Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted poster & wallpaper
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Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen ... see more see more... , Cedric the Entertainer , Andy Richter , Tom McGrath , Frances McDormand , Jessica Chastain , Bryan Cranston , Martin Short , Chris Miller , Christopher Knights , Conrad Vernon , Vinnie Jones , Steve Jones , Nick Fletcher , Paz Vega , Frank Welker , Danny Jacobs , Dan O'Connor , Eric Darnell , Stephen Kearin , Emily Nordwind , Asucena Jimenez

Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins are all along fo... read more read more...r the comedic adventure. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style. -- (C) Dreamworks

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74% liked it

223,655 ratings

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79% liked it

129 critics

PG, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Eric Darnell

Release Date: June 8, 2012

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DVD Release Date: October 16, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (6,368)

  • SirPant
    May 13, 2013
    SirPant
    My immediate reaction to Madagascar 3 was 'Was this written by a 7 year old'?. The answer is no, it was written by Noah Baumbach! Double-u tee haitch! The story was awful. The laughs came few and far between and weren't all that funny. The only thing I enjoyed was Martin Short's ... read moreStefano. It felt like a vehicle for a video game more than anything and a lazy 3rd 'people will go see it whether it's good or not' cash in.
  • deano
    February 10, 2013
    deano
    Wonderful, adventure and lots of laugh in this third animation film of four animals.
    It starts as it means to go on: with scant regard for anything approaching logic, as our four heroes - having finally made it all the way to Africa - quickly decide that they're utterly bored wi... read moreth life on the savannah. Dreaming of refuge back at the zoo in Central Park, they head for Europe. A movie that was concerned with plot holes or "reality" would spend ages trying to figure out how to get these four talking animals from Africa to Europe. Madagascar 3's three directors know that because they're talking animals, anything toes, and so simply cuts to them washing up on the shores of Monte Carlo. The solution? Snorkels. Well, of course.
    It sets the pace for what's to come. Which is, in short, deliciously bonkers. In quick succession, the team reunite with the sardonic Skipper (co-director Tom McGrath) and his magnificently twisted penguins, clean out a casino, and find themselves pursued by the series' first human antagonist, Frances McDormand's French animal control inspector, Chantal DuBois. An unstoppable Terminatrix who's desperate to put Alex's head on her wall of furry fame, DuBois is a hilarious - if not entirely politically correct - creation, and is often the source of the film's best jokes, whether it's her unflappability and Matrix-like reactions in the insane Monte Carlo car chase (the car, of course, being driven by the penguins), or a slew of great sight gags as the action moves to Italy and she outwits a succession of bumbling local polizia.
    As our heroes elude DuBois by joining a ramshackle travelling circus peopled - or should that be animated? - by deadbeat rejects desperate to recapture past glories, the pace continues to zip along, and the new characters - including Bryan Cranston as a sinister tiger with hidden depths - blend well with the existing set. In fact, if anything, the original quartet are given short shrift during the second half of the movie, bar Stiller's Alex and Sacha Baron Cohen's demented lemur, King Julien XIII, who bags arguably the movie's funniest scenes as he embarks upon a beautiful and ill-considered inter-species love affair.
    In many ways, that ever-so-slightly-wrong subplot is a perfect example of why Madagascar 3 is a movie that Pixar, for all it virtues, simply couldn't make. There are no wholesome message here, and any "be the best you can be" moments feel like half-hearted sops.
    Instead, this is a gleefully joyous, zany and anarchic animation where the chief issue confronted is an old one that's gripped comedians from time immemorial: simply put, make 'em laugh. While it may blunder down the odd comedy cul-de-sac, Madagascar 3 is often inspired and very, very funny.
  • spielberg00
    November 24, 2012
    spielberg00
    After a horrific personal experience, I advise you all to remove Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted from your "want" lists.

    Full review at themoviefreakblog.com on 11/23
  • kiriyamakazou
    November 3, 2012
    kiriyamakazou
    Madagascar continues to give us enjoyable and light comedic bites. The animals decide they must return to New York by hitching a ride with a circus that first travels around Europe. This time the penguins again steal the show, and not just because I love penguins. The big problem... read more is, once again, the amount of flipping characters. It's seriously distracting as now the original gang and the circus gang have almost an equal amount of screentime. Some characters such as Schwimmer's Melman and Pinkett's Gloria are pretty much just background dressing now. I know I complained about each character having a separate character arc last time, but shouldn't they at least have something to do? Luckily, the jokes are better than before and some of the chase sequences add a new kind of caper comedy not seen before. McDormand as a member of animal control is a particular highlight. Fast and funny, the film should appeal to a wide audience, even those that weren't enchanted by the last two.
  • skeletonking101
    November 1, 2012
    skeletonking101
    Now if you know me, then you know i'm not a huge fan of the first Madagascar film. It has some funny moments but it does drag at some parts and it didn't entertain me as much as I thought it would and is just another film to throw on the okay film pile of Dreamworks animation. Th... read moree sequel on the other hand is a step up. I like the idea of giving Alex a better back story, I like having the characters even more out of their environment being in africa, and having Alex's parents be the main focus was a good idea. Plus Bernie Mac does a very good job at playing Alex's father. Now I wasn't expecting much from this film, in fact when I first saw the trailer I thought this film was just another cash in by dreamworks just to make another unnessecary sequel. But what drew my attention, was the reviews it was getting. On Rottentomatoes alone the film got 78% which I was very shocked about seeing how the series has gotten pretty average reviews. The first film got a 55% and the second a 64% and to have this one get a actual good film rating on RT was shocking, especially for a film trilogy and having the films progress the further they go is very rare, especially for animated films.

    Now the characters. By this point all the main characters are fleshed out very well. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock are hilarious as usual having good comedic banter with each other and David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith do great jobs at being funny as well. Sacha Baron Cohen is as hilarious as ever when he is playing King Julien, and Andy Richter and Cedric the Entertainer are both very funny as well as Mort and Maurice. The four new characters are also very well written and all great characters. Bryan Cranston is great as Vitaly the Tiger making him brutish and mean but giving him a good personality and has a pretty interesting backstory told later in the film. Martin Short is hilarious as Stefano the Sea Lion giving his usual comedic touch like has given in other films and making him very likable. Out of all the characters my favorite of the new inclusions is Gia the Jaguar played by Jessica Chasatain. She is very funny and a fantastic love interest for Alex and probably one of my favorite female characters in film due to making her funny, cute, and a very likable character. The only real character I'm on the fence about is Frances Mcdormmand's character. Dubois is a very strange villain to have in a kid's film. She's scheming yes, but she is very, very creepy. she constantly will sniff the ground or lick animal tracks to find where the animals have gone. I get that they're making her like a hunter trying to find its prey but its just creepy and not very funny and it seems like they were trying to make it funny. Not saying she isn't well written its just she's very disturbing.

    Now for the animation. Now seeing how Dreamworks has had some pretty remarkable looking animated films in the past two years, I was at least hoping for something interesting to look at in this film. But you know what? this is hands down the most beautiful looking 3-D animated films I've seen in my life. The lighting and detail on the mountain, fur textures, the car and streets, buildings, it all looks just flat out beautiful and well detailed. Now I think that some animated films are very beautiful, Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are prime examples of what I think are some of the most beautiful animated films I've ever seen, but this hands down takes the cake for most beautiful film I've ever seen. Now in terms of films that look beautiful in CG, I think the example of what I think the most beautiful looking Pixar film is Wall-E or Finding Nemo, but those films compared to just this one scene, there's no comparison. All I can say, I wish I saw this in 3D on the big screen just see how beautiful this film would've looked.

    Now the Comedy. Dreamworks have had hit or miss in terms of comedy, one film could be very funny such as Megamind, or hardly getting a chuckle out of me such as Over the Hedge or Flushed Away. And at first the film wasn't really making me laugh that much. there were a few moments that made me laugh but not that much, but the further the film progressed the more I started laughing. There is very good sight gags later and some extremely good slapstick like when Alex is trying to show Gia his trapeze "skills" and constantly goofing up but she thinks that it is all part of the act. King Julien also gets some very hilarious scenes involving a bear that rides a little bike that he has a crush for, which leads to a very funny scene later in the film but I won't dare ruin it. The only real thing that everyone found funny that I personally didn't find that funny was the Afro Circus thing, its good for a little chuckle but it's not as funny as some of the other moments in the film.

    Overall this is hands down the best animated film in my mind that Dreamworks has made and this has really intrigued me in what else they can do in future films after this cause so far, they're beating Pixar by a long shot in my mind in terms of quality animated films. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is either fans of the first two films, fans of dreamworks or CG animation, or just looking for a entertaining and gorgeous animated film.
  • phubbs1
    October 24, 2012
    phubbs1
    Third and final outing for the crazy animals? probably not lets be honest but do we really need another?. Not overly sure to be honest as this film is pretty bizarre yet admittedly very nice looking and probably fun for the kids.

    This is the main negative point for me, yes the f... read moreilm is of course for the kids but there is little here for the adults this time. The last films had touches of comedy or visual moments that a grownup could smirk and giggle at, this new adventure really is a kiddie playground.

    The visuals are amazing but is that a surprise? Most animated films these days are amazing looking and offer something quirky in styles. Despite the visuals being this films strongest point they haven't differed to much from the last two films, of course its all sharper, bolder, slicker and brighter but all the characters still seem some what bland and generic. My first impression was the fact that the circus characters kinda look like the characters from 'Kung Fu Panda' just nowhere near as stylized.

    That said the circus characters are a breath of fresh air and do look nice. 'Vitaly' the Russian tiger is a grand looking fellow and visually striking...trying not to mention 'Tigress' from...oops!. I also must confess to finding 'Gia' the female jaguar character rather sexy haha is that wrong?. Hmmm probably is but damn it she is!! the soft slinky body form, the eyes and that voice!! had to slap myself across the face a few times.

    The other issue for me with this whole franchise is the off the wall craziness of it all. The animals act like humans and seem to be able to perform human activities without much shock from onlookers. There is also much silliness such as the old lady character who fights 'Alex' the lion etc...the franchise starts off OK but gets more and more surreal as it goes.
    This film goes for broke as the animal characters go totally haywire to the point where you forget they are actually animals in our world, so to speak. There isn't much differentiation between animal or human, not that it will bother the target audience and this is an animated kids flick but I'm picky about these things hehe.

    The circus aspect is a welcome sight as the corny thought of the animals running around various famous European landmarks didn't bode well. All the circus sequences are lovely to watch in their ultra neon glory, haven't seen any traditional circus stuff like this since 'Dumbo' methinks. The original four main characters are now quite dull but the circus guys give a much needed boost, but its still the old penguins that save the day although not at their best this time.

    Does make you wonder why the franchise is still called 'Madagascar' seeing as it has nothing to do with that island anymore but hey. I feel that another may be stretching the premise end of the day, they have come full circle and we've seen a good array of animalistic sights from city bound, native Africa, at sea and classic circus. 'Always leave them wanting more' I believe is the well known saying, and that doesn't necessarily mean do loads more.
  • stuartb1234
    October 7, 2012
    stuartb1234
    Some good moments but the idea is wearing a bit thin. Seeing as it was never that funny to start with, jokes very hit and miss now. Better than the second one though.
  • edfilmreviews
    August 16, 2012
    edfilmreviews
    Afro Circus... LOL. But really, it's an alright film. The villain is incredibly annoying and there are way too many characters. Nothing too special about this third entry. Just over the top, ridiculous fun.
  • CloudStrife84
    August 3, 2012
    CloudStrife84
    My favourite animated comedy of the year doesn't spring from the workshop of Pixar, but something as surprising as this latest entry in the Madagascar franchise. Greatest by far in the trilogy, it's a wild and crazy rollercoaster of fun, that literally features a whole circus's w... read moreorth of endearing, hilarious and colorful new characters.

