It’s been twenty years. Two decades since a group of Central Park Zoo animals washed up on the shores of Africa, and we're still talking about a lemur with a penchant for rave music. Seriously. If you close your eyes and think about the first Madagascar film, you aren't thinking about Alex the lion’s existential crisis or Melman’s hypochondria. You’re hearing that thumping 90s house beat.
I like to move it Madagascar movie moments are basically the DNA of DreamWorks Animation’s entire identity. It’s the scene that defined an era.
When Sacha Baron Cohen’s King Julien stepped out of the shadows, the movie shifted. It stopped being a standard "fish out of water" story and became a surreal, high-energy party. But there’s a lot people get wrong about how that song ended up there. It wasn’t some boardroom-calculated synergy move. It was actually a bit of a gamble that almost didn't happen the way we remember it.
The Weird History of a 90s Club Anthem in a Kids' Flick
Most people don't realize that "I Like to Move It" was already a decade old when the movie came out in 2005. It was a 1993 hit by Reel 2 Real, featuring the ragga vocals of The Mad Stuntman (Mark Quashie). It was a gritty, sweaty club track. It belonged in a warehouse in London or a basement in NYC, not a PG-rated animated film about talking zebras.
Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the directors, needed something that felt like a wild jungle rave. They needed a "hook" for the lemurs. The lemurs are the chaotic neutral of the film world; they don't care about the plot, they just want to dance.
The choice to use this specific track changed everything. It gave the film a "cool" factor that Disney was frankly struggling to match at the time. While Disney was still playing with traditional orchestral scores and Broadway-style ballads, DreamWorks was raiding the 90s dance charts.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Weird Genius
We have to talk about King Julien. Honestly, the character was supposed to be a minor role. Maybe a couple of lines, a quick gag, and then back to the main four. But then Sacha Baron Cohen showed up to the recording booth.
He didn't just read the lines. He did what he always does—he made it weird. He gave Julien that indeterminate, slightly vaguely Indian/Upper-East-Side-socialite accent that makes no sense but works perfectly. He improvised. A lot.
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The animators saw what he was doing and realized they had gold. They expanded the role. They made him the king. And when it came time to record the I like to move it Madagascar movie version of the song, Cohen leaned into the absurdity. He made it squeaky. He made it pompous. He turned a club banger into a royal decree.
Why the Song Sticks in Your Brain
It’s the rhythm. It is scientifically designed to be an earworm. The 123 BPM (beats per minute) tempo is the sweet spot for human movement. It makes you want to tap your foot.
But there’s more to it. The contrast between the high-pitched, manic energy of the lemurs and the deep, driving bassline creates a "sonic tension." You’re laughing at the visual—a tiny lemur shaking his tail—while your lizard brain is reacting to the house music. It’s a perfect storm of comedy and choreography.
It also helped that the animation was "squash and stretch" on steroids. The way Julien moves is rubbery. It defies physics. That visual fluidity matched the syncopation of the track in a way that felt fresh in 2005.
It Wasn't Just One Movie
The song became a monster. It didn't just stay in the first film. It followed the franchise like a shadow. By the time Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa rolled around in 2008, will.i.am was brought in to do a remix.
Some purists hated it. They missed the Cohen version. But will.i.am brought that late-2000s "Black Eyed Peas" energy that was dominating the radio. It kept the franchise relevant. Then came the third movie, Europe's Most Wanted, where they mashed it up with "Afro Circus."
That "Afro Circus / I Like to Move It" mashup is arguably the peak of internet meme culture for that year. Chris Rock’s Marty the Zebra chanting "Polka dot, polka dot, polka dot afro" over the Reel 2 Real beat is the kind of fever dream that only happens when a studio leans 100% into the madness.
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The Global Impact (No, Really)
I’m not exaggerating when I say this song changed the trajectory of the island of Madagascar's tourism. Okay, maybe a little. But the Malagasy government actually noticed a massive spike in global awareness because of the film.
People didn't know much about lemurs before 2005. Suddenly, every kid in America could name a King Julien. The song became synonymous with the island, for better or worse. There were even discussions about how the movie’s depiction of the wildlife—while totally inaccurate (there are no lions or zebras in Madagascar)—helped fund conservation efforts through sheer brand recognition.
The Real People Behind the Music
Let's give credit where it's due. Erick Morillo was the genius behind the original Reel 2 Real track. He was a legendary DJ who tragically passed away in 2020. Without his production, the I like to move it Madagascar movie phenomenon doesn't exist.
He took elements of reggae, house, and Latin music and fused them into something that worked in a nightclub and, somehow, a nursery. That’s a rare feat of production.
Then you have Hans Zimmer. Yes, that Hans Zimmer. The guy who did Inception and The Dark Knight. He was the executive music producer for Madagascar. He helped weave these pop elements into a cohesive score. It wasn't just a playlist; it was a curated experience.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Scene
A common misconception is that the song was always the plan for the "King of the Jungle" scene. In reality, the production team cycled through dozens of tracks. They tried contemporary pop. They tried original songs.
Nothing clicked. The scene felt flat.
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It wasn't until they slowed down the animation to match the "Move It" beat that the characters came to life. It’s a reminder that in animation, the music often dictates the movement, not the other way around.
The lemurs’ dance style—lots of hip shaking and arm waving—was actually modeled after 90s dancehall videos. It’s a subtle nod to the song’s origins that most parents missed but the animators had a blast with.
Why We Still Care in 2026
We live in a nostalgic loop. The kids who saw Madagascar in theaters are now parents themselves. They’re showing it to their kids. The song has moved from "90s hit" to "movie soundtrack" to "timeless classic."
It’s also a meme. TikTok and YouTube are littered with King Julien edits. The song has a second (and third, and fourth) life because it’s inherently "meme-able." It’s loud, it’s proud, and it’s a little bit stupid. In a world that feels increasingly heavy, there’s something liberating about a lemur telling you that he, quite simply, likes to move it.
Honestly, the film’s legacy isn’t the plot. The plot is fine. It’s a standard "friends stick together" story. The legacy is the vibe. It’s the energy. It’s the fact that you can walk into a room of people aged 5 to 45, shout "I LIKE TO MOVE IT," and someone will inevitably shout back "MOVE IT!"
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're feeling that 2005 itch, don't just rewatch the movie. Dig into the history.
- Listen to the original 1993 Reel 2 Real version. Compare it to the movie version. You’ll notice how they cleaned up the lyrics and brightened the mix for a younger audience.
- Check out the "Madagascar Live!" musical clips. The way they translated the "Move It" dance to stage performers is actually impressive from a choreography standpoint.
- Look up Sacha Baron Cohen’s interviews about the role. He talks about how he originally wanted to make Julien even more "unhinged," but the studio had to pull him back to keep it family-friendly.
- Explore the actual wildlife of Madagascar. Since the movie lied to you, go watch a BBC Earth documentary on the real lemurs. They don't dance to house music, but they do "stink fight," which is arguably more entertaining.
The I like to move it Madagascar movie connection is one of those rare moments where lightning struck. It shouldn't have worked. A 90s dance track and a bunch of stranded zoo animals? It sounds like a disaster on paper. Instead, it became a cultural landmark that still has us moving our tails two decades later.