Off to Africa… by accident
We’re back to the wacky animals from the first Madagascar film, this time they’re mistakenly in Africa (thanks to a Penguin plane) still trying to get home to New York. What they end up finding is possibly a home in Africa, or is it something more?
The story is really quite nice. You get plenty of humor from the group, just like in the first film. The opening act of the movie really snatched my kids attention, as you see a young Alex being kidnapped and whisked away by some poachers as his father gives chase. You understand that this character lost his home and ended up at a new place (New York, which is where the first one begins). Unlike the first one, which wanted to throw you into the comedy immediately, you’re given an emotional backstory that lays the groundwork for something much deeper and appreciated towards the end of the film. Sure there are bits of comedy everywhere in the film, but you’re now emotionally connected with the characters at this point (not just through their comedy).
As for the characters, you’ve got a cast that now understands and is comfortable with these particular characters. It’s like watching episode four of Star Wars and then episode five. You can literally see the difference (or hear it in this case) between the uncomfortable comedy they were delivering last time and the new understanding of how their characters are suppose to be this time. The second time with anything is always a more comfortable experience than the first (I know, that doesn’t sound right, but it’s true!). In other words, everybody knows their roles and it certainly shows onscreen. The comedy has been upped a notch and the situations the characters find themselves in is a lot better than simple slapstick.
So, with that said, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa doesn’t fail in hardly any places. It’s a lot deeper than the first film, the comedy is definitely more refined and each character gets an even amount of attention to truly establish themselves as factors in the story. It’s good stuff. Any complaints? Not hardly. I wish we would have seen the Penguins a bit more, but they were worth it while they were onscreen. My kids loved them the most, although there were some uncomfortable questions in regards to the bobble head’s relationship to the main penguin.
I’ve got some good news and good news
For $34 you get a lot of bang for your buck. Not to mention that while that is the MSRP (official price), you can get it a lot cheaper in other places. Not shaddy places, places like Amazon.com. Anyway, you get quite a bit for that amount of money. First, you get two really funny movies (yes, the Penguin movie is very entertaining) and you get a load of features to boot. Here is a list:
Disc 1:
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
· DWA Jukebox
· Filmmaker Commentary
· It’s A Family Affair: The Cast of ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
· The Making of ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
· Crash Landing
· African Adventure
· Jambo Jambo: Swahili Speak
· Test Flight of Air Penguin Game
· MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA Activision Game Trailer
· Four MAD Music Videos
- The Traveling Song” Sing Along
- “Move It, Move It”
- “Big and Chunky”
- “She Loves Me”
Disc 2:
THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
· “Popcorn Panic”
· “Gone in a Flash”
· The Bronx Zoo: Madagascar
· Alex’s Dance Off
· The Heart of a Lion
If you aren’t fortunate enough to own a Blu-ray player, you certainly can benefit from the amount of features that Dreamworks has provided. I’m more than impressed with what they have here, it’s quite nice. There are tons of entertaining kids games and some good insight to what went into the production of this main film.