Madagascar is an American animated media franchise. It is created by Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell. Madagascar is owned by DreamWorks Animation (Universal Pictures).
The stars behind the voices of the 4 main characters are Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
The Madagascar franchise has already 3 films and 1 spin-off. The first film, Madagascar, was released on May 27, 2005, and was directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. The screenwriter is Mark Burton & Billy Frolick and Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath. The producer of the first film is Mireille Soria.
The second film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, was released on November 7, 2008, and was directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. The screenwriters are Etan Cohen and Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath. The producers are Mireille Soria and Mark Swift
The third film, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, was released on June 8, 2012, and was directed by Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon, and Tom McGrath. The screenwriters are Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach. The producers are Mireille Soria and Mark Swift.
The spin-off, Penguins of Madagascar, was released on November 26, 2014, and directed by Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith. The screenwriters are Michael Colton& John Aboud and Brandon Sawyer. The producers are Lara Breay and Mark Swift.
As for fans of the franchise, great news! There will be the fourth installment. Keep on reading to find out more about Madagascar 4.
Madagascar recap
Let’s talk about the previous films of Madagascar. Madagascar already has 3 films and a spin-off.
The first film, Madagascar, started at the Central Park Zoo where Marty the zebra was celebrating his 10th birthday and wishes to experience the wild. He has a best friend, Alex the lion, who enjoys attention and performing for the public which the people have dubbed him the King of New York. Alex attempted to cheer his best friend but failed and then later, Marty learns that the penguins namely skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private were attempting to escape. So, Marty followed the penguins, while Alex, Gloria the hippopotamus, and Melman the giraffe followed Marty in hopes of making his return. The four got on a journey that washed them ashore on Madagascar. With no humans to give them food, Alex then started to feel his predatory instinct and attempted to bite Marty. However, Alex overcame his wild predatory instinct. The penguins then feed him sushi to satisfy his hunger. You can see at the end of the movie that as the foursome celebrates, the penguins decide not to tell them that the ship ran out of fuel.
In the second film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, you could see at the start of the film that Alex was just a cub and his name was Alaska. It was in Africa and Zuba, Alex’s father is trying to teach Alex how to fight, but Alex is more interested in dancing. Alex was then captured by poachers to which hisate drifted across the ocean and landed on New York City. Alakay was given the name Alex and he grew up at the Central Park Zoo where he found his friends namely Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippopotamus. Fast-forward to the current situation, the foursome is still trying to find ways to get back to New York, but crash-land in African reserve. Alex is reunited with his parents and the others bonded with their species. However, Makunga, a lion who wants to lead the pride, is planning to replace Zuba and be the Alpha lion. Later on, the foursome decided to stay on the reserve for a while.
The third movie, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, continues the journey of the foursome trying to get home to New York. Their journey took them to Europe where they purchased a failing traveling circus. With the staff of the circus-like Sonya the bear, Vitaly the tiger, Gia the jaguar, and Stefano the sea lion together they boost the business. Eventually, the four finally arrived in New York only to realize that they can’t be held in captivity and decided to stay with the circus.
Madagascar Season 4 Plot
The fourth installation of Madagascar will continue the adventure of the foursome coming to terms as they come back to New York Central Park Zoo. There are no exact details about the plot of the fourth film, but it is in the works. Let’s just wait for more announcements from DreamWorks.
Madagascar Season 4 Characters
For Madagascar 4, fans of the film will get their favorite zoo animals back, especially the main characters.
Alex the lion is dubbed as the King of New York. He performs by dancing and enjoys the attention. He became friends with Marty the zebra. He enjoys a comfortable life at the zoo but later learns to live in the wild. Alex is smart, fast on his feet, yet sometimes self-absorbed. The character is voiced by Ben Stiller.
Marty the zebra is the one who initiated to leave Central Park Zoo. He has a carefree lifestyle and always sees the brighter side of things. The character is voiced by Chris Rock.
Melman the giraffe is hypochondriac or excessively worried about having a serious illness. He has doses of medicine for meals and he frequently has doctor’s appointments. He is deeply in love with Gloria. The character is voiced by David Schwimmer.
Gloria the hippopotamus is the height of the gang and is often serious with her thoughts and ideas. The guys are careful not to get on her nerves. The character is voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Madagascar Season 4 Release date
Great news for fans, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation stated that there’s a high chance that there will be a fourth movie of the franchise. Though, the fourth film was scheduled to release on May 18, 2018. However, the release date was canceled because of DreamWorks Animation’s new policy to release two films in a year. Furthermore, Tom McGrath stated that the fourth installation is in the works, yet there’s no schedule of release and any other details about it.
Madagascar Other Details
The franchise received an overall mixed to positive reviews. The reviews are steadily critically improving. Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, Madagascar received 54%, Escape 2 Africa received 64%, Europe’s Most Wanted to receive 78%, and Penguins of Madagascar received 73%.
The Madagascar franchise did great in box office performance. The first film, Madagascar, grossed $532,680,671 worldwide, Escape 2 Africa grossed $603,900,354 worldwide, Europe’s Most Wanted grossed $746,921,274 worldwide, and the spin-off grossed $373,552,094 worldwide.
The franchise, except the spin-off, each received a nomination in the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards.