'Madagascar 3' stars are 'Europe's Most Wanted'

By Randee Dawn

Putting David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, Jessica Chastain, Martin Short, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Ben Stiller together is a recipe for chaos. But Friday morning, TODAY's Ann Curry braved the fray and quizzed the collective about their upcoming animated film "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted."

It turns out that Rock's zebra character, who at one point dresses up for the circus in a very colorful wig and shouts: "Rainbow Afro!" may have coined the phrase of the summer; the TODAY crew members were all wearing rainbow wigs, and Curry told the actor she'd heard it used as a ringtone already.

"And he owns the publishing," joked Stiller, referring to Rock.

"I need the money," shot back Rock.

Meanwhile, Pinkett-Smith recalled a little wrangling going on over at her house, revealing that her son, singer/actor Jaden, asked her to call the head of the film's studio and put one of his songs at the end of the movie. This was two weeks before the film was to be released. "I'm like, no, baby, you can't," she said, and put a great mom-spin on it. "I was actually really flattered he thinks (the movie series) is still cool."

The film follows the crazy antics of a collection of wild animals as they try to return home to New York, but get sidetracked in Europe. (That's where the circus is.) Schwimmer says it has a universal message: "They're all trying to get home, but what we all realize and what one of the messages is, is that home is wherever those people you love are."

Rock doesn't necessarily agree: "Home is wherever you put the stuff you bought at Ikea at," he said.

"Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" opens June 8.

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