Madagascar is a 2005 American animated survival 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, and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures,[a] the film stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith as a quartet of animals from Central Park Zoo who find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar and must adjust to living in the wild. The film features a musical score by Hans Zimmer. It also features a cover version of "I Like to Move It" by Sacha Baron Cohen, which has since become a recurring theme song throughout the franchise.
Released in theaters on May 27, 2005, Madagascar received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visuals and charm but criticized the story and humor. It was a success at the box office, grossing $556.6 million on a production budget of $75 million, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2005. 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.
