Madagascar

The cast reads like a who's who hot list. Ben Stiller is Alex the Lion, Jada Pinkett Smith is Gloria the hippo, David Schwimmer is Melman the giraffe and last but certainly not least is Chris Rock as Marty the zebra. And these are just the main characters. The animals live in the Central Park Zoo where Alex is hailed king as he is the zoo's star and eats up every bit of attention.

The plot: Marty decides to take a field trip of sorts and the rest of the group either tries to stop him, or are a little encouraged by his bravery. They end up at the train station and are attacked by a granny wielding a purse and finally by the police and vet squad. An outpouring of public sympathy for the animals leads to the animals being boxed up and sent to their native habitat (Africa). Along the way, the zoo penguins get in the mix and take over the ship destined to Africa and hijack it to Antarctica. Once there, they decide it might be better somewhere else and sail off to yet another adventure. This time they land in Madagascar. They are eventually greeted by King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer). They are skeptically welcomed into the animal fold after Alex scares away the dreaded foosa. Together, the main characters find resolution to their newfound obstacles and learn to live peacefully in Madagascar. Happy, sweet and very funny.
There are parts of this movie that are WAY above the normal kid's intellect. There are references to a lot of sci-fi (love it!) and jabs about New York. For most kids, however, the music will get them in the movie. Somewhat ashamedly, I must admit that my own 4-yr old has to listen to "I Like to Move It" every morning on his way to kindergarten. It's infectious. In a good way. The penguins steal the show. I understand they will get their own cartoon on TV soon. Provided they keep the same writers and voice talents, that too will be great.
I won't say this is a must see, but it is not a waste of your money. It's cute, very funny and filled with references to pop culture. I would suggest this movie for 4 years and up. And they won't get half of it, but the parents will. My favorite part - look for the "Planet of the Apes" homage on the beach.