I write this review as an eighteen year old teenagee boy, i.e. probably not DreamWorks' ideal concept of target audience, but I had heard it was a successful film, and after owning the film for quite a while, I finally got around to watching it.

I am an avid fan of the Shrek films, so hoped this enjoyment would allow me to reap the entertainment from this, at least for the 86 minutes it runs. I was also drawn to the film after learning it encased the voices of Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer, both of whom, are actors I particularly enjoy watching.

You may be able to hazard a guess and bet that this would not be my most favourite cup of tea, and in truth, you would be right. To an extent. You see, for a film to really entertain me, so mush so that I would want to repeatedly watch it again and again, it would have to be something special. This, was not overly special, although I can se how many people love it, as even I liked it. If I was a little younger, I reckon I would probably enjoy this film even more.

As with many animated films, some of the scenes were actually pretty funny, and I even found myself audibly laughing on a number of occasions.
The thing which let it down I feel, was the storyline. Obviously aimed at a much younger audience, it did not really entertain me that much, which is a shameful downfall.

Ben Stiller plays Alex the lion, who is the apparent 'cool dude' of the crew, soaking up the attention he can summon. Working with some of the others, he can be quite funny in places, though he is not my favourite character.

Jada Pinkett Smith is to me, a previously unheard actress, who plays Gloria the hippo in Madagascar. The sensible one of the group, she was the calming character that did not appeal to me very much. In a film like this, it is the crazy wildness that amuses me most, so for a character to try and reduce these scenes, I was obviously not majorly enthrawled.

Chris Rock voiced Marty the zebra. Chris Rock is normally a very funny guy, a talent which evidently rubbed off on his character. The intended comic of the group, he was very entertaining and made me laugh on a number of occasions.

David Schwimmer, the star of the show, was the voice of Melman the giraffe. His simplicity and cautiosness made this one heck of a comical character. Although not intending to be, I did feel he was the funniest of the four, thus meaning he was, for me, the most enjoyable character.

Those were the four main characters, but I feel it would be worth mentioning the small group of penguins. These are the sort of penguins who feel they are trained assassins, capable of anything. Which obviously they are not. Sometimes it was incredibly funny to watch as they tried to complete their planned stunts, and gain freedom, yet end up inches away from where they started, and other various trials.

So I guess what I am saying with this is, if you are a young child, then this is probably for you, but if you generally tend to prefer a more sophisticated affair, I would look elsewhere, unless you want something to lighlty break up the norm.