madly madagascar

Article first published as DVD Review: Madly Madagascar on Blogcritics.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, 20th Century Fox has released an all new DreamWorks Animation adventure featuring everyone's favorite former zoo animals in Madly Madagascar.

Set between the second and third Madagascar films, before the Penguins went to Monte Carlo, all of the gang is on hand to celebrate Alex the Lion's (Ben Stiller) favorite holiday, Valentine's Day. But Alex isn't the only one who wants Valentine's Day to be perfect. Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) is planning a romantic surprise for his true love Gloria the Hippopotamus (Jada Pinkett Smith), while Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock) is trying to makes a new special friend - a female Okapi. King Julien and those rascally Penguins are also on hand with a love potion that throws all of the gang into a frenzy.

The animated short, written and directed by David Soren, only runs 22 minutes, but luckily there is more fun in store on the disc. Two other DreamWorks Animation shorts are also included. The first, Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure, features characters (voiced by Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, and Steve Carell), from Over the Hedge, and a really sweet short titled First Flight, written and directed by Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson, which features a harried commuter who makes an unexpected friend. Also included are trailers for the animated feature film Rise of the Guardians and for the series based onthe animated film How to Train Your Dragon, Dragons: Riders of the Berk.

All of the animation looks bright and sharp, especially on a large-scale, high-definition television screen. The screen format is widescreen, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. SDH subtitles are in English, with Spanish and French subtitles also available. The sound is Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (Spanish).

Most of the original cast is on hand to recreate their well-loved characters. Only Sacha Baron Cohen is missing as King Julien, who is voiced here by Danny Jacobs. Although some kids may be disappointed that Madly Madagascar is on the short side, they will definitely enjoy watching some of their favorite animated friends indulge in some good-natured Valentines Day mayhem.

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