(Credits: DreamWorks Pictures)

What do you mean, Madagascar is trending again on Netflix? Are we back in 2005? Did someone reset the timeline? Because the second the name of this movie comes up in any discussion, your brain screams. And if it doesn’t… the film community is ready to disown you.

To be honest, we all knew that this day would come. Madagascar is bound to trend on Netflix at least once a year. You just forgot how good it was. For anyone who doesn’t understand the hype, let us tell you that this was not a regular animated movie. It was a phenomenon back when it got released.

Let’s back up a little. Madagascar is about four pampered New York zoo animals: Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, and Melman the giraffe, who end up stranded on an island after a shipping accident. Does it sound basic? Nope. You get animal existential crises, a penguin mutiny, a dance-obsessed lemur king, and a wild friendship fallout all in one film. And the whole thing is still laugh-out-loud funny.

Every single character has its own thing going on. Marty wants to run free. Alex wants applause and steak. Gloria keeps it real. Melman is one step away from a medical emergency at all times. You don’t even realise it, but this plot is secretly about identity and survival. What most people still fail to realise is that maximum times animated movies successfully deliver the message that big-budget real-life movies fail to give.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the voice cast. It was and to date will remain one of the most apt castings in the history of animated films. You have got Ben Stiller as Alex, who brought all the overconfident main character energy needed. Chris Rock gave Marty sass, while David Schwimmer, as Melman, was so anxious, as if Ross Geller himself was voicing the character. You also had Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria, who is the only voice of reason in the entire film.

But none of them, absolutely none, could match Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien. You were not ready for the lemur revolution. Nobody was. Not even sure what the makers were thinking, but they did a brilliant job. We all know the potential Cohen possesses, and it was impossible to stop him from becoming the star of everything.

This movie didn’t need deep metaphors or “grown-up humour”. It just needed a gang of zoo animals with too much personality and zero, literally ZERO, survival skills. And it took all that and delivered big time. It still does.

So if you are looking for something to watch this weekend that reminds you of who you used to be, Madagascar is waiting.