Madagascar, the newest computer animated feature from DreamWorks, is pure wacky fun.
Somewhere in this story of four runaway zoo animals, are important themes about friendship but they never really take centre stage.
Directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath and their writers Mark Burton and Billy Frolick are far more interested in spinning jokes.
About five or six every couple of minutes.
There are puns, sight gags, film references and innuendo aimed primarily at children, but with enough adult humour to make Madagascar a genuine family film.
The film opens in New York's Central Park Zoo where Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) is celebrating his 10th birthday.
He should be happy, because his friends Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) have thrown him a great little party with hats, cakes, presents and the opportunity for one very special wish.
Marty wishes he could leave civilization and live in the wild, where animals are free to be themselves and not showpieces for humans.
Through a series of wild catastrophies orchestrated by a quartet of scheming penguins, Marty gets his wish and shares it with his friends.
They end up stranded on Madagascar, an island inhabited primarily by lemurs.
The zoo animals soon realize their paradise has more than a few snakes.
Alex is overtaken by his carnivorous side and his friends become potential dinners instead of dinner guests.
It's never really frightening except on an intellectual level, because the lemurs are so hilarious they distract from this darker theme.
As Julian, the self-styled king of the lemurs, Sacha Baron Cohen of Da AliG Show does for Madagascar what Robin Williams did for Aladdin and Eddie Murphy for Shrek.
His verbal tirades are side-splittingly funny, especially when set against the droll academia of Cedric the Entertainer, who plays his wise counsellor.
Equally funny are the penguins, who are like small-time Goodfellas.
Though Stiller, Rock, Schwimmer and Pinkett Smith give their animals true personalities, they're not as fun or funny as the supporting characters.
Though a bit slow at the beginning, once the animals reach the wild, directors, writers and voice talent really put the mad in Madagascar.
The use of music is inspired, especially using the inspirational lyrics and tune of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong to show how a real jungle is dangerous place for the young, weak and unsuspecting.
There are many film references. Everything from Tom Hanks' character in Castaway to Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes.
Madagascar is no Shrek, The Incredibles or Finding Nemo, but it is superior to Shark Tale and Robots.
(This film is rated G)
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