Despite the fact that the trailer had a couple of pretty funny moments… you could just tell that Madagascar was going to be the first legitimate let-down for a 3D animated feature. Yes, the film has an allstar cast of names doing the voices… but unlike Pixar films, they just don’t seem to be voices that bring a creative edge or personality to the characters they’re portraying.
So the reviews are coming in, and predictably they aren’t so hot… they aren’t HORRIBLE… but they are easily the worst I’ve seen for a 3D animated feature so far. Here’s what’s being said:
“Kinda funny. Kinda annoying. Pretty. In love with its own mediocrity.”
— Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR“Modestly improving upon the wretched DreamWorks animation template, Madagascar still fails to approximate Pixar’s trademark mix of hilarity and poignancy.”
— Nicholas Schager, SLANT MAGAZINE“After you see Madagascar, you start to think that the movies are being dumbed down even for small children.”
— David Denby, NEW YORKER
I’ll still be going to see this on Friday, because it’s in my nature to give all 3D films a chance, but my expectations remain low. If you want to read more reviews of Madagascar you can go here.
