Madly Madagascar

Was this trip really necessary? Set between the second and third Madagascar feature films, this direct-to-DVD holiday special takes place on Valentine's Day, as King Julien and the penguins pull a con on the local animals with a discarded bottle of “love potion.” Meanwhile, Melman the giraffe goes overboard with preparations for his first Valentine's Day with Gloria the hippo, Marty the zebra falls for an okapi, and Alex the lion tries to recapture the magic of the Valentine's Days he used to spend at the zoo. The film's indelible voice cast (Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith) reprise their popular characters, the animation is solid, and the lessons are admirable (it's not how many valentines you get, it's who you get them from), but it's hard to feel the love for this uninspired product pipeline filler. DVD extras include two bonus 2006 shorts: the superior “First Flight,” a charmer about a businessman who gets a change in attitude and altitude when he befriends a baby bird, and “Hammy's Boomerang Adventure,” a slapstick nonsense piece featuring characters from Over the Hedge. Optional, at best. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)