The Real Reason Madagascar Vanished From Existence

After the success of Shrek, the studio desperately needed a new franchise capable of competing with Pixar and placed that mission in the hands of two inexperienced directors. The animated project ended up becoming one of the company's most successful sagas... though for a reason no one had foreseen. 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - The birth of a new franchise 03:30 - Developing characters and setting 05:51 - Casting stars and discovering King Julien 09:49 - Animation, trials, and box office success 14:40 - Madagascar 2 and expanding the saga 19:18 - Madagascar 3 and reaching new heights 23:38 - Spin-offs, studio crisis, and the future Madagascar is a 2005 American animated comedy film directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath and written by Mark Burton, Billy Frolick, Darnell and McGrath. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks, the film stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith as a quartet of anthropomorphic animals from the Central Park Zoo who find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar and must adjust to living in the wild. Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, and Andy Richter also voice supporting roles. The film features a musical score by Hans Zimmer, and also features a cover version by Baron Cohen of "I Like to Move It" by Reel 2 Real. The success of Madagascar launched a multimedia franchise, which includes two sequels, a spin-off film, several short films, television series and specials and a number of video games, theme park attractions and live stage shows.