Madagascar

1	Best Friends 2:24
2	I Like to Move It / Erick "More" Morillo 3:51
3	Hawaii Five-O / The Ventures 1:49
4	Boogie Wonderland / Earth, Wind & Fire 4:49
5	Whacked Out Conspiracy 2:16
6	Chariots of Fire / Vangelis 3:29
7	Stayin' Alive / Bee Gees 4:44
8	Zoosters Breakout 1:39
9	Born Free 1:24
10	The Foosa Attack 0:37
11	Beacon of Liberty 2:09
12	What a Wonderful World / Louis Armstrong 2:16

Barnes & Noble

A lion, a hippo, and a giraffe walk into a bar... Okay, not exactly, but the folks at DreamWorks set up a perfect backdrop for an animated adventure when a few charismatic animals escape the New York City zoo to track down a missing zebra mate -- and find themselves transported out of the concrete jungle and into Africa! The Madagascar soundtrack draws its inspiration from standard party-pumping hits such as Earth Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland" and the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." But it also gets some help from Grammy Award–winning composer Hans Zimmer. From the Lion King to Shark Tale, Zimmer's compositions capture the essence of a film, and Madagascar is no different. From the very first note, "Best Friends" reminds us of the joy and wonder of true friendship, opening with whistles and a ukulele set against a simple, understated arrangement. From the sublime to the silly, dance club staples Reel to Reel appear with Ali G (who is the voice of King Julien in the film) for a remake of "I Like to Move It" -- parents, expect to hear this one at the next swing-set soirée. The themes for Hawaii Five-O and Chariots of Fire also appear in all their overdramatized and retro glory, but it's Zimmer's feverish orchestral piece "Zoosters Breakout" that really gets the heart racing. The disc closes with Louis Armstrong's sentimental classic "What a Wonderful World," which reminds us that in the movies, there's always a happy ending. A diverse disc with plenty of bite, Madagascar offers fun for the whole herd. Amy Barkat

All Music Guide

A quietly goofy soundtrack, Madagascar feels like the exact opposite of the music for Dreamworks' previous animated feature, Shark Tale. Though both films feature scores by Hans Zimmer, Madagascar is far less flashy and grandstanding than Shark Tale's cameo-heavy pop songs; the closest Madagascar gets is Sacha Baron Cohen's cover of Erick Morillo's "I Like to Move It," but that actually works within the film's context instead of distracting from it. The same can be said for the rest of the soundtrack's well-chosen pop culture nods and allusions: the themes from both Hawaii Five-O and Chariots of Fire also fit into the film's savvy, but not glib, feel, along with the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Zimmer's score is playful and malleable, ranging from the bouncy "Best Friends," which recalls the instrumental version of the theme from Sesame Street, to the urgent (but still witty) "Zoosters Breakout." Heitor Pereira's worldbeat-influenced "The Foosa Attack" and "Whacked Out Conspiracy," James Dooley's riff on spy movie music, add more color and diversity to the album's instrumental portions. Madagascar is an unpretentious, gets-the-job-done kind of soundtrack, but that's precisely what makes it so appealing. Heather Phares