Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

by Aaron Helfferich · Published November 7, 2008

The reunion of the lovable characters from “Madagascar” is met with bittersweet success. After the memorable, but flawed first installment, there wasn’t much riding on the sequel other than a chance for Dreamworks to turn their little animation film into a franchise profit. However, as one of their signature animation films with quirky characters, this sequel had much room to improve upon.

The last time we left our characters, Gloria the Hippo, Melman the Giraffe, Marty the Zebra and Alex the Lion were planning their trip back to the zoo in New York. The only thing they didn’t know was their boat had run out of fuel.

A lot has happened since then, but it’s good to know our characters haven’t changed. Melman (David Schwimmer) is still paranoid about catching any and every illness; Marty (Chris Rock) enjoys living for the moment; Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) is in search of eternal love; and Alex (Ben Stiller) still believes he’s the dancing leader of the bunch. Thanks to the movie stealing penguins, who are still up to their scheming antics, a plane has been built to fly the team back to New York.

When the plane inevitably crash lands on the mainlands of Africa, the survivors are met with something straight out of “The Lion King.” The pride lands are under rule of a powerful Lion named Zuba (Bernie Mac) while Makunga, a plotting lion voiced by Alec Baldwin, aspires to take over the throne.

While many of Dreamwork’s films are taken as secondary to the successes of Disney and Pixar, the Madagascar franchise has a stability that resonates in its characters. Down to Sacha Baron Cohen drunken portrayal of the Lemur king, each of these characters carry a unique trait that combines to an endless reservoir of jokes. While the penguins may have stolen the show once again, it’s easy to see the expandability of this children’s classic that even adults are able to enjoy.

With the inevitability of a third installment, the trip back to New York awaits its closure. As long as we can entrust the penguins in coming up with a plan to get them there, the next adventure may be just as well received as this one.