Madagascar

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Madagascar

PG

Released May 27, 2005

1h 26m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

192 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends -- Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo -- have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape -- with the help of some prodigious penguins -- to explore the world.

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Critics Consensus

Though its story is problematic in spots and its humor is hit-or-miss for the adult crowd, Madagascar boasts impressive visuals and enough spunky charm to keep children entertained.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Boring and bedraggled.

Nov 16, 2011

Full Review

Erin Clements

Time Out

Lame scatalogical gags and worn pop-culture parodies abound, but the CGI animation romp is somewhat redeemed by the scene-stealing appearances of several supporting characters.

Sep 20, 2008

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Doesn't really live up to the promise that the idea and voice talent deserve. But it's still spirited, amiable, featherweight summer fun.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 7, 2006

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Not only is the film forgettable, it’s gallingly despicable.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 9, 2024

Full Review

Olly Richards

Sunday Times (UK)

The voice cast — Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen — is inspired and the jokes are absolutely packed in.

Sep 19, 2022

Full Review

Mat Brunet

AniMat's Review (YouTube)

Madagascar is a fantastic animated feature that is a great example of DreamWorks Animation during the peak of their early years.

Rated: 9/10

Sep 9, 2022

Full Review

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Debbie

Perfect movie for the kids and some of us "young at heart". The kids thought it was great.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/12/23

Full Review

stephan C

Both kids and adults can enjoy this movie. Plenty of action.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/12/21

Full Review

Gareth v

A rather mundane effort that lacks laughs. The kids may love it, but not enough there to keep adults entertained like the best animated movies do.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

Full Review

Hailee B

For being back in 2005, I took for granted this freaking animation style, it still looks freaking good 25 years later!!. Marty and Alex are the best friends dynamic duo. im glad it was created, and he is the bestie that is self-conceited lol. Spy penguins, ugh, my goodness, greatness right there. I am so glad they got their own spinoff TV show. Well deserved, so funny, can't stop laughing with all the animals. High-class freaking zoo, only if that was a real thing, I would be at that thing almost every day, even if I don't have any kids. Great concept for a starter and a first movie to start a series on exploring the outside world of the zoo, I would be extremely curious too!!. Haha, good joke lol when he picked up the phone and talked all the humans hear is the roaring, that's what I've been thinking my whole life, how animals talk, and that's a language humans will never be able to learn, unless you are a special type of person. For being in 2005, that trippy effect after being shot in the butt was great. I enjoyed that very random, but I enjoyed it. So many great adult jokes in this movie, im so glad none of that clicked for me until now, once I finally rewatched this movie, too funny. Man, you all really made a dark turn for the animals to realize reality sucks like a mf and what a savior for penguins, time to go home, Greta movie!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Estiben Julian Q

I really like the characters in Madagascar, they are really funny, there are some fun comedy scenes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

Full Review

Tamara K

The best thing about this film is the references to old television shows and movies. Unfortunately unless you are a Baby Boomer you won't get most of them.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

Full Review

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Eric Darnell

Director

Tom McGrath

Director

Ben Stiller

Alex the Lion

Chris Rock

Marty the Zebra

David Schwimmer

Melman the Giraffe

Jada Pinkett Smith

Gloria the Hippo

Madagascar: Official Clip - Penguin Boat Takeover

2:53

Madagascar: Official Clip - Caught in Grand Central Station

3:45

Madagascar: Official Clip - A Toast to Alex

2:49

Madagascar: Official Clip - Alex Goes Crazy

0:00

Madagascar: Official Clip - Penguins to the Rescue

3:13

Madagascar: Official Clip - I Like to Move It Move It

2:43

Madagascar: Official Clip - Shipped to Africa

2:10

Madagascar: Official Clip - What a Wonderful World

2:07

Madagascar: Official Clip - On the Beach

3:09

Madagascar: Official Clip - Crying Mort

3:42

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37:04

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Synopsis

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends -- Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo -- have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape -- with the help of some prodigious penguins -- to explore the world.

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Producer: Teresa Cheng, Mireille Soria
Screenwriter: Mark Burton, Billy Frolick, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG
Rating: PG (Mild Language|Crude Humor|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $193.1M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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