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Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
DreamWorks Animation


7.1

based on 25 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 28 votes
Read user comments
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MPAA RATING: PG for some mild crude humor

Starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, and Bernie Mac

All the loveable characters are back - Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins - in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Left marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers have hatched a plan so crazy it just might work. With military precision, the penguins have repaired an old crashed plane - sort of. Once aloft, this unlikely crew stays airborne just enough to make it to the wildest place of all - the vast plains of Africa itself - where our zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the very first time. While discovering their roots, they quickly realize the difference between the concrete jungle and the heart of Africa. Despite long-lost relatives, romantic rivals and scheming hunters, Africa seems like a "crack-a-lackin" great place... but is it better than their Central Park home? (Dreamworks)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Adventure \| Animation \| Comedy \| Family/Kids
DIRECTED BY:	Eric Darnell Tom McGrath
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: November 7, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	89 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The outcomes of all the mini-dramedies are too messy and equivocal to produce morals; that's just as it should be in a farce about confusion. Co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath are most intent on completing the circle of comedy.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole

The rare sequel that is better than the original.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Escape 2 Africa is pretty tame, but it knows how to keep its own turf tidy.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The visual style is typical, ultra crisp computer animation, bright, sharp, somewhat clinical.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This is a brighter, more engaging film than the original "Madagascar."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The film shoehorns in every memorable character from the original film.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

A nice surprise, surpassing the quality of the first film.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Lessons about family loyalty, tolerance, ingenuity, and sacrifice add depth to the screenplay by Etan Cohen and directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, but thankfully don't detract from the lunatic maneuvers of a delusional lemur king (Sacha Baron Cohen) and those wily spheniscidae.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The roots are shallow, but the sequel is good-natured, high-spirited and perfectly enjoyable if you take it for what it is.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Cartoons can get away with being serviceable and skillful without much creativity since they have an endlessly renewing audience. "Mad 2" surfs along on such waves, entertaining youngsters while mildly amusing adults.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Lively and quite funny without being obnoxious, this follow-up smoothly mixes the original's New York Zoo escapees with a number of engaging new characters.

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

Funniest movie of '08? Close enough, for those who don't mind monkeying around.

Austin Chronicle Theresa Everline

Young children will enjoy this piece of sweet cartoon candy.

USA Today Claudia Puig

More animals don't necessarily translate to more fun and laughter, at least not when it comes to animated sequels.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

If Madagascar 2 is the best Dreamworks can provide to go toe-to-toe with Pixar's beautiful WALL*E, then it's game, set and match to the Disney subsidiary.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Let’s not lose sight of what's really been accomplished here. Alex and Marty – just like Batman and Robin, Fred and Barney, and Snagglepuss – are welcome additions to the gay animation pantheon.

Empire Ian Nathan

A pleasing and pretty enough re-run, just that bit diminished.

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Dilutes the idea some by giving every four-legged hero a story arc. And there's not enough of the first movie's super-erudite monkeys. Yet the sitcom-style silliness is still there, and it's nice to see that the old "grin or frown as you wave a hand across your face" joke still has cross-generational, and cross-species, appeal.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Take the flat tire that was "Madagascar." Retread it with "The Lion King" storyline. Pump it up with air. Now you have Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

TV Guide Perry Seibert

The movie suffers from a serious case of unoriginality.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A by-the-numbers follow-up to the highly successful 2005 feature that was no great shakes to begin with.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Good enough in patches to make its distracting star turns, storybook clichés and stereotypes harder to take than they would be in a less enjoyable movie.

Boston Globe Janice Page

Fails to drum up much excitement.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Epitomizes the best and the worst of what animated filmmaking has become in an era dominated on the one hand by ever more sophisticated computerized imagery and, on the other, by the grasping, increasingly grating desire to be hip.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

When it comes to time-wasting memory games, crossword puzzles are more fun than this movie.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 28 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

steven r. gave it a6:
Computer graphics have passed into a realm of beauty not witnessed before and Blu-Ray is the pinnacle. this film looks extraordinary in BR. the characters stay true to the original with the penguins and the king hilarious. you have to listen closely to get all the gags. it is worth seeing for this alone.

Tom S gave it a7:
Good movie, not as great as the first one, but definetley worth watching if you liked the first. Story is well written, characters are well played. Overall a good movie to watch with the family.

Jason Deatherage gave it a7:
This movie was just ok for me. It was not nearly as good as the first one.

Jay H. gave it a7:
Funny and well animated. Expressive voice overs, good screenplay. It's not one of the best animated films of recent years but it is fun and entertaining. The penguins are hysterical.

Tony O. gave it a9:
Pretty darn funny. The opening sequences launching the plane are just hysterical. Considerably better than the original film, and as someone else pointed out, hard to see how it could have been much better. Lots of droll movie references and in-jokes (The Lion King in particular gets a good workout) and one of the best scripts of 2008. Oddly enough, because it has so many in-jokes, it is probably a slightly better film for adults than it is for children, which makes me drop a point off what it might have been. But one of the best films of the year anyway.

Phillip S. gave it a10:
I absolutely loved this movie. I thought at first that it would be some cheesy sequel, but it proved me wrong. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and it sends shivers through my spine every time I listen to it. The best sequel to surpass the first one!

Jackie gave it an8:
Very very good movie for teenagers , kids and adults.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa DreamWorks Animation

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
DreamWorks Animation