The urban landscape of Manhattan is juxtaposed against the jungle island through the use of color. What is ultimately also being described is the normalcy of known spaces – the Western model of modernity: New York. Coupled with the music, the shadows designate this ‘other’ space as exotic and exciting. They are lit at a low angle from a sort of glowing flower that casts large flickering shadows of the creatures on the surrounding tree life. The lemurs have created a dance club atmosphere under the dark canopy of the jungle and they are dancing wildly to I Like to Move It by Reel to Real. The lighting in the scene where the zoo animals first encounter the native lemurs is crucial to this binary. The characters talk about “the wild” spaces of Africa as if they are still just as dark as Conrad’s described “Heart.” The use of lighting, color, and the representations of “native” island animals as either savage or crazy support this dichotomizing colonial narrative. Unfortunately, the same imperialist sentiments are recited repeatedly in the film’s character dialogue and sound track. Europeans went to Africa to “feel free” and conquer the wild. The primitive nature of the island is such that the skeletal remains of a plane wreck are the only reminder that humans, modernity, or civilization exist.Įuropean explorers and colonizers alike conceptualized wild Africa as the ultimate freedom from the stiff moral confines underway in Europe at the height of colonization. However, Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock), is discontent with cosmopolitan life, and is thrilled at the possibility of adventure and freedom in “the wild.” He gets his wish in Madagascar. The ship runs aground on Madagascar – the small island nation off the east coast of Southern Africa.Īt the zoo, the animals have access to all the modern world’s luxuries, including dinner served every night on a silver platter. They wind up in wooden crates aboard a ship that is hijacked by penguins. Madagascar is the story of four animals that escape/are removed from the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan. I found the 2005 animated film Madagascar, to be as problematic as any live action adult flick – if not more – so simply for the fact that it’s promoting a “West and the rest” mentality in our young people. If you thought that a children’s film could escape the exaggerated eye roll of this cultural critic, then think again.
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