Place in the saga
It is the first film in the Madagascar series; you do not need to know other installments to start with this one.
References:wikipedia.org
Film record
Madagascar
Madagascar (2005), by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, is an animated survival comedy about four animals from the Central Park Zoo who must make do outside their usual environment.
- Production countries
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Genres
- comedy film · adventure film · survival film · buddy film · children's film
The starting point
Spoiler-free synopsis
Alex, Marty, and their friends live in the Central Park Zoo in New York. When they end up on the island of Madagascar, these animals accustomed to captivity face the challenge of adapting to wild life.
Before you press play
What to know before watching
Humor and violence
The family-friendly orientation does not exclude some risqué jokes and sexual innuendos; violence is presented in a cartoonish and humorous key.
Understanding the reception
What people think
A synthesis of the referenced review and comment excerpts. It represents the consulted sources, not a consensus of all critics or viewers.
What critics highlight
Appreciated aspects
Visual aspect and humor
Roger Ebert highlights the retro-style visual appeal and considers that the film makes you laugh, especially at the beginning.
References:rogerebert.com
Reservations and challenges
Script and freshness
Fila Siete's review sees it as a nice story, but less solid compared to films that, in their opinion, offer more depth and freshness.
References:filasiete.com
Sources for this guide
Prepared with AI assistance and automated evidence and spoiler checks. This is not a first-hand viewing review or a numerical rating. Internal quotations are not reproduced; references provide the original context.
- wikipedia.orgDocumentary excerpt
- wikipedia.orgSearch excerpt
- commonsensemedia.orgSearch excerpt
- pluggedin.comSearch excerpt
- rogerebert.comSearch excerpt
- filasiete.comSearch excerpt
Credits
Direction
Eric Darnell — Directing
Tom McGrath — Directing
Editing
H. Lee Peterson — Editing
Music
Hans Zimmer — Music composition
Cast
Ben Stiller — Voice acting
Chris Rock — Voice acting
David Schwimmer — Voice acting
Jada Pinkett Smith — Voice acting
Sacha Baron Cohen — Voice acting
Cedric the Entertainer — Voice acting
Tom McGrath — Voice acting
Chris Miller — Voice acting
Jeffrey Katzenberg — Voice acting
Christopher Knights — Voice acting
Andy Richter — Voice acting
Elisa Gabrielli — Voice acting (Nana)
Eric Darnell — Voice acting
Conrad Vernon — Voice acting
Production
Mireille Soria — Production
Writing
Eric Darnell — Screenwriting
Tom McGrath — Screenwriting
Mark Burton — Screenwriting
Documented participation
Film companies and organizations
Each relationship distinguishes role, territory, medium and period.
Distribution
VerifiedDreamWorks Pictures
Production
VerifiedDreamWorks Animation
Production
VerifiedPacific Data Images
Versions and cuts
No versions have been documented yet.
Releases by territory
United States · Original release
Related reading
Cinema in the 2000s: Visible Works, Incomplete Context
A decade organizes a period, not a single aesthetic. Films, industries and exhibition circuits can change at different rates; one case cannot alone represent all the cinema of those years.
Film connections
Connected films
Non-personalised suggestions built from visible relationships, not popularity.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Shares the comedy film genre
- Shares the United States cinema
- Similar runtime
The Wild Robot
- Shares the adventure film genre
- Shares the United States cinema
- Similar runtime
Elio
- Shares the adventure film genre
- Shares the United States cinema
- Similar runtime
Forrest Gump
- Shares the comedy film genre
- Shares the United States cinema
Bad Cat
- Shares the comedy film genre
- Similar runtime
