Madagascar

I found the movie to be good and enjoyable. My colleague told me to look out for the penguins, as they were really funny and cute. They were, but too bad they didn’t have enough screen time.

The movie was obviously targetted at children, unlike other animation movies which also appealed to adults, like Shark Tale and Robots. It used the cute factor a lot, especially in the animals and their antics. Even the songs were in a way kiddie, with repetitive words and catchy tune. To tell the truth, I can still hear the song in my head as I write this.

Somehow, I left the cinema feeling unsatisfied. It was unmemorable. Unlike Shrek, even though both were produced by Dreamworks Animation. I felt Shrek was a lot better than Madagascar.

The closest analogy which I could think of is having a meal at a good restaurant. You loved the appetiser, the main course was excellent and the wine was full bodied. For some unknown reason, the restaurant doesn't serve desserts. As such, you left feeling unsatisfied, like something was missing.

It would have been almost perfect, if the restaurant had served some dessert, say, tiramisu. Dessert is important too (though some might argue it is the most important), as it constitutes a part of the package. Without it, the package is incomplete.

Personally, I felt that Madagascar suffered from lack of a strong storyline and message. It was a lot of fun and more fun. On the other hand, a good example of a movie with those two qualities was The Incredibles. I may be biased, but I think Pixar produces better animation movies. Just look at A Bug’s Life, Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

Hopefully Cars will maintain Pixar’s reputation for great stories and ground-breaking animation. It was scheduled to be released this year, but postponed to June 2006.

As such, I give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.0. It could have been a 4.0, but the dessert costs half a point.

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Also, I have added two new links under Blog Links. One is amphibian, someone whom I feel has a strong character and knows what he wants. Another is pluboy. I found his writings interesting and his daily experiences eventful.