History YMMV / Madagascar

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: In the ''Escape 2 Africa'' movie, main characters only destroyed dam that the tourists build. In the game however, the first mission of the final level "Dam Busters" involves destroying tourists village. Did we forget to mention that this tourists got stranded, and [[WhatTheHellPlayer thanks to you]] they no longer have a roof over their heads?

* JustHereForGodzilla: Some viewers couldn't care less about the main characters and their quest to get back to the zoo, mainly watching the movies to see the [[EnsembleDarkhorse Penguins and King Julien]] instead. This eventually led to the creation of ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' spin-off (which focuses entirely on said characters).

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The music in each level and mission perfectly reflects the mood of it, such as music in the later stages of "Mysterious Jungle", which really reflects the creepiness of Madagascar jungle. The sequel manages to make its soundtrack sound ''[[SequelEscalation more epic]]'' [[SequelEscalation than the first game]].

* BreatherLevel: Jungle Banquet and Back to the Beach are fairly laid-back compared to the levels immediately before and after them, as both simply involve searching for objects in an open world at your own pace rather than trying to reach the end. They also serve as the only levels where the playable characters can be switched around via the Totem Poles (though while the former has all four main playable characters, the latter is missing Alex due to taking place shortly after he goes feral).

* AwesomeMusic: The music in each level and mission perfectly reflects the mood of it, such as music in the later stages of "Mysterious Jungle", which really reflects the creepiness of Madagascar jungle. The sequel manages to make its soundtrack sound ''[[SequelEscalation more epic]]'' [[SequelEscalation than the first game]].

* BreatherLevel: Jungle Banquet and Back to the Beach are fairly laid-back compared to the levels immediately before and after them, as both simply involve searching for objects in an open world at your own pace rather than trying to reach the end.

* GameBreakingBug: Right after the crashlanding and before you enter the Serengeti proper in ''Escape 2 Africa'' game, Alex gets to fight the scorpions on the way. For some reason, one ends up immortal and cannot be defeated by any means.

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The first game is considered a perfectly fine licensed game that remains true to the source.
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer: Some people mainly play the first game for the golf and shuffleboarding [[MiniGame minigames]]. The developers seem to had caught onto this because the second game features roughly 10 [=minigames=]. Most of them are already introduced during the story mode, but others like the chess game are exclusively on the "arcade" menu.

* MagnificentBastard

** [[TrueCompanions The Penguins]]--Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private--are a quartet who balance ingenuity with ComedicSociopathy. [[WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} During the first film]], aiming to return to Antarctica, the Penguins escape their zoo confinement and take over the ship freighter to help them navigate to Antarctica. Disappointed with the outcome, the Penguins head to Madagascar and aid with the saving of Marty from the feral Fossa. [[WesternAnimation/MadagascarEscape2Africa After their plane crashes along with the heroes in Africa]], the Penguins devise a scheme to build a more adept and reinforced one-- robbing several tourist groups of their vehicles through ploys, leaving them stranded. Aiding the heroes with rescuing Alex from the humans, the Penguins then have the new plane ram the dam they had created, stopping the water shortage within the animal's reserve. [[WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted Heading to Monte Carlo and gathering a huge amount of spoils]], The Penguins aid the heroes to escape the villainous [[{{Determinator}} Captain DuBois]]. During the film's climax, the Penguins initiate "Operation Afro Circus" to save the heroes from [=DuBois=], resulting in her and her cronies being defeated and shipped off to Madagascar. [[WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar After casually infiltrating Fort Knox for Private's birthday]], the Penguins end up against a scheme by the mastermind Dave who's out to rid the world of penguins--with them ending triumphant. With an incredible amount of loyalty to each other but a comedically callous regard for everyone else, the Penguins are the ultimate WildCard of the series.

* MemeticMutation: After Creator/WillSmith was seen hitting Creator/ChrisRock in the face at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies 2022 Oscars]], the jokes and fanart that [[WesternAnimation/SharkTale Oscar]] punched Marty just came rolling in. As a bonus, Jada Pinkett Smith voices Gloria.

* MemeticMutation: "You're heading directly into the path of ''danger'', my friend." * [[labelnote:Explanation]] In "Marty's Escape", the second level of the first game, Ted the Polar Bear says this while warning Marty about the Zoo Hunter. This became a minor meme in 2019, being used to 'warn' people about an allegedly dicey situation they might get themselves in.
[[/labelnote]]

!! The film:

* AcceptableTargets: New Jersey.
-->"You're on the Jersey side of this cesspool!"

