Original Soundtrack - Madagascar [Original Soundtrack] (CD)

All Music Guide

A quietly goofy soundtrack, Madagascar feels like the exact opposite of the music for Dreamworks' previous animated feature, Shark Tale. Though both films feature scores by Hans Zimmer, Madagascar is far less flashy and grandstanding than Shark Tale's cameoheavy pop songs; the closest Madagascar gets is Sacha Baron Cohen's cover of Erick Morillo's "I Like to Move It," but that actually works within the film's context instead of distracting from it. The same can be said for the rest of the soundtrack's wellchosen pop culture nods and allusions: the themes from both Hawaii FiveO and Chariots of Fire also fit into the film's savvy, but not glib, feel, along with the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Zimmer's score is playful and malleable, ranging from the bouncy "Best Friends," which recalls the instrumental version of the theme from Sesame Street, to the urgent (but still witty) "Zoosters Breakout." Heitor Pereira's worldbeatinfluenced "The Foosa ...Attack" and "Whacked Out Conspiracy," James Dooley's riff on spy movie music, add more color and diversity to the album's instrumental portions. Madagascar is an unpretentious, getsthejobdone kind of soundtrack, but that's precisely what makes it so appealing. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less