Halfway through, becomes a really funny adult animation film.
Comment
05/26/05
Madagascar (2005)
55
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:179
Fresh:98
Rotten:81
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: A solid if unspectacular CGI flick.
Theatrical Release:15-07-2005
Synopsis: The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature. Chris Rock does the voice of... [More]
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Reviews for Madagascar
141 - 160 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
The movie fails to satisfy on such a fundamental level that it either must be setting itself up for a Madagascar 2 or must hope that the audience isn't paying too much attention. I vote for the latter.
05/26/05
The movie is like a doughnut, with frosting on the edges and a big hole in the middle.
05/26/05
Top CriticHow many ways can you tell a fart joke? Dreamworks Animation continues to ponder the question that has puzzled humanity with Madagascar.
05/26/05
[I]mmensely witty and deeply poignant, a fiercely humanistic [story] that, for all that it’s ostensibly about animals, is really about us...
05/26/05
Like many computer-animated features, this one, about four animals exiled from the Central Park Zoo, expends most of its imaginative resources on clever visuals.
05/26/05
Top CriticAs with most recent animated features not affiliated with Pixar Studios, Madagascar oversells itself with superstar voices and set pieces bloated with noise and undernourished in wit.
05/26/05
Surprisingly clumsy in its efforts to please young and old alike. A major disappointment.
05/26/05
A good-natured kid flick.
05/26/05
It's pretty much the only family option right now, and it's not a bad one.
05/26/05
The film never gets going. It's too slow and plodding for kids.
05/26/05
While teens and adults can do worse than Madagascar (anyone for Kingdom of Heaven?), this slight and amusing 'toon is mostly a trip designed for the kiddie crowd to take in.
05/26/05
Some charming performances and saucy humor cannot save this movie from its surprising insensitivity.
05/26/05
If Madagascar is in all ways a sunnier place than Walt Disney's matricidal canon, it is also a correspondingly less magical kingdom.
05/26/05
We should all be grateful that this movie's around to remove the metallic taste left by Robots and the fishy odor that emanated from Shark Tale.
05/26/05
The movie sadly runs aground on old gags that no amount of eye-popping color and frenzied action can spin into gold.
05/26/05
Though far from memorable, and bogged down by incongruous shout-outs to other movies, it's still a perfectly pleasant, slight summer diversion that’s worth the escape.
05/26/05
Like Looney Tunes, there's cartoon craziness for the kids and knowing, 'wink-wink' humor to keep the grown-ups giggling and guessing at the film allusions that fill the clever script.
05/26/05
It's a solid effort with a broad reach.
05/26/05
Another triumph of animation technique over anything that could reasonably be called a story.
05/26/05
Latest News for Madagascar
December 05, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Writers Warm to Madagascar 2; UK Critics Liked Lakeview Terrace
With thirteen new releases in the UK cinemas this weekend, let Rotten Tomatoes help you sort the tinsel from the turkeys. We have animals on the loose in Madagascar: Escape 2... More...
August 15, 2008:
Weekly Ketchup: Kung Fu Panda 2, Wheel of Time and more
This week's Ketchup bottle brings news about Kung Fu Panda 2, Madagascar 3, development news about the Wheel of Time series, and casting news about Mike Myers and Billy Bob... More...
June 07, 2007:
Release Dates Set for "Shrek 4" and "Shrek 5"
Well, release years anyway, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg. More...
March 08, 2007:
Chris Rock Hangs with Zebra Pack in "Madagascar 2"
"Madagascar" had Marty the zebra searching for his wild home in the jungles of Africa. Since the movie made so much money, all the zoo animals are back in the wild for... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds