Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 13) 🎪

Hey everyone,

Today's post is all about the first film that kicked off this crazy idea in the first place, and another animated franchise film that I completely missed when it came out. One of the more surprisingly enjoyable watches from the pile, it's a bit of fun that I would recommend for some chuckles....

(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)

Source: IMDB

Our favourite kooky New York runaways got mixed up in the neon spectacle of the circus for the third installment of the highly popular Madagascar franchise. In order to get back to the bright lights of Central Park Zoo, the Madagascar crew get swept up in a struggling European circus whilst being pursued by crazy animal control. A somewhat unnecessary new chapter, this fun bunch of witty craziness was entertaining and full of soul in a massive step-up from a disappointing sequel.

A return to animals causing mayhem in human places, there were plenty of stupendous plot points that combined the necessary levels of convenience and whimsy to move everything along at an energetic pace. The silliness of a lion, a zebra, a hippo and a giraffe swimming from the bottom of Africa to Monte Carlo aside, the picturesque sights of European hubs like Rome, London and New York provided a postcard-worthy backdrops for some crazy hijinks.

Thematically, this film is once again a found family on steroids. Ramming that home with both the original quartet and the new circus chums was obvious at times, but ultimately a necessary detour to get out of the ‘back to the wild’ hole the sequel had driven into. Their eventual return to New York was a particularly poignant moment in exploring the heart of the franchise. The melancholy of walking back through those famous gates stripped back the colourful stupidity for a second and focused on the power of their family and how these animals have become each other’s home over time.

Noah Baumbach and Eric Darnell’s witty screenplay had a remarkable maturity in its tone and intellect that made this film enjoyable outside of the threequel nostalgia. The Driving Miss Daisy (1989) reference during the Monte Carlo chase, and the slightly dark Colosseum joke once the circus tent is absurdly set up in the middle of the ancient arena, and the jab at ‘human circus’ Cirque du Soleil were all hilarious and clever. The combination of humour for the kids and their parents added a diverse complexity to the animation; eliminating the potential for falling back into the boring.  

Aesthetically, it was so refreshing to see something different to the typical tropical jungles and African savannahs this franchise has previously settled in. It gave a new whimsical spin to the hijinks that these films have been lacking whilst also being able to explore the concept of where our ragtag group of friends belong.

There’s a particular vibrancy to this film that was surprisingly fun too. Especially in the circus performance sequences, the flashy explosions of colour and glitter intertwined with the crazy moves literally lit up the screen. Backed up Katy Perry’s iconic banger ‘Firework’, these moments embodied the psychedelic fun that the injection of the circus afforded the animators to explore as much as possible. Whilst there is the question of where the animals logistically found the money for all the lights and techno special effects, it’s hard to resist being mesmerized by the overwhelming spectacle of it all.

Oddly, the old four weren’t really learning new tricks, with somewhat familiar arcs and the usual amount of sassy, quirky energy. Alex (Ben Stiller) was still pretending to be something he wasn’t for a while, Marty (Chris Rock) was still being undermined by Alex’s necessity to be the alpha, and Gloria (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Melman (David Schwimmer) were still having adorable domestic arguments. Their collective development in terms of belonging was far more compelling than their individual strife, and this was successfully aided by the development of the relationships between the old and new characters. The time spent with the newbies allowed them to grow into some of the most likeable ever seen in this universe. ‘Circus sticks together’, and although it took a while to truly feel that mantra come to life their bond and individual personalities were fun to invest in.

Arguably, the best thing about this film is the villain. PETA’s worst nightmare in red lipstick Captain Chantal Dubois (Frances McDormand) ran Monte Carlo Animal Control with an iron fist and her killer focus had enough energy to sustain her vendetta throughout the film. Flipping and manoeuvering around like a ninja super spy with talents wasted on trying to achieve taxidermy wild animal bingo, she was such a frightening yet entertaining villain that felt refreshingly original and a formidable opponent.

Harmless animated fun with a compelling, wicked human antagonist and beautiful visual effects, Madagascar 3 definitively rounded out the franchise with the stupidly loveable heart and soul that has made them successful. The injection of this adventure’s newbies was exciting, and overall it was a sweet goodbye to the gang who liked to move it, move it.

8/10, 3.5 STARS

Thanks for reading,

Love and trapeze Americano, Emily 🎪