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'Madagascar': Even more than you expect

I expected to like this animated flick about pampered New York City zoo animals who find themselves fending for themselves against nature and each other Ñ who doesn't love animated animals?

And Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, who voice, respectively, preeny Alex the Lion and freedom-seeking Marty the Zebra, never fail to make me laugh inappropriately.

Dreamworks SKG 'Madagascar' The verdict: Rich, classy animation and surprisingly touching lessons about friendship. Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath Starring: Andy Richter, Cedric the Entertainer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chris Knights, Tom McGrath Run time: 80 minutes Release date: May 27, 2005 Rating: PG for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Madagascar"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

But I sure wasn't expecting all this: the rich, classy animation, depicting the shiny comforts of New York and the wild scariness of a deserted, dangerous critter-filled island, the surprisingly touching lessons about putting friendship above controlling your basic instincts of survival, whether it's not leaving the safety of home, or, if you're a lion, eating your friends when you get hungry. That's probably the most important lesson.

Madagascar is also gut-busting hilarious. The voice actors are perfect because they spin their own personas to create sweetly distinctive characters — Stiller makes the vain Alex a slightly smarter feline Derek Zoolander, Rock uses his gifted peppiness to make Marty both funny, familiar and understandably dreamy, Jada Pinkett Smith's sassy Gloria the Hippo is both maternal and sistah-ly, and David Schwimmer's Melman the hypochondriac giraffe is exactly what Friends' Ross Gellar would be if he were ... a hypochondriac giraffe.

And much props to TV's Ali G., Sacha Baron Cohen, who I've never had much use for until now. He voices a megalomaniacal and certainly insane lemur who calls himself King Julian, and lords over his tribe of fellow lemurs like a power mad psychedelic DJ.