Sacha Baron Cohen: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
4. King Julien - Madagascar (2005)
Madagascar ticked a lot of boxes. It had a great voice cast including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith and the fact that they all play adorable animals certainly didnt hurt. Its one of the best modern kids films not made by Pixar and offers up a lot of laughs for both youngsters and the parents who have undoubtedly been forced to watch it for the hundredth time. Ask anyone the main reason for these repeat viewings and without fail theyll point to Sacha Baron Cohens King Julien. A ring-tailed lemur and self-declared ruler of his species, his ranting and raving is a masterclass in energetic delivery. The fact that he was only meant to have a couple of lines until Baron Cohen started ad-libbing in the sound booth is testament to his comedic talent. Theres something about the character that makes him inherently likeable, it doesnt matter if hes being mean to the impossibly cute Mort, delivering impassioned yet deluded speeches to his subjects or getting funky to retro dance hits, from the first moment he appears onscreen hes everybodys favourite CGI animal. King Juliens popularity even led to the character getting its own TV series (All Hail King Julien) although without Baron Cohens vocal gymnastics, it fails to capture the magic of the movie franchise.
A pop culture mad writer from the North East who loves films, television and debating them with whoever will listen.
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