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** The Penguins and King Julien XIII. The Penguins were only a sub-plot to start and keep things rolling, and King Julien was only intended to have two lines, but they became so popular that not only did they get extended roles, but they also got larger roles in the sequel, and ''then'' they got a hugely popular spin-off even though nobody knows how they got back to the Zoo in that continuity. Have we also mentioned they got their own movie?
** Nana, due to her status as a MemeticBadass and being a great source of BlackComedy. Her popularity caused her to become the true BigBad of the second movie.
* GeniusBonus: Considering how most people had probably never heard of fossa before this movie, the fact that the lemurs misspell it "foosa" is a joke that goes over most people's heads.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** When Alex wakes up in the crate, he exclaims "Not the box!" and suffers a panic attack before he hears Marty next to him. It hits harder after watching ''WesternAnimation/MadagascarEscape2Africa'', where you realize [[HisStoryRepeatsItself Alex has been trapped in a crate before as a cub]].
** A tamer example: "the wild", Marty's ArcWords. After one discovers that this was [[DuelingMovies a pre-emptive ripoff]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheWild'', it not only feels awkward, but kind of sleazy.
** When the gang first washes up on the island, Melman deduces that they have arrived in San Diego, and Alex laments having to compete with [[Ride/SeaWorld Shamu]] and his "smug little grin". Modern audiences who have seen ''Film/BlackFish'' would know Shamu is anything but smug.
* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/BenStiller was more known as a comedic actor before this film. However, his performance when [[spoiler:Alex realizes he almost killed Marty during his bout of HorrorHunger]] is shockingly heartwrenching.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Alex threatens to clone Marty after killing him, and then kill all his clones. In the sequel, while Alex doesn't harm them, Marty encounters a herd of zebras, that are absolutely identical to him and have Marty's voice, which causes Alex to confuse Marty with other zebras.
** Melman was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] an okapi, but was changed to a giraffe for fear of audiences [[ViewersAreMorons not knowing what an okapi is]]. In 2013, in the Valentine's special ''Madly Madagascar'', an okapi character appears as Marty's love interest.
** During the scene with Marty ice skating at the Rockefeller Park rink, a parody of the Creator/{{NBC}} News building dubbed PDI News (a reference to Pacific Data Images, the division of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation that produced the film) can be spotted in the background. NBC's parent company, [=NBCUniversal=], would later buy [=DreamWorks=] Animation in 2016.
** In the Korean dub, watching Alex talking to "[[CompanionCube Spaulding]]" (a reference to "Wilson" from ''Film/CastAway'') is particularly funny once you remember that Song Kang-ho, the voice of Alex in that version, is commonly referred to as "the Korean Creator/TomHanks".
* HoYay:
** Alex, with his flamboyant, Broadway style dance maneuvers, [[{{Keet}} overexcited personality]], and suspiciously close relationship with his best friend, Marty the zebra. In the first film, he gets very upset and concerned when Marty leaves the zoo to find the wild. And when they all become stranded in Madagascar, Alex's hunger grows for meat, so with Marty being the closest thing to stake available he licks his rump in his sleep and in another scenario, bites him on the butt when he reverts to his primal instincts and in the second one, he confuses Marty with the other identical zebras multiple times, causing a strain on their friendship and finally there's their reconciliation near the end, where Alex finally manages to tell Marty from the rest of the zebra herd, [[spoiler:by his bite mark on Marty's rear from the last film.]]
** Julien's rather touchy-feely with Maurice.
--->'''Julien:''' What is a simple bite on the buttocks among friends? ''(backs up in front of Maurice)'' Here, give me a nibble.

** Alex the lion. The [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom fandom]] of this movie didn't make it that unnoticeable.

* MemeticMutation:
** I like to move it move it! I like to move it move it! I like to move it move it! Ya like to...
*** MOVE IT!
** "You didn't see '''''any'''''thing!" ''*wave hands in front of face*''
** "Kowalski. Analysis."
** "Well, this sucks." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Private says this when the Penguins reach Antarctica and realize how boring it is.[[/labelnote]]
** "Private probably won't survive" is often object labeled or edited to make the penguins look like other fictional characters.
** "You. Higher mammal. Can you [difficult or comically simple task]?"
** After Creator/WillSmith was seen hitting Creator/ChrisRock in the face at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward 2022 Oscars]], the jokes and fanart that [[WesternAnimation/SharkTale Oscar]] punched Marty just came rolling in. As a bonus, Jada Pinkett Smith voices Gloria.
* PopularWithFurries: This was a given since the film stars talking animals, especially since one of them [[MsFanservice has a huge rear end]].
* SignatureLine: "Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave."

* {{Squick}}: Melman giving Marty his first rectal thermometer as a birthday gift. What makes it so gross is that he tells him this ''after'' Marty put it in his mouth. No wonder Marty spits it out right after hearing that.
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The Russian dub is often considered to be superior to the original English version. It makes excellent usage of Russian slang and idioms and a lot of line deliveries have more energy compared to the original.

