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List Price: $19.99 | | Label: DreamWorks
Salesrank: 426
Released: February 6, 2009 |
| Our Price: $6.00 |
| Used Price: $2.75 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/06/2009 Run time: 89 minutes Rating: Pg
Description of Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa (Widescreen):
The sequel to the animated movie Madagascar gives more of everything audiences loved in the first movie: More of the penguins; more of Julian, king of the lemurs; more musical bits of classic rock; and many, many more lions, zebras, hippos, and giraffes. In the first film, a quartet of coddled zoo animals found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar in a misguided effort to return them to the wild. InMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a failed attempt to fly back to New York maroons Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) in an animal preserve on the African continent, accompanied by the four deranged penguins and the lunatic lemur king (deliriously voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat). By wild coincidence, this is where Alex was born--and where his father is still the alpha lion, and where his malevolent uncle seeks to take over (let's call this an homage to The Lion King). The other beasts have their own story arcs, but really it's all an excuse for daffy comic bits. Though the result is disposable, it's also entirely entertaining. The action sequences pop with dizzying spectacle; though some jokes are mainstream fodder, more often they're surprisingly quirky and engagingly oddball. This is the best kind of cotton candy filmmaking--it dissolves into nothing, but it's oh-so-sweet to the taste. --Bret Fetzer
Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa (Widescreen) Reviews:
African Cotton Candy from Dreamworks! 
2009-11-15 - The movie starts as a prequel and gets the audience caught up to a modified airplane that gets shot out by a slingshot and away we go! Even before the movie begins, the Dreamworks logo with the boy with the fishing line was cute until he gets attacked by penguins. Hilarious!
The movie has an overall theme a'la The Lion King, where Alex discovers the tribe he originally came from, complete with an "origin of". The greedy uncle, creepily voiced by Alec Baldwin, tricks Alex and his dad and ends up getting everyone kicked out. The story is pretty predictable but I think younger kids will like it.
The penguins and the crashing plane scene is worth all four stars, funny! I don't want to spoil the jokes but the whole thing was played out so well. The head Penguin's love affair with his spring doll is kinda silly too.
The DVD has other sprecials -- tons of classic rock sung by our favorite Dreamworks characters from their earlier films (Shrek, Madagascar, Bee Movie, etc.) that I think younger kids will like. A silly penguin game is added which was probably programmed for very young children -- Halo it's not!
Really enjoyed the director and crew's take on the film, what they thought of it, the scenes in studio watching the actors get in character was fun and interesting to watch as well, if you are interested in the filmmaking process, storyboarding and scripting and so on.
I would have liked a bit more screen time with the penguins and the monkeys. The Gloria love affair with her Moto Hippo was kinda bizarre. Move-it, Move-it with the plot all ready!
Not a bad package: Movie, games, several animated rock videos and several "making of". Can't go wrong with this one.
Dreamworks stuff:
Bee Movie (Widescreen Edition)
Shrek (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)
great deal 
2009-11-05 - the movie was like new condition when it came. My family and I love it.
Not quite up to the cut of the first. 
2009-10-26 - Funny movie that had some great parts for kids and adults. Not a side-splitting funny movie, but worth to watch if there's nothing else on.
SOLID SEQUEL FUN FOR KIDS AND ADULTS!
2009-10-02 - I am a sucker for a good animated film and the original Madagascar was a very good example of the genre. This sequel retains the charm of the original even if we feel we've been there before. The animation is stellar and the voice work inspired in this colorful film. I love the pop culture references and sometimes wonder if these films are made for adults or children. Fortunately this film works for both!
excellent animated comedy
2009-09-23 - I found Madagascar 2 much funnier than the first one, probably due to the fact the first one focused more on zany dancing scenes. This one however, has almost no dancing whatsoever (or at least, no lengthy dancing scenes that are somewhat of a distraction because they feel a bit pointless other than to show off the brilliant animated work). I still love the first Madagascar though.
The lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe have all returned and are honestly really darn funny this time around. They also act serious when the moment arrives, and it's believable enough that you the viewer actually FEEL for them, so the emotional scenes really work. It's rare when an animated comedy manages to pull THAT off.
The entire airplane crashing scene was hysterical, and the penguins, while probably not as funny this time around, offered a ton of laughs.
The funniest part of the entire movie however, was the old lady battling the lion by completely kicking his rear-end up and down the fields, haha. The bizarre and twisted animation showing the old lady do all kinds of wild flips in the air and crazy spin moves while fighting the lion put the icing on the cake for me and made me convinced that THIS is a hilarious animated film and a winner for kids and adults alike.
The story once again focused on the lions, and specifically the younger one that plays the main role.
I just think Madagascar is one of the funniest animated comedy movies you can possibly ask for. The beautiful and colorful animation is second only to the Simpsons. Seriously, I'd put the animation on the same level as the almighty Simpsons. It's THAT good, and whichever group of people was in charge of writing such a wonderful, creative, and inventive storyline deserves some kind of award. Splendid work all around.
