DREAMWORKS ANIMATION MUST realize by now that it's no Pixar. Shrek has legions of fans (Shrek 2, less so), but Shark Tale, while a financial success, had about as much originality and soul as a tin of sardines. Now comes Madagascar, cast with A-level voice talent (Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith) that doesn't do much to liven up the largely uninspired story. Central Park Zoo critters Alex the lion (Stiller), Marty the zebra (Rock – as the Oscars proved, way less funny when he's PG-rated), Gloria the hippo (Pinkett-Smith), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) lead a charmed life in the heart of New York City – until Marty decides he'd like to experience life in the wild. A series of snafus that pass for plot lead the quartet to the shores of Madagascar, where they stumble upon a jolly colony of lemurs presided over by the self-proclaimed King Julian (Da Ali G Show's Sacha Baron Cohen). Conflict arises when a hungry Alex's predatory instincts start creeping in – with no zookeepers around to feed him steaks at every meal, the lion begins to see Marty's striped rump as a tempting entrée. Baron Cohen gets in some good lines as the egotistical primate, and there's a clever running gag about the zoo's gang of conspiracy-theorizing penguins (the leader is voiced by Madagascar codirector Tom McGrath). Kids will dig the animal high jinks, but grown-ups have little to work with here; Madagascar's idea of in-jokes for parents includes tired Starbucks references and slow-mo sprinting to the Chariots of Fire theme. The animation is colorful and realistically furry, but without a winning, memorable story, Madagascar fails to reach anything resembling Finding Nemo-style heights. (Cheryl Eddy)