SUBMITTED BY Kit-Kat

May 12, 2005 —

MADAGASCAR SOUNDTRACK TO BE RELEASED ON GEFFEN RECORDS FEATURING ORIGINAL SCORE BY OSCAR WINNER HANS ZIMMER AND CLASSIC HITS BY THE BEE GEES, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, EARTH, WIND & FIRE, AND MORE!

From DreamWorks Animation SKG comes the new computer-animated comedy Madagascar, featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film opens in theaters across the U.S. on May 27th, and the accompanying soundtrack will be released on Geffen Records on May 24th, featuring original score by Hans Zimmer plus classic hits by the Bee Gees, Louis Armstrong and more.

The track listing for the Madagascar soundtrack includes previously released songs: "Hawaii Five-O" by The Ventures, "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire, "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis, "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees, and "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. In addition, "I Like To Move It, Move it" is Reel 2 Reel's original hit with vocals by actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who is the voice of King Julien in the film. There are also five original score pieces by Hans Zimmer included on the soundtrack: "Best Friend Theme," "Whacked Out Conspiracy," "Zoosters Break Out," "The Fossa Attack" and "Beacon of Liberty."

One of the industry's most respected composers, Hans Zimmer received the Oscar., the Golden Globe, and the Grammy for his 1994 score for The Lion King. Zimmer has garnered six additional Academy Award. nominations for Gladiator, The Prince of Egypt, The Thin Red Line, As Good As It Gets, The Preacher's Wife and Rain Man. Madagascar marks the sixth animated film credit for Zimmer, most recently including last year's hit Shark Tale. His long list of film credits also includes Pearl Harbor, Matchstick Men, Black Hawk Down, The Ring, Hannibal, Crimson Tide, Thelma & Louise, Driving Miss Daisy, Mission: Impossible 2, A League of Their Own, Black Rain, Backdraft, True Romance and My Beautiful Launderette.

In Madagascar, animals Alex the Lion (Stiller) and his best friends Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Pinkett Smith) are living in the lap of luxury at the Central Park Zoo. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty allows his curiosity to get the better of him and, with the help of some prodigious penguins, makes his escape to explore the world he's been missing, intending to return before morning. When Alex, Melman and Gloria discover their friend missing, they decide to go after him. Even in New York, a lion, giraffe and hippopotamus wandering the streets and riding the subway are bound to attract some attention, and ultimately the four zoosters are darted, captured, crated and put on a ship to Africa. When those plotting penguins sabotage the ship, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria find themselves washed ashore on the exotic island of Madagascar. Now, these native New Yorkers have to figure out how to survive in the wild and discover the true meaning of the phrase "It's a jungle out there."

The computer-animated comedy is directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, making his feature film directorial debut. Mireille Soria produced Madagascar, with Teresa Cheng serving as co-producer. The screenplay was written by Mark Burton & Billy Frolick and Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath.