[The News Bot]

Madagascar contains all the right ingredients for an animated family-favourite – cute animals, snappy dialogue, heaps of movie-references, entrancing visuals and even a catchy, kid-pleasing score – but somehow, somewhere along the way it manages to miss the mark. Never quite as funny, nor as clever as it thinks it is being, the film is still a joy to watch. The characters and the vocal talents employed to bring them to life are a little too familiar and somewhat stereotypical to stand out from the crowd, with one or two of them just plain annoying. The penguins steal the show, folks.

Its DVD incarnation is pure quality in terms of AV performance, however. The look and sound of the movie is utterly tremendous with a practically flawless transfer that, like all the best animation, simply begs to be viewed on the biggest possible screen. The extras leave a fair bit to be desired, being rather run-of-the-mill filler, but it must be remembered that this release is, primarily, aimed at children. And, if the pleasure, and repeatability that the film has brought to my little lad, is anything to go by, then Madagascar is still a fairly essential purchase for families.

Reasonably enjoyable, then … but more Shark Tale than Shrek.
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