MADAGASCAR

Year: 2005
USA: DreamWorks Distribution
UK: UIP (UK)
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, Chris Miller, Conrad Vernon, Eric Darnell, David Cowgill, Steve Apostolina, Elisa Gabrielli, Devika Parikh, David P Smith, Cody Cameron
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Country: USA
USA & UK: 88 mins
USA Rated: PG for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements
UK Certificate: U contains mild language
USA Release Date: 27 May 2005
UK Release Date: 15 July 2005

Movie information:
Movie information:

Synopsis

From DreamWorks Animation SKG comes the new computer-animated comedy MADAGASCAR, starring the voices of Ben Stiller (MEET THE FOCKERS, MEET THE PARENTS), Chris Rock (CHRIS ROCK: NEVER SCARED), David Schwimmer (TV's FRIENDS) and Jada Pinkett Smith (COLLATERAL).

Alex the Lion (Stiller) is the king of the urban jungle as the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Pinkett Smith) have lived their entire lives in blissfully ignorant captivity, complete with lavish meals and their own park views.

Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty allows his curiosity to get the better of him and, with the help of some prodigious penguins, makes his escape to explore the world he's been missing, intending to return before morning. In the middle of the night, Alex, Melman and Gloria discover their friend missing and decide the only course of action is to break out of the zoo and get Marty back home before anyone notices they're gone.

Even in New York City, a lion, giraffe and hippopotamus wandering the streets and riding the subway are bound to attract some attention. Alex, Melman and Gloria manage to track Marty down in Grand Central Station, but before they can catch the train back to the zoo, they are darted, captured, crated and put on a ship to Africa.

When those plotting penguins sabotage the ship, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria find themselves washed ashore on the exotic island of Madagascar. Now, these native New Yorkers have to figure out how to survive in the wild and discover the true meaning of the phrase "It's a jungle out there."

MADAGASCAR also features the voices of Sacha Baron Cohen (HBO's DA ALI G SHOW), Cedric The Entertainer (BARBERSHOP) and Andy Richter (ELF). The computer-animated comedy is directed by Eric Darnell (ANTZ) and Tom McGrath (THE REN & STIMPY SHOW), marking McGrath's feature film directorial debut. Mireille Soria (SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON) produced MADAGASCAR, with Teresa Cheng serving as co-producer. The screenplay was written by Mark Burton & Billy Frolick and Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath.