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Madagascar 2 (2008) watch online HD

Original title:Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Category:Movie / Animation / Adventure / Comedy / Family
Released:2008
Director:Eric Darnell,Tom McGrath
Actors:Ben Stiller,Chris Rock,David Schwimmer
Writer:Etan Cohen,Eric Darnell
Budget:$150,000,000
Duration:1h 29min
Video type:Movie

Rating 6.7: Votes 655

2008 Ben Stiller Chris Rock David Schwimmer Eric Darnell Tom McGrath

Short summary

The Madagascar animals fly back to New York City, but crash-land on an African nature reserve, where they meet others of their own kind, and Alex especially discovers his royal heritage as prince of a lion pride.

The sequel to 2005's "Madagascar", in which New York Zoo animals, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo, still stranded on Madagascar, start to leave the island. All of a sudden, they land in the wilderness of Africa, where Alex meets the rest of his family, but has trouble communicating with them after spending so much time at the Central Park Zoo.

Trailers "Madagascar 2 (2008)"

Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter Willow Smith plays the young Gloria. Ben Stiller's son, Quinn Dempsey Stiller, plays the young Alex.

Bernie Mac's last film before his death and this film was dedicated to his memory.

Alex's family birth-mark is shaped like the continent of Africa, including the island of Madagascar.

Series trademark: Twilight Zone. Most if not all entries in this series contain an homage to Rod Serling's original The Twilight Zone (1959). In this one, Mort mimics the airplane wing walker from The Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963).

When Alex arrives in NYC as a cub in a crate, the World Trade Center Twin Towers are a visible part of the pre-9/11 NYC skyline.

The sequel Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) was confirmed months before this one came out.

During the flight, King Julien asked for his nuts on a silver platter. A Korean Air executive made headlines when she threw a tantrum on a plane for getting nuts served in a bag, not on a platter.

The film's original subtitle was "The Crate Escape," a spoof of The Great Escape (1963). Many publicity items, trailers, sneak peaks, and memorabilia were made with this title before a late change to "Escape 2 Africa."

The average lifespan of a penguin is 6-9 years.

David Schwimmer's character dilemma of falling in love with one of his best friends is much like his long running gag in Friends (1994).

The Tour Guide in this film is voiced by Phil LaMarr, who also voiced Marty in the Madagascar Video Games.

'Moto Moto' means 'Hot Hot' in Swahili.

All of the zebras in the film were voiced by Chris Rock, to go with the fact that they're exactly like Marty, such as with the voice.

A specially-made segment featuring Alex, Gloria, Melman, Marty, and the penguins was used as part of a 2008 McDonald's restaurant commercial.

The part where Melman falls in love with Gloria was originally going to happen in the first Madagascar (2005) but was cut for time and bumped back to the sequel.

The story is mainly inspired by The Lion King (1994), mainly with Makunga's jealousy over Zuba being the Alpha Lion, and taking over that position eventually where he doesn't really do a good job.

Originally before Makunga was created, Alec Baldwin was going to play himself in Africa where he tricks young movie actors into making his hunting lodge.

When Nana is making her motivational speech to the other New York tourists lost in the jungle, at the end her shadow resembles the Statue of Liberty. She is even holding a flame torch and her handbag looks like a book.

Ville Valo, the lead singer of the Finnish band HIM does the voice for "Moto Moto" in the Finnish version of the movie.

The aircraft used in the escape attempt is based on a Lockheed L-10 Electra, similar to one used by Amelia Earhart.

In the original script Melman was going to fall in love with a female giraffe named Kiki but the idea was removed and instead replaced with Melman admitting his love for Gloria.

Chris Rock and Ben Stiller spent one day in the studio recording their scenes.

A specially-made segment featuring Julien and Private was used as part of a 2008 Comcast Digital Voice commercial.

Debuted at number one on the U.S. charts with sixty three million dollars, the best for a Dreamworks Animation film outside their Shrek franchise.

In the scene where the penguin tells the monkey he'd like to kiss him, the monkey responds "ok, but you're so darn ugly." This is in reference to the original Planet of the Apes where Dr. Zira responds to Taylor's request for a kiss by telling him, "ok, but you're so damn ugly."

The first Madagascar movie to be released in IMAX.

Experienced Voice Actor Fred Tatasciore who voiced one of the Poachers at the start of the film, as well as Teetsi and an Elephant, also filled in for Cedric the Entertainer as the voice of Maurice in the Madagascar video games Tatasciore also appeared in the first film as one of the fossas.

This is the last DreamWorks Animation film to be featured in a 1:85:1 aspect ratio until Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012).

This is the only Madagascar film not to be released in theaters during the summer.

Samuel L. Jackson were considered for the role of Zuba.

Josh Brolin were considered for the role of Makunga.

Terrence Howard were considered for the role of Moto Moto.

Some quarters queried the title, arguing that Madagascar already is a part of Africa. This is not actually the case. Madagascar is an autonomous island off the coast of Africa and is not part of the African Union.

Laurence Fishburne were considered for the role of Zuba.

Delroy Lindo were considered for the role of Moto Moto.

Timothy Olyphant were considered for the role of Makunga.

Alec Baldwin and Conrad Vernon would later star in The Boss Baby (2017) 9 years later after this film.

Harland Williams' 3rd Animated Film, after Robots (2005) and Meet the Robinsons (2007).

Madagascar (2005) is Dreamworks Animation's second film to become a franchise. The first being Shrek (2001). It's also the first Dreamworks Animation film to be subtitled since Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003).

The song from this movie, "Time 2 Move It/I Like To Move It", was used in a 2008 Chrysler car commercial.

One of the New York Tourists is voiced by Danny Jacobs, whose also fills in for Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julian during his TV and Video Game appearances, as well as in the Madagascar shorts and the spinoff film Penguins of Madagascar (2014).

Steve Guttenberg were considered for the role of Makunga.

Toby Stephens were considered for the role of Makunga.

Danny McBride were considered for the role of Makunga.

Noah Taylor were considered for the role of Zuba.

David Alan Grier were considered for the role of Zuba.

Fergie: The hippopotamus who asks if Alex is dancing about a plane crash is voiced by a member of the same hip-hop-R&B group The Black Eyed Peas as Will.i.am who voices Moto Moto.

Jeffrey Katzenberg: the assistant CEO of DreamWorks does the voice of the boy knocked off the crescent moon by penguins when the DreamWorks logo comes up.

In the first Madagascar (2005), Alex attempts to eat a butterfly whilst being under a Savage Steak Crazed state. In the sequel, during the Flashback at the start of the film. Alex as a Cub briefly swallows a butterfly before spitting it out again as he's being lured over by the Poachers.

Marty's scream as the other Zebras spit towards him and while the Animals head to break the dam in the Plane is the same scream that was used in the first film when Alex interrupts his Daydream and when Alex while Savage bites him on the butt.

User reviews

Author: BlessСhild

Rarely have I seen animated family sequel movie that's as good or better than its predecessor but speaking as a movie freak who didn't like the first installment, I gotta say I'm very much entertained by MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 Africa and it way funnier than the original movie. Dreamworks has a habit of doing this what it lacks in its story and overall animation (Pixar still rules in those departments!) it makes up for it in its sense of humor. This is the movie that every age can enjoy and it has only a very, very few silly, lame moments but for the most part, you just got to move it, move it! The whole team is back, it doesn't take long for you to remember what each character is all about, there's no need for re-introduction but there is a bunch of new characters thrown in to the den without having to take us in unnecessary complication of having to understand what they are. The concept is simple and the jokes are funny. Here you see all the characters stranded in Africa and meet a their own kind. It's the freedom they've always wanted but don't really want at the same time. They have trouble fitting in and getting in touch with their heritage, all the while friendship and feelings are being put to the test resulting in an exciting adventure at the end that brings them closer together again. Kids will love it, Parents will be glad about it, and the rest of us will find it to be very amusing.

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 Africa will feel like too short of a movie, but that's also something that I can appreciate because I don't think it has any intention of trying to be all Oscar worthy, it's nothing more than telling a light, enjoyable story with good moral value lesson and that's about it. If the running time were any longer, it would lose some of its target audience. Hands down, without dragging this review any more than it has to, the best part of this movie once again, are the penguins! Those dudes are hardcore gangsters and freakin' hilarious! They should have their own spin-off, stand-alone movie, just about them scheming something deviant and mission impossible-esquire. I could watch them work together and hear their smartass, cocky remarks/attitude about a thousand more times and they'll still crack me up. If you find no reason to watch this movie, then at least watch it to check out those awesome penguins.

Author: Zbr

This movie really will give you a good laugh. It is about a new adventure of the four friends: Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo. On the trip back to New York, they had an air crash and came to Africa instead. There, they found their roots and also came across some difficulties. In this movie, there are many supporting roles. And among them, the four little penguins played an important part and even covered the other main roles for their genius and humor. From the very beginning, the four penguins spoofed the DreamWorks icon. As for their popularity, the DreamWorks even planned to make a film about the Madagascar Penguins. I'm really looking forward to it. In this movie, the film makers pictured us an amazing Africa with wild animals and beautiful landscapes. The visual effects are pretty good and impressing. And I like the theme song "Move It", really making me full of energy and feel the desire of dancing with the characters. The last scene when Marty said that "Love has no boundary", I can't agree more. And I think that this does not only apply to love between lovers but also apply to love between friends and family. All in all, this is quite a funny movie and worth watching.

Author: Nilasida

Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are back in their animated animal roles which 3 years ago saw their zoo animals being transported to Madagascar in a typical fish out of water tale, where they had to rely on their street smarts and friendship to survive in an environment they do not fully understand. While it's the usual pop-culture jokes and witty one liners that plague recent animated films, there were some gems in that movie, the ones which stuck suck as the crowd favourite penguins stealing the whole show, as well as the madcap rave party tune Move It!

Beginning directly where we last saw Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Smith), the penguins have finally built a plane that ought to bring our merry crew back to New York, together with Julien the lemur (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his sidekick (Cedric the Entertainer), but of course should that happen, there'll be no sequel to begin with. So we have the crew crash land into the continent Africa, thereby guaranteeing yet another tale of being from the outside, but now having a habitat that's much closer to their natural environment, one which sees the animal types in question grouped together into one reserve for storytelling convenience.

Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, who also provided the voice of Skipper the head penguin, the storyline might seem like a poor man's cousin to Disney's The Lion King, what with exiles and alpha-lions battling it out to be king of the habitat. The filmmakers had taken the opportunity to craft the backstory for Alex a little more, so that the main plot of his return to his home could be dwelled upon, with sub plots for the others to fall into place. You have Alex's return and reunion with his parents, with adversary coming from an earlier generation, there's Marty who discovers that he's no longer unique but the same as every other hundredth zebra out there, Glora looking for love with other hippos now that there's no lack of suitors, and Melman fighting his own cowardice to reveal his feelings for Gloria, as well as being appointed the witch doctor for the land.

And if you think that the primary voice cast is already A-list, the film piles on to that list with the likes of the late Bernie Mac voicing Zuba the alpha-lion, Alec Baldwin again in a villainous role as his rival Makunga, and Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas in a hilarious role of hippo-Casanova Moto Moto (the name's so good you have to say it twice!) The songs department falls up a bit short this time round, though thankfully "Move It!" wasn't conveniently and lazily played ad-nauseam. Given the army of illustrators working on the project, you can't expect quality to drop from its predecessor, though there's nothing new to be injected into a mature presentation.

Despite the plundering of the same old family values / theme / storyline and the importance of establishing strong friendships, this new Madagascar managed to deliver on multiple fronts, joining the ranks of the few whose sequels are superior than the original. The comedy which got piled up here managed to work through the punchlines, leading to a number of characters like the monkeys and even the tough-cookie granny to steal some limelight from the lovable penguins. If you liked the original, then you'e likely to fall in love with this one.

Author: Ann

The original Madagascar was a break from the typical mold in family animated entertainment; it was fearless, didn't slow down to teach a lesson, and was not afraid of entertaining solely on physical humor. The content was light, but it was so satisfying that it wound up being Dreamwork's second best animated movie of them allbehind Shrek. The zany cast of characters easily exceeds the number of memorable characters in Shrek, and contained more humor and creativity than all of the other Dreamworks animated flicks before and ever since.

In the second installment, you see the writers trying to give the franchise a dosage of heart and sentimentality, which is what made Shrek the instant classic it became. A bit of heart can definitely propel an animated movie into masterpiece status (see Toy Story and Finding Nemo) however this is not the franchise to do it. Madagascar is about the cast and how they interact with each other and the conflict that is presented onto them. While the laughs are definitely here, the attempt for emotion constantly makes this film slows down and keeps it from being a superior installment when placed against the original. That being said, it's still a fun, entertaining, and unpredictable movie that continues the zaniness that made the original a personal guilty pleasure of mine.

In Escape 2 Africa, we follow the New York zoo animals, the psychotic penguins, the monkeys, and the lemur leaders as they unexpectedly are stranded in the middle of Africa. While at first the main four (Marty, Alex, Melman, Gloria) are rather happy at their new environment, they quickly realize that it's not all that it seems, and that their new temporary home is splitting the four apart. In the meantime, the penguins attempt to repair the plane that they accidentally destroyed. The writers did a good job in presenting all sorts of new gags and yet again refrain from referencing pop culture too much (although the Twilight Zone nod was hilarious). But, they couldn't deliver the emotional impact because of one main reason: this franchise wasn't meant to ever slow down in terms of pacing. Like a roller coaster, this movie moves sometimes extremely fast, and then can grind into a halt in the next scene. Lastly the main four don't interact much with each other, but more with the environment. There literally are at least 8 plots happening at oncesome of them are good, some of them aren't.

The voice acting remains decent, but there are fewer lines by the original cast, and more from supporting characters and new characters. Bernie Mac, rest in peace, but his performance was rather bland and could have been done by anyone else. Alec Baldwin didn't have much of a chance to lend his comedic skills either. Yet again, the penguins and Sacha Baron Cohen steal every scene they are in, no matter how mediocre the previous scene was. Cohen (as Julien) has an obvious knack for comedy, and delivers every line perfectly for two movies in a row; not bad at all. Ben Stiller had fewer chances at being funny, as they had to handle all the major slower moments. Chris Rock's role was surprisingly limited, especially for someone who did so well in the original.

The one major improvement from the original was the animation, which was crisp, fluid, and flowed better. Surely it's undeniably no Wall-E (Or even 2007's Ratatouille), but it's still respectably an improvement over previous work. The jokes themselves are hit-and-miss like the original; the only difference is this one has more misses. Plus it's the recurring jokes that are missing; the hula girl, feisty tourist, repetitive herd, and lion-dancing bits all didn't elicit much laughter from the audience, nor from me. We just needed much more Julien, and much more penguin-action. Maybe in the future the focus will shift; in the meantime they are just grabbing all the spotlight and attention.

Bottom Line: Exactly what Scrat did to Ice Age: The Meltdown years ago, we have minor/supporting characters becoming the main hit and running the show. While the original four characters take a backseat and add emotion to a franchise that's too fast-paced for this sort of stuff, we have the penguins and Julien taking over the movie and keeping it from being another totally disappointing animated sequel like every straight-to-video Disney sequel, the ugly Shrek sequels, or Ice Age 2. The entertainment level is still magnificent the second time around, but it won't age as well as the first Madagascar did. Leave the heart to Pixar, because those folks have nailed it perfectly for years. Dreamworks can serve as the escapist cinema in terms of animation, but if they continue imitating and try to outdo Pixar, it will just dampen the quality of all their movies. Madagascar 2 is the prime example of this: purely fun and entertaining until it tries to distribute family values. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is also proof that those hilarious penguins need their own movie, pretty much immediately.

Yes, right now.

Author: Auau

I am a fan of the first Madagascar film, I know there are a lot of people who dissed it, but I thought it was cute. So when I saw the trailer for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, I was excited. I saw it on Friday and I absolutely enjoyed this fun family film. I think this even had a more coherent plot as well, plus how could you not love the penguins? They are absolutely hilarious and need their own movie, maybe a Full Metal Jacket with penguins! Anyways, I loved the characters so much, they're back and better than ever. They even ended up giving the little old lady from the first Madagascar who fought Alex the Lion, she has a bigger role and was so awesome to watch and listen too. I think the jokes were even funnier than the first Madagascar, my favorite scene without a doubt was the plane sequence in the beginning. But the whole story was just a blast to watch.

Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman are still looking to go back to Africa, everything seems to be a good and they start to fly back with the penguins as well as Julien. But the plane runs out of fuel and crashes, they are still in Africa, but bump into an animal pack where Alex finds his long lost parents, Marty finds out that all zebras are like him(imagine being surrounded by 1,000 Chris Rocks*shudder*), Gloria has a hunky hippo who is crushing on her, and Melman becomes the giraffe witch doctor of his group. Alex is about to be initiated into his pride, but one lion does not want him part of the group and will do anything to become leader.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is definitely worth your watch, it's not the animated film of the year, but it was a lot of fun to watch. It kind of reminded me of The Lion King a little bit, it has a similar story. It's a great family film and is fun for both the kids and the adults as well. Although I still think it's funny that Alex is voiced by Ben Stiller and his dad is voiced by Bernie Mac, but it's all good, who knows, maybe Alex's dad just had a little more soul in him. I would recommend this film, it was a lot of fun to watch and I suggest we write in a script for those penguins! They're a blast to watch on screen.

7/10

Author: Wen

I thought that the first Madagascar had promising characters and a decent premise, but it was very poorly put together. My son, who was 8 or 9 at the time loved the movie, however. We saw the sequel this morning and we both agreed - it was much better than the original. And, since part II begins with a brief summary of part I, there is no need to see the first one to understand what's happening in the new movie. All the main characters are back and there are many new ones as well. Going in, the big question on my mind was "do the penguins play a bigger role in the sequel?"... answer is "Yes, but not much bigger". All in all an enjoyable movie that outshines it's predecessor!

Author: Vivados

As with the comment ahead of mine: it's all about the penguins. They should have their own movie.

We were chanting: more penguins, more penguins. At the screening we just saw, people who loved the first Madagascar movie waited excitedly for the magic to begin... I LOVED the first one. Interesting note: I liked the first one better, but my BF thinks this one has a better and deeper plot and pointed out in particular that while in the first one Gloria (the hippo) was the butt of many fat jokes, in this one she is celebrated just for being beautiful.

The whole movie is breathtakingly beautiful. We didn't see this on IMAX but I bet the IMAX version will be a treat.

Sascha Baron Cohen's King is again the hands-down favorite, I heard a ripple of joy murmur through the theater at everything he said and did, although my personal favorites (after the Penguins) are Maurice and Mort, the King's cohorts.

BF was also teasing me mercilessly because (and I'm nearly ashamed to admit it) there's one scene that had me totally teared up! Yes, I cried. Can't spoil it - go see the movie and tell me after if you know what choked me up! The film did not hold the attention of some of the very small children at the screening we saw, because some portions of the film only involve adult storyline concerning the adult star characters (Alec Baldwin, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, and so forth) but when the little characters are on screen (the baby lion in particular is DARLING) the children present were absolutely captivated.

It's fun. It's not the greatest movie of all time, but it's very fun and children will want to watch it again and again.

Author: Marilore

Just saw this at a discount movie theater ($2.50 a seat) and that's about what it's worth. Don't watch it expecting some major innovative work of art - it isn't, nor was it meant to be. It's purely fun fluff.

Without a doubt, the penguins steal the show. Their banter and antics are just downright hysterical. Granny on the other hand, needs to be retired. A cameo of her might have been funny, but she is overused to the point of irritation.

The ill-fated aircraft ride is a raucous ride, but after that the story splits into four or five (at least) concurrent sub-plots, so enough time isn't really given to each, and the pacing tends to jerk along in spurts. Basically it seems as if the filmmakers just strung together scenes of the funniest supporting characters from the original then tried to wrap it around a Lion King send-up.

All that said, I actually liked this one better than the original. Not every movie is intended to be a piece of ground-breaking cinematic artistry and this certainly isn't. But it IS just downright fun to watch. Now if Dreamworks would just give the penguins their OWN full-length picture...

Author: Shakagul

The first Madagascar was a colourful and above average animated movie. I saw its sequel last night for the first time, not sure not to expect, and I was surprised. It actually lives up to the first pretty much (and almost surpasses it), it isn't as zany in terms of humour to its original despite some very clever references, but it has more heart than the first film did. Of course the plot is very predictable and I did notice one or two similarities with the Lion King, and probably slower than pace. But it is well the watch, for a number of reasons. The animation was beautiful and very colourful, even more so than the original. The characters are still great, the penguins were great fun, but Julien was absolutely hilarious here. The voice actors bring a lot of vigour into the film, Jada Pinkett Smith has more to do here, Ben Stiller and Chris Rock provide great comedy and heart and Sacha Baron Cohen is a hoot as Julien. Plus there is a sweet romantic interlude between Melman and Gloria. All in all, a fun sequel that lives up to the first. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Author: Mallador

Well, so far "Madagascar" is two-for-two in the laughs department. This is just as good, if not better, than the first film.

It's another good example of the "new" (last 10 years) kind of animated feature film that adults can enjoy just as much as the kids. In some cases, perhaps like this one, adults would laugh even more because many of the gags might over the kids' heads. I'm not talking sexual innuendos, just references to things older people could recognize.

It isn't just the writing that is excellent; the artwork is spectacular, especially on Blu-Ray. The colors and the detail are just amazing! More than once, my jaw dropped at what I was seeing on the TV screen. Like the first Madagascar, the high-def images are truly spectacular.

The combination of humor, drama, family and friendship ties and romance all make this a wonderful animated movie and the 90 minutes zip by.

Author: Arcanescar

I was really excited about seeing the sequel to Madagascar, because I really loved the first and thought it was one of the best animations of the decade, regardless of how underrated it is, and this looked just as good, and in my opinion it almost was. Both of them are excellent films that are nothing but fun and are super energetic from the moment they come on screen, and this just made me appreciate the first even more than I already did, and am even looking forward to a third installment. The quality of this film might seem more fast paced and careless, but it is just as lovable.

When it started up, I was immediately sucked in, and I never became uninterested and it never stopped entertaining, because they did an excellent job at keeping your attention just like the first. There were some parts in the movie where I felt as if they tried too hard to please the audience and then others it got a little dumb and boring, but overall I laughed insanely and was very pleased. When it was over I wanted to watch it again. It's a great sequel to a great movie and I enjoyed watching it as much as the first, as I have said. Some hilarious scenes like the plane crash, any scene with Moto Moto and of course Mort are lovable too. It's story is touching and fantastic as well, go see it.

Author: Malahelm

I loved the original film as much as anyone else. It had a flawed story, a shorter time length, and a script that contained some humorous parts, but only some parts that were too predictable; but I loved it for it's charming characters and it's beautiful animation. So, when I saw that Dreamworks made this sequel to that film, I was only expecting this to be as good as the first, but sadly, I missed my only chance to see it in theaters of that year.

Almost two years later, however, on my last birthday, I had the chance to get this on a DVD copy, feeling very desperate to watch it to see if it would whether or not be surprise me as much as the original even though that film had it's problems. Later, I became a bit surprised. OK, it's not as excellent as the previous film that came out the same year "Kung Fu Panda", but it's not one of Dreamworks' weakest (that goes to Shark Tale, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and Bee Movie). The same characters are as charming as ever, but this time, they're much fleshed out especially King Julian and Maurice.

Some of the new characters are great and I think the villain named Makunga voiced by Alec Baldwin isn't that bad of a villain, though he was underused and I liked Alex's parents as well. It's sad to see that Bernie Mac died just before this film was released (may his soul rest in peace), but I'm getting ahead of myself. The soundtrack from Hans Zimmer has improved a little in this film although it does have some generic bits. It does have some clever references which works for the comedy that got a chuckle/laugh out of me as well as it's witty and sharp dialog. There was also a scene that involved a relationship between Gloria and Melman which was so romantic and sweet to watch.

The only two problems that I do have with this film is that while the story does have more heart than the original film, it's still predictable and does have it's similarities to the Lion King and Happy Feet and several scenes were dragged a lot throughout the movie. Aside from that, I said to myself, "This is a great sequel." I loved the original, but as a fan, this completely surprised and surpasses it as a much better entry of the franchise. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa isn't an excellent film, but I totally recommend this to those who haven't seen it or the original film yet. It is that good!

Author: Iseared

99 words or less:

If you liked the first one, you'll probably like this one. The first movie centered around how the characters cope, as a group, with landing somewhere strange and unexpected. This movie is not quite as focused. They've broken it up into several sub-plots involving the main characters.

That being said, well, it's funny. It's got the zany kind of humor of the Bugs Bunny/Warner Bros. pantheon. Tongue-in-cheek, self-referential, nothing new, but hey, it's entertaining, the animation's wonderful and it-all-comes-out-right-in-the-end. Fun fluff.

I feel better now.

Author: HelloBoB:D

I am not a big fan of cartoons but a friend forced me to watch this. I use IMDb as a true barometer to judge films and so was a little disappointed to see a below average rating for Madagascar 2. I will give it a 9/10.

It had everything that a cartoon movie could ask for - animals with crazy human-looking faces, hilarious dialogues, simple story and finally some extra ordinary animation. The story is simple enough for every age group to be involved. I was particularly impressed with the reasoning behind the water problem in the jungle.

Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer's voices deserve special mention.

I haven't seen Madagascar 1 but my friend told me that this is a worthy and better sequel. Go for it!!!

Author: Frei

Thank God the sequel to 2005's "Madagascar" turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. Part Twos are usually scary territory, but I daresay this one outdid its predecessor in terms of storyline and packing in the laughs.

It starts where Madagascar One ended: Central Park Zoo animals Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) find themselves still stranded and eager to leave the island. The penguins have built a plane and successfully take off for NY when they crash land in the African wilderness. The NY Zoo animals try to fit in with their wild counterparts and encounter situations that challenge their friendship.

Of course King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen), the surprisingly scene-stealing granny and the rest of the supporting cast provide added hilarity and wit to almost every repartee. Even more welcome was the relevant uplifting theme, which served as an effective sub-plot, an important message delivered in a fun, non-preachy way. If they intend to rollout a Part Three, this would be a tough one to beat!

Author: Marg

If you expect Madagascar 2 to be as mild mannered as the prequel then you will be very disappointed. If you think that you wouldn't mind jokes about an old granny being beat up in front of your kids, and you liked the first Madagascar, then you will probably like the sequel. The PG rating is 100% required as on the way home we had to explain to our 7-year-old son, it is never acceptable to beat up an old lady no matter how annoying they are (warning: some scenes were shocking and violently graphic for impressionable or young kids!) The first Madagascar is much more appropriate for children, hence its U rating. To make matters worse, the irritating King Julian is, unfortunately, back in abundance. There were some mildly amusing moments - for example the reference to The Twilight Zone when Mort was on the wing - and some of the slap-stick wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, many of the gags were quite predictable e.g. the one involving Marti, zebras and spit! Comments were quite negative as we walked out of the cinema with one guy saying that he fell asleep part of the way through! At one point my wife was so despondent she wanted to walk out of the cinema, however having paid the money we felt obliged to sit through it. The plot was a bit like 'Lion King' on drugs and didn't seem to flow that well! It's certainly not a wow factor film, most intelligent adults and kids would find better entertainment watching a fish tank! You might just about manage to keep the kids in their seats with this film but don't listen to the advertising hype because it's nothing to write home about!

Author: Nidor

I was never really a fan of the first movie, I thought it was a good premise but was poorly put together and the situations they found themselves in the first movie is just way out there. The Penguin quartet stole that show for me and was the only humorous thing that kept the movie from falling apart. I just saw this sequel just for the heck of it and in my opinion, this is a step above from its predecessor but however, not that big of a deal to me. I saw it, I laughed three or four times and maybe tomorrow I'll forget it. Its the same old schtick you saw in the first one, even that annoying old lady returns and your favorite castaways still find themselves in hilarious situations that are way out there.

It was a good thing that they added more characters but it almost felt like they were just there for decoration. Maybe throw in a couple of hilarious quips and do something that a normal animal won't do and that's that. And like in the first movie, the Penguins still stole everyone's thunder and still kept the movie from falling apart. Forget the part where a shark hops and skips across the barren wildlife of Africa and the idea of an old lady going Rocky on an adult lion, I just wanted to see these penguins cause trouble but now in a different location. They deserve a spin-off, stat.

Author: Nuadora

I generally love animated movies but the first Madagascar did nothing for me. This sequel was absolutely hilarious!! From start to end it will keep you entertained. I feel as though the sequel caters to an older audience as well as the kiddies, which makes it way more enjoyable. The king as well as the penguins just stole the show in my opinion and made the movie a lot more adult friendly. This is definitely one of my favourite movies of '09 so far. The comedy was spot on and story had a lot more heart than the first one. I wont spoil the movie but its definitely a must see and believe me.. the worst part is when the movie ends its that good!!! 10/10

Author: Zonama

For those looking for a sunny escape as the weather grows more bitter this fall season, I have some backhandedly cheerful news. The good new is: That Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (cringes at title) is actually significantly better then the hackneyed and infinitely disappointing original. The catch: It is still not quite good enough. Let me first say however that I am not expecting this review to be read and adhered to by young children, but rather is directed towards the public as a whole. Thusly, I would imagine, in fact I am almost certain, that young children will adore this film. But even myself being a huge fan of animated films, I will give tentative praise to Madagascar 2, when addressing those of an older demographic.

The original Madagascar was a hodge podge of childish slapstick, inside jokes strung together with a meandering narrative, speckled with characters voiced by nondescript bland voice actors. While not all these follies have been rectified here, some have and others have been partially reconstructed and the result is a more touching and mature animated feature. The animation has also been ramped up, and despite having the same recognizable visual stamp, is far more vivid and textured. All the key players are back; Alex the dancing lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the bootylicious hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), Marty wise crackin' zebra (Chris Rock) and Melman the paranoid giraffe (David Schwimmer). As the troupe leaves Madagascar on the penguin refurbished plane, they are joined by King Julian (Sasha Baron Cohen), his aid Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer) and an obnoxious tagalong named Mort (Andy Richter). Arriving (dangerously) on mainland Africa, the New York natives find a land of wonder of endless savannah and collections of animalslike them. Among the natives is the lion king Zuba (voiced by the late Bernie Mac) who happens to be Alex's father. After a tearful reunion, danger looms as the watering hole suddenly dries up, and friendships are strained.

One of the most prominent recurring issues lies with the voice-work. Ben Stiller is bland, but when he does attempt to zest it up, it becomes readily apparent it is him. Gloria's character is unmemorable, as is that of her silent admirer Melman. David Schwimmer is funny because of both delivery and expression, but his skill is halved when doing voice-work, and leaves an awkward character. One thing I will raise compliment to, is the creator's choice to dial back Melman's germ-a-phobic tendencies and focus more on the character, but he is, alas, still someone of a downer in an Eeyore type way. Added to the cast is the scheming lion Makunga, voiced surprisingly banally by Stephen Baldwin who vies for Alex's father position at the head of the pride. Boasting the much needed spunk, is Rock as Marty, Mac as Zuba, Will I Am as a womanizing hippo named Motto-Motto and Cohen as King Julian who gets more screen time, and wastes ner' a second. And how could I not mention the penguins, which have not yet become gimmicky or annoying and add a lot of mature class to the story.

Overall however, Madagascar 2 bears an eerie resemblance to The Lion King, both in setting and characters, with the lost son, manipulative lion and wacky sidekicks. While not a deliberate rip-off, the comparison is unavoidable and only bears reminder of how superior that film is. There is also a disastrous subplot involving a stranded tour group led by an ill conceived and unboundedly obnoxious character called only "Nana". All in all, kids will be entertained, and adults never bored, but it is not great. Not even compared to other DreamWorks offering such as Kung Fu Panda. If your child needs to rush out and see this in theaters, then be sure to oblige, but no harm would be done in waiting for the DVD.

View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

Author: Ramsey`s

I now know this is rated PG and not G--I honestly didn't check before we went, so that is my own fault. My kids LOVED the first Madagascar, and I saw it with them over and over on DVD. There's some silly physical humor, but nothing I was too offended by. Their favorite part of the first one was when the underpants went flying! I can honestly say that when I saw the trailers months ago, I was excited to take my kids to see it! The second one, I thought, had inappropriate language for kids, lots of sexual innuendos that were more blatantly obvious than those "hidden" in other cartoons, and was just super VIOLENT! Plus, I thought it was a lame makeover of The Lion King (with a second-rate "Scar" and "Mufasa"). I didn't think the voice-overs were very good or convincing, and I actually thought the plot was quite boring. It was action-packed and suspenseful at times.

Overall, I think they are marketing this movie to a much younger crowd than those who should be seeing it (all the Madagascar toys in the kids Happy Meals, for example!) Three children (out of only maybe a dozen in the theater) actually left SCREAMING and CRYING after the first 10 minutes of the movie.

Anyway, if your kids are 9 or 10, I'm sure it's no big deal. But for any kids Kindergarten or younger, this is too scary for most and violent for no really good reason (Daddy lion getting shot, constantly beating up the old woman, etc.).

Very disappointed!

Author: Fordrelis

The original Madagascar film was one of my favorite animated movies of the decade because it was very original and outright hilarious, in addition to having the most amazing penguins the world has ever seen. In the second installment, however, the screenplay is sacrificed for better animation, and while it looks good, the film doesn't carry itself well, despite having a very short runtime.

Our favorite zoo animals have been kicked out of New York and end up in Africa, where they quickly fit in with a pride of lions and other animals. Basically, from here, the film because formulaic, even for a children's animated movie. It's hard to believe they spent almost 3 years making this movie.

Of course, most animated films are only as good as the voice actors, and while the big four of Stiller, Rock, Schwimmer, and Pinkett Smith are enjoyable, it's Sacha Baron Cohen who steals the movie once again as King Julien. His performance had me laughing on end for most of the movie, and I lit up like a lamp whenever his little rodent appeared on screen. The late Bernie Mac was also fun to have in the movie.

The best thing about the movie are the penguins, bar none. They literally had me crying tears from laughing so hard. The actor playing the lead penguin is some sort of genius. I kept wanting every scene that played out in a straightforward way to end quickly so I could see the penguins again.

Madagascar 2 is as beautifully animated as it is horribly written. There is so much attention to detail, making it the second most accomplished animated film this year in terms of picture quality. However, Madagascar 2 falls victim to cheesy lines, a stereotypical villain (a ripoff of a character played by Alec Baldwin, if you ask me), and formulaic plot resolution. I will say, however, that most of the jokes were good ones.

Madagascar 2 is a tolerable kids movie that doesn't live up to the first film's glory as one of my favorite animated films of the decade. It's not terrible enough for me to hate it, or for me to not see the 3rd one that's already in production. I just hope that one tries a little harder in the writing department.

Author: Onnell

This movie was so much better than the previous one! We went to see this one for my 25th birthday because we were in the mood for some light-hearted entertainment and we really hit the jackpot choosing this movie! Madagascar 2 is simply hilarious: the crazy and extremely violent granny, Moto Moto being too macho for words, the crazy king, the hippo lady being in the mood for some love, the love sorrow of the hypochondriac giraffe (whose voice is being done by ever funny David Schwimmer from friends) and the extremely smooth mafia penguins... This is just a great movie for young and old. I'm waiting for this one to come out so I can buy it. The least funny character according to me was the lion, but then again I'm not a huge fan of Ben Stiller's comic talents. If you're in the mood for a hell of ride, I advise you to go and see this one. You won't stop laughing from the beginning till the end.

Author: RuTGamer

Usually, when a film achieves remarkable financial success, the film industry arranges for space for one or two sequels. This is what happened with "Madagascar", but the sequel was able to maintain the initial level of quality. In this film, the attempt of the four zoo animals to return to the US fails and, by great coincidence (this only happens in the films), they end up falling in Central Africa, in the animal reserve where Alex was born, which allows him to know his parents and origins. The film is very good and fun, it retains most of the cast and voice actors of the original film and adds or recovers some characters, such as the Elder Lady, who gains some protagonism here, alongside Alex's parents. I also noticed that some characters who, in the initial movie, were secondary, were now approached for a more central space, a measure that was certainly the response to the affection they gained from the public. This is the case, for example, of King Julian. The four central characters do not change much, but the script tried to give them more space and attention to counterbalance the weight of several charismatic secondary characters. The script recaptures an old tradition of animated films and creates moments where it conveys moralistic messages, especially regarding the differences between individuals (the events between Melman and Gloria and Marty's dilemma with the other zebras are just two examples). Personally, I have nothing against this militancy implied in the film. Voice actors continue to perform flawlessly, as well as drawings, animations, and cinematography. Oddly enough, this movie is very poor in music or great songs. There are some, but none deserve particular attention.

