Madagascar

Housed in the Central Park Zoo, star-performing lion Alex (Stiller), neurotic giraffe Melman (Schwimmer), and sensible hippo Gloria (Pinkett-Smith), are all content with their pampered lifestyle and the adoration they get from the crowds. However, depressed zebra Marty (Rock) desires to be free in the wild, much to the disbelief of his friends. Sneaking out one night into the big city, Marty gets a taste of freedom, but it's cut short when his friends come to rescue him, and they all are caught. Packed into crates and kicked out of the zoo, the group are sent on a journey to an animal refuge in Africa. The journey quickly goes awry, sending them to a new foreign land. They're back in the wild, all right, but without survival training.

After chasing Disney and Pixar with productions such as Antz, Shrek and Shark Tale, Dreamworks animation have finally found their own footing with this charming and hilarious outing. Taking their cue from Shrek, the production features a voice cast laden with heavyweight celebrity names. Stiller, Pinkett-Smith, Schwimmer and Rock make for a great group, sharing skillful chemistry and comic timing. The variety of characters makes for a wonderful offering, appealing to multiple audiences with a perfect balance between wit and slapstick.

Whilst the cute CG animation is heightened by strong, vivid colors and boxy character design, Madagascar is also genuinely funny and pleasurably devoid of sentiment, it focuses instead on getting laughs - which it achieves with ease.

Alex Coe