Saturday afternoon, Allie is Wired was invited to a special advance screening of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 Cinema in New York City.

Home to plenty of movie premieres and celeb sightings, the Lincoln Square 13 played host to New York’s kids (and parents) who came to see the lovable Madagascar characters in the franchise’s third installment. Everybody was treated to a great show followed by a free tour of the Central Park Zoo, home to the cartoon’s main characters.

The film, which opens June 8, is another exciting adventure for the motley crew of escaped zoo animals that will soon be capturing the imagination of kids for a 3rd time. In “Europes Most Wanted,” Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman (David Schwimmer) find themselves hitching a ride with a train full of European circus animals. Hoping to impress an American circus promoter and escape from the hot pursuit of a deranged French animal control officer, the friends from the Central Park Zoo attempt to make-over their new friends into the amazing circus they were born to be, all in the hopes that they can eventually return to their beloved zoo in New York City.

Quick-moving and full of laughs for parents and kids alike, Madagascar 3 beats the sequel slump and re-invigorates a kid’s franchise with dependable comedic flair. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock are a fantastic comic duo who give voice to the film’s main characters and best friends. Joining the original characters are the popular lemur king (Sacha Baron Cohen) and crazy intelligent penguins, along with a whole host of fascinating new circus animals. Martin Short is a lovably stupid sea lion, Bryan Cranston a surly Russian tiger, and Jessica Chastain is a comely lady leopard who catches Alex the lion’s eye.

Kids will be amazed and surprised by the antics and adventure in the film, presented in stunning 3D. The film really shines during the climactic circus performance in London, which dazzled and delighted all the children in Saturday’s screening.

The film has some funny shout-outs to modern day New York and plenty of jokes for a more adult audience, but this is definitely a kids movie and they are the ones who’ll love it most.

Bring the whole family June 8, when Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted opens in theaters.