Blu-ray Review “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”

Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Run Time: 93 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

When it comes to the “Madagascar” franchise, they are nothing but plain and simple fun. The third film in the series “Europe’s Most Wanted” is definitely the biggest and most ambitious. This film was released in 3D in theaters and really looked nice within the format.  We are reviewing the 2D version of the film here and it still is entertaining with the third dimension effects.  If you are a fan of the series and looking to escape for a few minutes, while keeping the kiddies entertained this will be the film for you.  Since this installment takes place in a circus, this release comes with a Rainbow Wig, so you can party like Marty! If you are a fan, there is still lots more to come.  “The Penguins of Madagascar” feature-film should be next in 2015, followed by “Madagascar 4”. So stay tuned!

Official Synopsis: 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 for the comedic adventure. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent – Madagascar style.

“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” comes in a sweet Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy + UltraViolet release, along with Marty’s Rainbow Wig.  The star of the film has to be the audio track included, which is Dolby TrueHD 7.1.  It really works with the films music and action scenes, which there is quite a bit of both. The special features are also quite impressive.  Under the category of “High Flying Fun”, we have Filmmakers’ Commentary, Big Top Cast, Deleted Scenes, Mad Music Mash-Up and Circus Acts. All of these features are flashy, fun and even great for kids. There are three deleted scenes including, “Melman Picks a Circus Act”, “Next Performance: New York City” and “Lion Meets Venom”, fun but well cut. Lastly there are two featurettes “The Animators’ Corner” and
“Get Them to the Train”, as well as a trivia track included.

 

Related Content

Book Review “The Art of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”

Author: Barbara Robertson
Hardcover: 156 pages
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: May 15, 2012

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to animated films, I always love to check out the “Art of” books since they are always the best. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is definitely no different. The book is extremely colorful and I really enjoyed reading/looking through it. Dreamworks Animation really has CGI films down also including the “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda” series. I haven’t seen “Madagascar 3” yet but after reading this book, I am now very much more interested to see it. I also really enjoyed the foreword from Chris Rock, it is a great way to kick off this book.

“The Art of Madagascar 3” focuses on all aspects of the film ranging from character design, development art, and special effects. This really showcases the amazing work that the artists at DreamWorks Animation did for this film. There is a breakdown of every new character from this installment including a very detailed descriptions. Since the film is very location based, there is a detailed concept art showing where the film takes place ranging from New York to Monte Carlo. I also really enjoyed the specific focus on the visual effects from various scenes in the film. This book also doesn’t just include CGI pictures from the movie, literally every shot is a unique drawing from the film.

If you are a fan of this series, then you are going to definitely want to check out this book. It really has a little bit for everyone of all ages. For kids it focuses on the film’s notable characters and for adults it includes details aspects from the artists that brought them to life. The images in the book are extremely high quality and really sharp. The colors are the page literally jump off and look really great. Insight Editions succeeds again with this release. They continue to release great “Art of” books for Dreamworks Animation films and they deliver yet another excellent book.