Question of the Week
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Question for the week of June 02, 2005:
Okay, time for the post-mortem on Madagascar. What did you think of the animation and the story? Do you think it stands a chance as a franchise for DreamWorks?
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| Reader responses: |
Anonymous :
I never thought that I would be saying this but here it goes...I believe that DreamWorks is losing their grip! It seems like they are trying too hard or not trying at all! Hopefully nothing like what happened to Disney happens to them. I've worked at DreamWorks and it's such a wonderful place BUT they are losing it. You would imagine that after big box office hits like Shrek they would keep it going...I think I need to go back and help them! It was all fine and dandy like cotton candy when I was there during the production of Shrek!!! WHAT HAPPENED?!?! It was kinda funny I guess, out of a maximum 5 points I give them a 3 1/2.
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Anonymous :
Sad to say, I fell asleep.
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Anonymous :
Yes, the overuse of pop culture makes these flicks less timeless than others, however I really enjoyed the animation and design of the movie. It's refreshing to see a variation in style emerging in CG animation - hopefully studios will start exploring this further and maybe rekindle the wildly different styles seen in the 2D Golden Era of animation (eg. tex avery vs. disney vs. looney tunes etc.) - but put their own spin on it.
If it is to spawn a franchise, I feel toning down the film/culture references and adding a little more depth to story and premise is needed to sustain character personalities.
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Anonymous :
Oh, it definitely stands a chance as a franchise. Not artistically, you understand, but financially. If Jeffrey Katzenberg says a cartoon lion voiced by Ben Stiller getting a kick in the groin will sell, surely he knows what he’s talking about.
But seriously, this has got to be Dreamworks’ saddest, most unintentional drama to date. Whereas the Shrekathon (so far) has been formulaic and over-hyped, Madagascar is…well, formulaic and over-hyped, but at least it has much more dynamic and appealing character animation, not to mention a surprisingly poignant twist on the cliché of hallucinating one’s fellow shipwrecked companion as a hot dog (or a steak in this case).
Too bad the filmmakers don’t elaborate on this. Perhaps they’re afraid the audience will laugh at them if they try to be sincere (read: unintentional comedy). The solution? Work on the drama, perhaps? Why not? By definition, that’s what comedies really are at their core. Oh, wait, I forgot. This is Dreamworks we’re talking about. Their concern is comedy by name, not definition. Their solution: If the audience is going to laugh anyway, why not have them laugh with you? Or better yet, why not have them laugh at something or someone else?
Perfect! What better way to do that than to distance the audience emotionally from the characters and pepper the project with loudmouthed references to other movies? “Shut up, Spalding!” explodes Alex the Lion. Perhaps Ben Stiller should take his advice.
Ironically, Alex is the movie’s own self-criticism. “Where’s the meat?!”
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guest guest :
eh...
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Anonymous :
It woudlnt be hard to be better than the first
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Anonymous :
Animation- good
Story- Awfull
Franchise- Hell No
I had high hopes for this movie, :(
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Anonymous :
I enjoyed this much more than robots, but I'm concerned about a trend seen in recent animations where the producers feel the need to throw in riff or homages on older movies or pop culture. The singing in the rain (oil) in robots, in Planet of the Apes statue of liberty scene in Madagscar, etc. I really thing the stories should be able to stand on their own without any tie-ins to pop culture. This will aslo creates a "timeless" stories that will still be relatable in the future.
The step back from "realism" was good to see. This allowed for better mugging and caricature expressions. Solid animation.
Madagascar as franchise? Maybe. "Madagascar 2, Return to New York?" On second thought, I think it is a weak candidate for a sequel.
I'm waiting for the European invasion in animation... Kaena got a DVD release with lackluster promotion, but Valiant looks to be promising. Good or bad, I'll probably go see all these 3D animations out of curiosity in the process and hopefully I'll be rewarded with a good story too.
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Anonymous :
I agree that there's an overuse of pop culture references in the non-Pixar CGI films, especially at Dreamworks. This film overall though, had some great animation and an O.K. story. I do feel the animation was a bit manic at times. The kids in the theater really loved it.
I think it could have great sequel capabilities, especially if they learn from their mistakes (focus more time on a solid story and less time on the "wink wink, nudge nudge" jokes). The second film could actually be better than the first.
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Let us know what you think:
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