Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Blu-ray Edition
Those four escaped wild animals are back, watch Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria with assorted friends as they discover their native home.
Film making 23/25
Cinematography 23/25
Audio 23/25
Bonus Features 21/25
Total 90/100
Alex finds his roots when the four escaped animals from the Central Park Zoo try to find their way back home only to Escape 2 Africa. When those sneaky penguins try to bring their four friends along with King Julian and his right hand um, man Maurice back to their beloved zoo in New York they don’t exactly make it that far.
The Penguins get them across the channel from Madagascar and crash land in Alex’s own native lands of Africa where they meet with his long unseen family. The group finds themselves in unknown lands where alpha lion Zuba voiced by Bernie Mac and his mother Florrie are reunited with their son who was captured by hunters only to be freed unknowingly by his father.
When Alex, voiced by Ben Stiller, was young hunters captured him and stuck him into a wooden box his father knocked into a river where he floated out to sea and all the way to New York City. Now Zuba’s reign is threatened once again by Makunga, voiced by Alec Baldwin, who is trying to take over as ruler by tricking Zuba into forcing his son to leave the pride unless he completes a lion coming of age fight which Alex thinks is a dance.
Melman, Gloria and Marty find things a little better in the lands their kind are from with Marty joining a herd of Zebras that all talk, look and sound exactly like him, all voiced by Chris Rock. Gloria finds a dim witted but hunky looking friend in Moto Moto that she initially is interested in mating with but comes to realize her true love.
Melman finds a place as witch doctor when the previous witch doctor inexplicably left and Melman now has the most medical knowledge due to his constant use of the Central Park Zoo’s veterinarians for all his supposed illnesses. The giraffes of Africa look up to him for guidance because of his vast knowledge of medicine but things are not looking up for Melman when one notices brown spots on Melman. He points out that the previous witch doctor had the same brown spots just before disappearing so Melman thinks he is dying.
The penguins try to repair the plane after the skin tearing and wing ripping crash landing by stealing jeeps from tourist groups who just happen to be from New York including the old lady who fought Alex from the first film Madagascar. Makunga tricks Alex into fighting the largest lion of the pride and Alex is told he must be banished by his father because he could not pass the coming of age ceremonial fight.
In order for Zuba to not have to banish his son he steps down as alpha lion and Makunga steps in his place taking the role on before anyone else can even think about it. A few days later the watering hole suddenly dries up and Alex steps forward to find out what is going on and risks hunters by leaving the refuge where all the animals are.
Alex goes to the herd where Marty has found he enjoys being a member of the herd but has been hiding from Alex since Alec could not tell him apart from the rest of the Zebras. Alex picks out Marty from the herd because the herd is all facing him and Marty is looking the other way so Alex can see that Marty is trying to avoid Alex.
Together Alex and Marty find out the humans are responsible for damming up the river that feeds the watering hole because they are tough New Yorkers who must survive the wilds of Africa after the penguins stole their jeeps. The old lady called Nana has led the New Yorkers who were on vacation in a fight against the wilds calling themselves survivors. They are catching their own food and carving out a living by damning up the river to create a lake for themselves to fish in.
The New Yorkers fight Alex and Marty who gets the help of the penguins to attack and wreck the dam so the river flows once again and allows the animals in the refuge to survive with their watering hole. Alex proves himself by getting the water back and tricks Nana into attacking Makunga by giving Makunga her purse.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a very good movie and one of those rare sequels that is as entertaining or even better than the first without having to rely on the first movies popularity. The story is good enough and the characters and creators of the film did a great job on the whole movie that it stands on its own without having to borrow from the popularity of the first film.
The Blu-ray edition of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa comes with the usual filmmaker’s commentary, commentary from the animators and a trivia track while watching the film. You also have a cast feature that looks at the cast of voice characters including David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Jada Pinket Smith.
Other features include several making of features showing the animation crew doing their thing not only on computer but how they got some help visualizing how things are supposed to look in scenes such as the plane crash. The African Adventure feature is an onsite filming showing the homework several film makers and crew members did in Africa to help animate the film.
A neat addition is a Swahili language introduction using film scenes to give a quick language lesson and the Bronx Zoo’s Madagascar exhibit. You also get a few other extras like the Test Flight of Air Penguin game and some trailers for other movies.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa also has a few extras including some Easter Eggs so get those fingers ready to find those extras. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has plenty of additional content on the Blu-ray edition with a wide range of fun and interesting features to make a worthwhile addition to anyone’s Blu-ray library.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a great movie and well worth the cost for the Blu-ray edition as well as very entertaining not mentioning that it is a sequel. Either movie is great in its own right and both Madagascar movies are a fun and entertaining animated film for both adults and kids of all ages.