Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 11 07 (USA - IMAX) / 2008 11 07 (USA)

UPC: 097361179148

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Scatological Humor]

Summary: Hopelessly stranded on the remote shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers hatch a plan to get back to Central Park that instead finds them soaking up sun in the picturesque plains of Africa. Madagascar may be a nice place to visit, but for the gang of animals who spent most of their lives in New York, there is truly no place like home. After discovering the remnants of a crashed airplane, the penguins quickly set about making the repairs needed to get the craft airborne again. When the plane finally takes to the sky, it begins to look like it's only a matter of time before Alex the Lion (voice of Ben Stiller) and friends are soaring over New York Harbor. Unfortunately the penguins weren't the aviation experts they claimed to be, and before long the crew is coming in for a crash-landing in the untamed plains of Africa. Now, as the animals reared in the safety of the zoo come into contact with their decidedly wild counterparts for the very first time, they get a better feel for their roots while marveling over the differences between life in the concrete jungle and life on the world's second largest continent. Of course, while there's plenty to love about wandering the open plains, romantic rivalries and the risk of running into dangerous poachers soon begin to outweigh the joys of some long-overdue family reunions. With some particularly heavy cases of homesickness causing hearts to weigh heavy, the group gradually starts to wonder whether they'll ever find their way back home. Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, and Andy Richter lend their voices to this animated sequel that re-teams original Madagascar co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Animated Feature – Broadcast Film Critics Association

Features: cc
4 Mad music videos
Test Flight of Air Penguin video game
Jambo Jambo: Swahili Speak
Crash Landing
African Adventure

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/06/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 89 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
1. Chapter 1 [4:14]
2. Chapter 2 [2:30]
3. Chapter 3 [2:39]
4. Chapter 4 [6:25]
5. Chapter 5 [1:42]
6. Chapter 6 [2:52]
7. Chapter 7 [3:30]
8. Chapter 8 [4:05]
9. Chapter 9 [2:55]
10. Chapter 10 [2:53]
11. Chapter 11 [1:27]
12. Chapter 12 [2:55]
13. Chapter 13 [4:44]
14. Chapter 14 [2:35]
15. Chapter 15 [2:32]
16. Chapter 16 [1:13]
17. Chapter 17 [2:54]
18. Chapter 18 [3:00]
19. Chapter 19 [2:42]
20. Chapter 20 [5:28]
21. Chapter 21 [3:05]
22. Chapter 22 [8:43]
23. Chapter 23 [4:29]

Perry Seibert

Reuniting the all-star comedy lineup from the first film, Madagscar: Escape 2 Africa picks up right where that one left off, with best friends Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) plotting their return to the Central Park Zoo after being stranded in the titular island nation. After a disastrous plane ride -- courtesy of some militarily inclined penguins -- they instead end up at an African wildlife reserve, where Alex has an unexpected reunion with the parents he was separated from as a cub. This storyline, in which Alex attempts to win the acceptance of his alpha-lion Dad, is so tired that not even a go-for-broke Alec Baldwin, as the scheming bad guy, can salvage it. Baldwin isn't the only one giving it his all, because Sacha Baron Cohen, who provided the funniest moments in the first film as King Julien the Lemur, returns with a mad gusto that makes the film worthwhile whenever his character is onscreen. Like Robin Williams in Aladdin, Cohen flowers here because of the visual freedoms that animation allows. The filmmakers make sure Julien's physical look matches the voice no matter how demented it gets, and they succeed so grandly that you feel an anticipatory buzz during all his scenes because truly anything could happen. If both Madagascar films were just about Julien and the penguin commando squad they would be comic gems. Unfortunately, for all the stuff that works well in Madagascar 2, the movie suffers from a serious case of unoriginality, largely because DreamWorks slavishly adheres to the recipe they believe made Shrek a box-office giant: genuine wit + fart jokes + gooey sentiment + overly familiar pop tunes = cross-generational appeal. This time around, the incessant onslaught of music and gags never gels with the overly familiar storylines -- resulting in a film that barely satisfies an entire family. The Madagascar movies are like family meal deals from a chain restaurant that only serves pizzas loaded with everything -- it might seem like a good idea while you're all eating, but after the meal you understand that nobody got what they really wanted. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Cast and Crew: Hans Zimmer  Composer (Music Score) 
Mireille Soria  Producer 
Eric Darnell  Director 
Eric Darnell  Screenwriter 
Tom McGrath  Director 
Tom McGrath  Screenwriter 
Mark Swift  Producer 
Etan Cohen  Screenwriter 
will.i.am  Composer (Music Score) 
Ben Stiller  Actor 
Chris Rock  Actor 
David Schwimmer  Actor 
Jada Pinkett Smith  Actor 
Sacha Baron Cohen  Actor 
Cedric the Entertainer  Actor 
Andy Richter  Actor 
Bernie Mac  Actor 
Sherri Shepherd  Actor 
Alec Baldwin  Actor 
will.i.am  Actor 
Elisa Pensler Gabrielli  Actor 
Tom McGrath  Actor 
Chris Miller  Actor 
Christopher Knights  Actor 
Conrad Vernon  Actor 

Country: USA