MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED (Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon, Tom McGrath). 85 minutes. Opens Friday (June 8). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNN
If you’re stuck with babysitting duties, you could do a lot worse than spend a zippy, silly and antic hour and a half with the continent-hopping animals in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) make a break for New York City by trekking across Europe, where they team up with some audaciously sinister penguins and other glorious new additions to the franchise.
The gang join a travelling circus that includes a sneering Siberian tiger (Bryan Cranston) and a sleek jaguar (Jessica Chastain, who oozes sex appeal even as a cartoon animal). On their tails is a villainous animal control chief. The magnificent Frances McDormand voices this full-figured, stereotypical Euro-sleaze woman with malevolent glee.
The humour is often pandering, but there are some cute zingers (particularly in reference to Canadians). You’ve got to wonder how much co-writer Noah Baumbach (The Squid And The Whale, Fantastic Mr. Fox) added to it.
While the plot makes no attempts at logic, anyone who questions it should be reminded that they’re watching a movie about talking animals. Actually, these animals are talking, dancing, walking tightropes, swinging from trapezes and being fired from canons – all to put on an extravagant neon, 3-D show that will wow kids and adults alike.
