the addition of successfully incorporating the pop songs in unique ways.
Every Madagascar movie has both good and bad elements that are present throughout the franchise. Europe’s Most Wanted though seems to have perfected the formula while also changing things up to make the story and characters more charming and heartfelt than usual. While it’s far from perfect, this is the Madagascar movie that manages to do many entertaining and engaging things making it arguably the best of the franchise. Its charming storytelling, lovable characters, hilarious jokes, and even inventive animation go far beyond the call of duty to create a rockin good time. I hear rumors that there may be a 4th Madagascar in the works but this 3rd movie is honestly the perfect conclusion to the franchise that may be flawed but had its moments both good and bad.
(Final Grade: B+)