The kind folks at Insight Editions were generous enough to send me a free review copy of their latest book
The Art of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, which is available now. Since last year when I
reviewed another DreamWorks 'Art of' book,
The Art of Kung Fu Panda 2, I have purchased several more and varying 'Art of' books and acquired a greater understanding and respect for the process undergone in the production of an animated film and a keener eye for reviewing such books. That said,
The Art of Madagascar 3 is fantastic.
Now, I've never been that great a fan of the
Madagascar films; the first one was decent and pretty fun, the second was a marked improvement - funnier and more emotionally considerate - and this latest instalment is getting
pretty good reviews so far. Moreover, I wasn't that keen on its artistic style either, it always looked a bit shoddy and rough to me. However, this book has done three things for me: once again, as with
The Art of Kung Fu Panda 2, impressed me with the depth of production that goes into films at DreamWorks; given me a newfound admiration for, what I now recognise as, a very stylised artistic look, and got me more excited for
Madagascar 3.
