Synopsis

Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo have spent their lives as pampered attractions at New York's Central Park Zoo. After Marty escapes, the group is captured and shipped away, eventually reaching Madagascar. Struggling to understand life outside captivity, they encounter eccentric lemurs, dangerous predators, and the realities of the wild.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film's development reportedly began with a one-sentence idea. It took about two years to refine the concept and settle on the four central zoo animals.

• The penguins originated in an earlier, abandoned DreamWorks project called Rockumentary, which was planned as a Beatles-style comedy about a penguin band. Their concept was later reworked into the military-minded team seen in Madagascar.

• PDI/DreamWorks used the production to showcase advances in character rigging, exaggerated squash-and-stretch movement, fur-covered crowds, ocean simulation, jungle environments, sand, and fire effects. A technical reel for the film was presented at the 2005 SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival.

• The film's version of "I Like to Move It" was performed by Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien. The song became the signature musical motif of the Madagascar franchise.

• Madagascar was released in the United States on May 27, 2005, with an 86-minute running time.

• Produced for approximately $75 million, the film earned about $558 million worldwide and became one of the highest-grossing animated releases of 2005.

• The film's success led to two theatrical sequels, the spin-off Penguins of Madagascar, television productions, short films, specials, video games, theme-park attractions, and a live stage show.

• The US DVD release included the animated short The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, which further developed the penguin characters.