Madagascar is easily the best of Dreamworks’ (or PDI’s) recent animated films. The animation is filled with great character poses, holds, and snappy movement, and the designs and composition are fresh in a way that makes Shrek look only mediocre. And really, those penguins are hilarious.
While Madagascar was thoroughly entertaining, Dreamworks’ first film, Prince of Egypt, still holds a special place for me. It was risky and dramatic in a way that few films were before or since. We are now clearly in the era of Pixar-inspired buddy comedies. Maybe audiences won’t grow tired of that formula, as they did 10 years ago when every studio was attempting to mimic Disney’s musicals, but I’m still hopeful that a traditional studio will seize the opportunity to reinvent the artform, again.
