Take a familiar movie series, add 3-D, a big screen and cute, funny animated animals with big stars doing their voices, and you have a formula that is almost certain to bring in the family to the local movie theater.

“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” follows our furry friends Alex. Marty, Glory and Melman  as they struggle to get back to their home zoo in New York City.

The long trek back sends them through Europe (Monaco, to be exact) where they begin to be ruthlessly  tracked by a character named Captain Chantel DuBois, a sort of Gestapo police woman whose specialty is chasing animals. DuBois is voiced by the accomplished actress Frances McDormand.

The animals finally get on the right track when they board a train with circus animals, where they become part of the circus world and eventually get transported back into the United States and to their home in the Big Apple.

The primary voices in “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” include Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Martin Short and Jessica Chastain, among others. It’s an all-star voiceover cast. The film is non-stop animated action that my 9-tear-old Grandson thought was just terrific. Do you need to know more?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277953/