Madagascar

Herald rating: ***

Outwit, outplay, outlast: it's Survivor - Madagascar for four New York City zoo animals cast ashore on an African beach and having to face down the tribes in this animated kids' adventure from Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio, the people who brought you the Shreks and Shark Tale.

In the Central Park Zoo, Alex the lion (voice, Ben Stiller) sings New York, New York, likes to show off to school trips and especially likes being given steak every day. He also likes his friends, Marty the hypochondriac zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith).

Marty wants to live wild and free. He busts out of the zoo one night and his mates track him down as he's boarding a cross-country train. The four are captured and shipped to an animal refuge in Africa.

On the way, their fellow-travelling penguins mutiny. Our heroes wash up in Madagascar, where they soon find that a large island off Africa is no place for four folks from the urban jungle.

King Julien the lemur (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his offsider Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer) are the law in these parts, where the New Yorkers are considered in the same way as loud-mouthed American tourists are considered just about everywhere.

Alex misses his daily bread ... well, steaks. Born if not raised to be wild, he even looks on Marty as dinner. The law of the jungle is taking over from the camaraderie of the zoo.

Overall, Madasgascar is dated and the animation is crude compared with the state of the art in movies from the rival Pixar studios. The storyline starts funnily enough but loses the plot when the animals get to Africa, and - unlike the Shrek movies, for instance - doesn't carry that second level of wit that keeps parents sniggering while the little ones chortle.

DreamWorks has gone all-out on the disk, claiming more than 100 features. There's a commentary by the four penguins, as well as the film-makers; technical goofs; meet the characters and cast; and a location guide sponsored by Madagascar conservationists.

This Way To Play is a portal leading to music videos, six video games, cast and crew biographies and galleries. And if that's not enough, you can get to printables through DVD-Rom.

* DVD, Video rental today