Suspend reality for 3 hours and do yourself a favor by seeing Avatar. What a great movie. Plenty of political overtones (9/11/01, War in Iraq, climate change, corp. greed,, etc.) and cinematic tributes to several great movies (Braveheart, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, etc.). The special effects take it to the next level. Had to remind myself I was not playing a video game.
It is really good. I was a little reluctant to believe the hype but it is really to the next level - like Star Wars was for science fiction 30+ years ago. The merging of animation and video has become a reality. Great storyline, too.
My kids (10 and 8) were not as offended as I was but they did not get excited either. Aside from the clear Lion King reference, the movie lacked anything new. Unlike the first Madagascar movie, this version lacked anything new. Disappointing for that reason. Penguins carried the movie this time but barely.