    But first, let me give you the low-down of the story: Once again trying to get back to their beloved New York Zoo, Alex the Lion and his furry entourage start out their adventure in glamorous Monte Carlo, where they are supposed to just pick up the mischievous penguins, but accidentally attract some unwanted attention from "Le Animal Control".

    Narrowingly escaping the clutches of the tenacious Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand), they hitch a ride with a traveling circus train, where they befriend some other animals of European descent, and by luck discover a possibility - if a particularily difficult one - to return to America.

    Swift as a cheetah from beginning to end, this is a laugh-a-minute adventure that knows how to keep up momentum throughout its entire course. Some may find it in too much of a rush and perhaps a little deja vu, but as wonderfully witty as the gags are, I was all in favor of the more rapid pace.

    Although a bit on the stereotypical side, I loved the new additions to the cast; my favourites among which include an Italian sea lion named Stefano (delightfully brought to life by Martin Short) and a pack of cute little circus dogs - one of whom is voiced by none other than Vinnie Jones!

    As for the original gang, I can't help but love the performances of Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen (as Marty the Zebra, respectively Julien the Lemur King). Even Ben Stiller is great as Alex and emits more energy through his vocal cords, than he's ever done in his past ten movies or so put together. Clearly, this off-screen stage is where he truly belongs.

    Anyway, if you've read up until this point, and still wonder what makes this the best of the three, I can tell you in retrospect that I thought the first movie was so-so, the second a lot of fun and this latest chapter even better. Because where Shrek and Ice Age diminished with every sequel, this series has done just the opposite - bestowing some palpable truth to the phrase "third time's the charm".

    Stunning in its backdrops and with a big glint in the eye, Madagascar 3 is a snappy, imaginative and consistently entertaining animation feature, that also boasts a terrific soundtrack and music by Hans Zimmer. Your kids will love it and it's got plenty of fun in store for us grown-ups as well. Highly recommended, for a great time at the movies!

    "Da da dadadada circus! Da da dadadadada afro! Circus afro, circus afro! Polka dot, polka dot, polka dot, afro!"
  • fb100001581602053
    July 18, 2012
    fb100001581602053
    It follows the exact same formula as its predecessor, but it's pretty fun. Funny and mad-cap, but this series has run its course.

View All Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Reviews

Critic Reviews

Guy Lodge
October 16, 2012
Guy Lodge, Time Out

This is that rare thing: a franchise that grows more winning with each instalment. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
June 8, 2012
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

From time to time the improbable occurs: A sequel outdoes its original. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
June 8, 2012
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

The screenplay, by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach, churns out the snappy witticisms with admirable creative gusto, but it whizzes along at such a frenetic pace that you'll probably miss half of them. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
June 8, 2012
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

A fun and fast family entertainment. Full Review

Jennie Punter
June 8, 2012
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

The clever lines and themes of friendship and finding home are almost completely overwhelmed here by the breathless pace and sensory overload... Full Review

Lou Lumenick
June 8, 2012
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

What might be barely tolerable in a seven-minute short gave me the biggest headache since "Transformers: Dark of the Moon.'' Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
June 8, 2012
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

[It] may be the best of the bunch, simply because it busts the leash that tethers it to anything resembling reality. Full Review

Claudia Puig
June 7, 2012
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Set at a frenzied pace meant to connote fun, it mostly feels like a frenetic spectacle. Full Review

Andy Webster
June 7, 2012
Andy Webster, New York Times

Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you'll enjoy the sights. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
June 7, 2012
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

"Madagascar 3" is all about exuberant motion, cute characters and gorgeous colors. It aims for the eyes, not the heart. Full Review

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    • Maurice: Crazy woman gaining!
    • King Julien: I'm the first flying monkey!
    • Stefano: I want to hug him too!
    • Melman: I'm on a tightrope!
    • Marty: You call this laying low?
    • King Julien: This plane ride is really starting to freak me out!
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