* {{Woolseyism}}:
** In the original English during the first film's MeadowRun scene, Marty says: "Sugar Honey Ice Tea!" (look at the first letter of each word). In the Spanish dub, he says: "‎Miércoles!" ("Wednesday"), a common Spanish euphemism for "tercoles" (and "mierda" is Spanish for "shit", so the acronym joke is replaced with a [[LastSecondWordSwap Last Second Vowel Swap]]). In the Croatian dub, he ''straight up'' says "shit" (the English word, not the translation) and mixes it with "šibam ja dalje" (roughly "I'm outta here") where the first word incorporates the English word, essentially creating a bilingual pun.
** In German they use "Himmel, Arm und Wolkenbruch (heaven, arm and cloudburts)", which everyone will be able to tell you is what adults turn "Himmel, Arsch (ass) und Wolkenbruch" into when kids are around. It's the same principal as "Scheibenkleister" and "Scheiße". You know "Schhhh...eibenkleister." "Sshhhh...eeesh."
** In one scene, King Julien refers to the zoo animals as the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague New York Giants]]. Since American football is practically unknown in Hungary, in the Hungarian dub Julien calls them the "Gang of New York" instead, making it a ShoutOut to Film/GangsOfNewYork.
** During the scene where Alex finds himself stranded on the beach, he mumbles his friends' names before mangling them and then mumbling a couple of unrelated names out of exhaustion. In the original these names are Regis, Kelly, Matt, Katie and Al, while in the Croatian dub these were changed to [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} Shrek and Fiona]].

!! Franchise:
* BrokenBase: Mostly regarding the sequels.
** Those who think that the series gradually [[EvenBetterSequel gets]] [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel better]] versus those who think [[{{Sequelitis}} it gets worse]], whether or not they liked the first one.
** Those who felt that the first movie was either average or awful and the sequels saved it versus those who think the first movie is the only good one.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: With Music/HansZimmer composing, this is bound to happen.
* EvenBetterSequel: The first movie got mixed reviews, but each sequel improved on its predecessors according to critics, especially the third movie.
* SoOkayItsAverage: None of the movies are ''bad'' in a traditional sense, they're entertaining and inoffensive. But the stories and characters are considered to be somewhat one-dimensional; general consensus is that one can only enjoy the movies when one prefers comedy and timing over a good story.

** In the original English during the first film's MeadowRun scene, Marty says: "Sugar Honey Ice Tea!" ([[DontExplainTheJoke it's an acronym]]). In the Spanish dub, he says: "‎Miércoles!" ("Wednesday"), a common Spanish euphemism for "tercoles" (and "mierda" is Spanish for "shit", so the acronym joke is replaced with a [[LastSecondWordSwap Last Second Vowel Swap]]). In the Croatian dub, he ''straight up'' says "shit" (the English word, not the translation) and mixes it with "šibam ja dalje" (roughly "I'm outta here") where the first word incorporates the English word, essentially creating a bilingual pun.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The Russian dub is often considered to be superior the original English version. It makes excellent usage of Russian slang and idioms and a lot of line deliveries have more energy compared to the original.

* CriticalResearchFailure: While the Central Park Zoo does house penguins, it does not house lions, zebras, hippos, giraffes or chimpanzees. [[ShownTheirWork It did feature large animals at one point]], however, so the filmmakers gave New York in the first film a 60's feel. [[note]]For those who want to see those animals in [[BigApplesauce New York]], go to the Bronx Zoo. [[/note]]

* CriticalDissonance: There are many ''Madagascar'' fans who prefer the first film to ''Escape 2 Africa'', as well as those who consider ''Europe's Most Wanted'' the worst of the bunch. Conversely, each sequel has [[EvenBetterSequel a progressively higher rating]] on Website/RottenTomatoes.

** “Well, this sucks.”

** When Alex wakes up in the crate, he exclaims "Not the box!" and suffers a panic attack before he hears Marty next to him. It hits harder after watching ''WesternAnimation/MadagascarEscape2Africa'', where you realize [[HisHistoryRepeatsItself Alex has been trapped in a crate before as a cub]].

** Melman was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] an okapi, but was changed to a giraffe for fear of audiences [[SmallTaxonomyPools not knowing what an okapi is]]. In 2013, in the Valentine's special ''Madly Madagascar'', an okapi character appears as Marty's love interest.

* VindicatedByHistory: When the first film was released, it got mixed reviews from critics. Nowadays, many people consider it to be one of the better films from Dreamworks' DorkAge.

** Melman was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] an [[SeldomSeenSpecies okapi]], but was changed to a giraffe for fear of audiences [[SmallTaxonomyPools not knowing what an okapi is]]. In 2013, in the Valentine's special ''Madly Madagascar'', an okapi character appears as Marty's love interest.

* GeniusBonus: Considering how most people had probably [[SeldomSeenSpecies never heard of fossa before this movie]], the fact that the lemurs misspell it "foosa" is a joke that goes over most people's heads.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: One joke required a ''million'' leaves to be created for it. ''One'' joke.