YMMV / Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

• Awesome Music: "Game On" by Hans Zimmer. DuBois is introduced with an intense tango theme. Later on, the violins that play as she leaps from one apartment block to the other, on her motorbike, gives you chills.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Stefano is one between those who find him funny and amusing or annoying and feels more like a Kid-Appeal Character.
  • Although Captain DuBois is a fan favorite because of how awesome she is, she also has developed some detractors for the same reason as it instead makes her come off as annoyingly over-the-top.
• Critical Dissonance: While critics have considered this to be the best Madagascar film, some fans and audiences are split on whether it is better than the first two movies.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: From the moment he was shown in the trailers, Vitaly became a huge fan favorite, for his manly, entertainingly stoic characterisation and for being voiced by Bryan Cranston (famed for playing Walter White in Breaking Bad). This went even further when the film itself fleshed out Vitaly's suprisingly tragic backstory and his triumphant return to glory.
• Even Better Sequel: The film scored notably better with critics than either of its predecessors. The film scored a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the first film's 55% and the second film's 64%. On top of that, the film holds a 73% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the first two film's both have an audience score of 66%, which are still positive ratings. The third film also became the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
• Evil Is Cool: Some viewers (and critics) found Captain DuBois more interesting, or at least more rounded, than the heroes due to simply being ridiculously determined and motivated. She is by far the most competent and entertaining villain in the series.
• Fanon Discontinuity: Though the film overall has a positive reception, there are fans of the second film who prefer to see this film as a standalone work separate from the rest of the series, mainly due to said fans believing the second film to be a satisfying conclusion.
• Genius Bonus: During Alex's attempt at an inspiring speech, he mentions "drunk French-Canadians" who don't use animals in their circus (and sometimes perform in the nude), referring to Cirque du Soleil. In fact, the Polish dub has him referring to them by their name!
• Growing the Beard: In keeping with DreamWorks Animation's consistently good quality from Kung Fu Panda-on, this seems to be one of the rare threequels that are more well-liked than their predecessors.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • A certain R-rated film would unintentionally parody "Afro Circus" five years later. Gia's voice actress then went on to appear in that film's sequel.
  • Jessica Chastain, the voice actress of Italian jaguar Gia, would later on marry an Italian nobleman five years later.
  • Vitaly has the power to travel through space and time by spinning his nails. Johnny Joestar would be thrilled to meet him.
  • The scene of Alex refusing to drive the penguins' escape vehicle on the basis that "only penguins and people can drive" becomes even more hilarious when the kart racer DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing featured Alex as a playable driver, with his vehicle even being the penguins' vehicle from the movie.
• Ho Yay: Despite Gia being intended as Alex's new love interest, many of Alex's more meaningful and heartfelt interactions are with Vitaly. The scene where Vitaly thanks Alex for the hair conditioner for his act looks looks particularly suggestive when taken out of context◊.
• LGBT Fanbase: Vitaly. Being a strong looking tiger with that speedo, you could have seen this a mile away...
• Memetic Mutation: Shares a page with the rest of the series.
• Moral Event Horizon: Chantel DuBois crosses this after firing a poisoned dart at Alex while he's in his cage.
• Most Wonderful Sound: In spite of its overexposure in trailers, you will cheer when you hear "Afro Circus" being used by The Cavalry as they arrive to save the main characters.
• Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading: Alex is given a Designated Love Interest in the form of Gia. Alex develops a far more genuine bond with the gruff, manly tiger, Vitaly, and many of their interactions can just as easily be interpreted as attraction.
• Signature Scene: The performance in London, set to Katy Perry's "Firework".
• Signature Song: "Afro Circus" and Katy Perry's "Firework".
• Trailer Joke Decay: The shot of Marty painted with polka dots while singing "Afro Circus" was used in nearly every trailer.
• Wangst: Stefano has a habit of hyperventilating and dramatically bursting into tears.
  Stefano: But... I want to do a solo act WITH MARTY!!
• Win Back the Crowd: Many fans of the first film who disliked the second film saw the third film as this due to having a more focused story.
• Woolseyism: In the Polish dub, during his speech to circus animals, Alex refers to Cirque du Soleil by their name, rather than saying they're some "drunk French-Canadians".

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