In “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) are once again trying to get home to their cozy cages at the Central Park Zoo. This time around, the friends find themselves in Monaco being chased by a crazed animal-control officer named Madame DuBois (Frances McDormand), who is seriously dedicated to her job.
The quintet decide to join a traveling circus to avoid arousing suspicion, but even there they don’t seem to fit right in with the hardened and trained animals. They must each find their own unique talents that they can use while in the circus and all while evading capture from DuBois.
Once again the maniacal penguins join them on their quest, as do the clueless lemur King Julien XIII (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his trustworthy servant Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer).
Below, we have four clips from “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.”
In the first clip, “Snorkeling,” we start off with some classic “Madagascar” humor as the group is trying to be all stealthy, but Melman doesn’t see the point in keeping his head below the surface like the rest. There is more comedy to come with Marty mocking their muffled talk through the snorkeling gear. We also see that the beginning of the plot is to find the penguins, who somehow will be gambling in the Monte Carlo casino apparently.
As is the case in any group of friends, we see the struggle for dominance and power in the “I’m the Leader” clip. It’s funny, after two films you would have thought that they figure out the group dynamic by now. We also get an appearance by King Julien, Maurice and the obsessive wide-eyed mouse lemur Mort (Andy Richter), who are a pivotal part of the group’s plans. But, as we have seen in the first two films, King Julien is not one to be tamed.
As it is one of the standout comedic moments in the trailer, the third clip “Afro Circus” is bound to be a fan-favorite moment in the film. I have also learned that Marty’s wacky song and dance will be a recurring theme in the film, culminating in a song-and-dance number by many other animals from the circus. We also get to see more of Alex and his interaction with the trained circus animals and how his mindset of dominance might cause some friction with Siberian tiger Vitaly.
In the final clip, “Human Cannonball,” we get the introduction of Stefano (Martin Short), a happy and adventurous sea lion who is up for any task to help save the circus. We all know that shooting yourself out of a cannon is a bad idea and, surprisingly, Marty is warning him against this silly move, but then lets him do it anyways. As always, Martin Short is a great voice actor and I am sure will add a little bit more craziness to an already funny and eclectic cast of characters.
What do you think of this third “Madagascar” movie? Will it be as funny or thrilling as the original was, or are the fans of this franchise growing up faster than they can make the movies?
I think that this type of film will always be appealing to younger viewers and many adults. It’s not looking to be an award-winner like “How to Train Your Dragon” or gut-wrenchingly emotional like “Toy Story 3,” it is just a fun movie for the whole family to watch. An added bonus is the major expansion of the voice cast which includes everyone I have already mentioned and also Jessica Chastain, Paz Vega, Tom McGrath and many others.
“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is set to unleash its wild side in theaters June 8 and will be available in traditional 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.
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That afro circus clip is pretty hilarious.