Those of us who`ve caught the previous installments in the series will probably already be aware of the premise: Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) are still pining for their home in New York`s Central Park Zoo. This time their journey takes them through Europe under the guise of traveling circus performers. Add in your token melodramatic lemurs, militaristic penguins, and a few Italian accented newcomers; you`ve pretty much got the trademark shenanigans that made the series popular.
While it follow the formula of virtually every animated movie since Finding Nemo, Madagascar 3 has the sort of over-the-top panache that may make it entertaining even for adults who`re young at heart. The villain this time round is the dastardly Captain Chantel Dubois, who wants to mount Alex`s head on her wall, and speaks her line in a gloriously hokey French accent, thanks to the vocal talents of Frances McDormand.
The visuals are garish, the pacing hyperactive, and the plot non-existent, as befitting a movie targeted at the young `uns. Nonetheless, Madagascar 3 is unabashedly fun enough that adult caretakers will probably derive entertainment from catching it with their kidsâ€