Author: furious ox

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a great movie with a very well written storyline and a terrific voice cast.The movie is a very fresh sequel to Madagascar that I think is just as good,in fact probably better,than the first one.Its filled with more interesting characters and each of the four main characters are given their own story,which I really liked.I liked seeing all four of them dealing with a new life in Africa,particularity Marty as we see him hanging around a ton of Zebras who look and sound exactly like him,I thought this was a funny set up and seeing how sensitive Marty was about being unique,it was a good choice.Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a very enjoyable movie that fans of the first one will definitely enjoy.

As they fly back to New York,the animals crash land in Africa,where Alex is reunited with his parents,although he must fight to prove he is worthy to stay.Meanwhile,we see the rest of the gang get use to a new life in Africa.

Author: Bloodhammer

I first watched the original "Madagascar" in 2008, not long before the release of this sequel. At the time, I thought that 2005 DreamWorks Animation effort, as successful as it turned out to be, was fairly disappointing and not good enough to make me want to watch "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". However, early last month, I watched the original again, and this time, it rose up from a six to a seven out of ten for me. After that, I did intend to watch this 2008 sequel. In my experience (and I'm sure many would agree), sequels can usually be expected to be inferior to their predecessors, but for me, that didn't turn out to be the case with this particular one. In fact, this sequel was better for me with one viewing than the original was either time I watched it!

Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippopotamus, Marty the Zebra, and Melman the Giraffe are still in Madagascar, but are about to leave on a repaired crashed airplane with Skipper and his military penguins, along with lemurs King Julien and Maurice, and the chimpanzees, on a flight back to New York. However, during the flight, the plane runs out of fuel and crash-lands on a wildlife reserve in Africa! This happens to be the reserve where Alex lived as a cub, before he was captured by poachers, fell into the water in a crate, floated across the ocean, and was adopted by the Central Park Zoo. So, he is now reunited with his parents. His father is Zuba, who is still the alpha lion of the pride, but another lion named Makunga still wants to take that position, and reminds Zuba that Alex must win the traditional competition in order to stay with the pride, which is not what Alex thinks it is! As the penguins and chimpanzees try to repair the damaged aircraft, Alex, Gloria, Marty, and Melman have each found other members of their species, but this leads to complications for each of the four former zoo friends.

At the beginning of this sequel, with a flashback sequence showing Alex (then named Alakay) as a cub, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the film, but that soon changed. The poacher chase is a good action sequence, and when the film gets to the present day, we see the animals boarding the plane in Madagascar, which is a very humorous part, especially with the King Julien character, once again voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. The main voice-over cast returned for this sequel, and they once again did a great job, plus the characters are still entertaining, including the four leads and the military penguins. There are also some new characters here, such as Zuba, voiced by Bernie Mac, who sadly died shortly before "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" was released in theatres. There are so many funny parts in the film, with the chaos on the plane as it goes down, and a lot that follows the crash. There's also lots of excitement during the animals' African adventure, and unsurprisingly, the animation is amazing as well, just like it is in the original "Madagascar" and so many other CGI movies! The main thing that makes this sequel better than its predecessor is probably that it has a more interesting plot to keep it more consistently entertaining.

Maybe not everything about this DreamWorks Animation film is great, but overall, it's another very good animated family movie, and unlike some sequels, this one is not a clone of the original, as it definitely has new things to offer. Many fans of the original "Madagascar" might be disappointed by this follow-up for one reason or another, but personally, I still think it's more consistent in quality. It was the first movie I watched after recently seeing the lame 1996 version of "The Adventures of Pinocchio" after all these years, and I would say watching "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" after sitting through that mess was a nice relief. It certainly left me in a better mood. If you like the successful 2005 CGI effort from DreamWorks, I think this sequel is well worth watching. Apparently, "Madagascar 3" has been confirmed, and obviously, we can't be sure right now how good it will be, but whether it's any good or not, the first two installments in the franchise are still both admirable accomplishments.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Ben Stiller	-	Alex (voice)
	Chris Rock	-	Marty / Additional Zebras (voice)
	David Schwimmer	-	Melman (voice)
	Jada Pinkett Smith	-	Gloria (voice)
	Sacha Baron Cohen	-	Julien (voice)
	Cedric the Entertainer	-	Maurice (voice)
	Andy Richter	-	Mort (voice)
	Bernie Mac	-	Zuba (voice)
	Alec Baldwin	-	Makunga (voice)
	Sherri Shepherd	-	Mom (voice)
	Will.i.am	-	Moto Moto (voice) (as Will.I.Am)
	Elisa Gabrielli	-	Nana (voice)
	Tom McGrath	-	Skipper / Lemur (voice)
	Chris Miller	-	Kowalski (voice)
	Christopher Knights	-	Private (voice)

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