I enjoyed 2005’s Madagascar, so I was more than happy to sit down and take a look at the second installment. Part two picks up where the first movie left off, with the same group of animals, along with a few new ones and a brand new villain. Escape 2 Africa begins with a brief back story to remind viewers of who’s who and how they got there.
Just to refresh your memory, four animals from the Central Park Zoo on their way to a wildlife habitat, were washed ashore in Madagascar, after a group of angry penguins attacked their ship. The animals were all buddies and looked out for each other: Alex (Ben Stiller), the star lion at the zoo; the zebra Marty (Chris Rock), Alex’s best friend; Melman (David Schwimmer), a hypochondriac giraffe; and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), a sweet hippo. In Madagascar, the group had to deal with a self-absorbed lemur king, Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his right-hand man, Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer).
In flashback, we learn that Alex came to the zoo from Africa, where poachers tried to capture him. He was able to escape in a crate and float all the way to America, where the Central Park Zoo took him in.
Having set that up, this is where we stand: After the penguins plan to return to Antarctica was aborted, they renovate a downed plane and volunteer to return everyone home to New York. This includes: Julien, Maurice, Mort, and the chimps. Unfortunately, the plane runs out of gas and the crash land at a game preserve in Africa. It just so happens that Alex is reunited with his parents there, so an unexpected adventure begins. The films main conflict is between Makunga (Alec Baldwin), a scheming lion who is vying with Alex’s dad (Bernie Mac) for leadership of the pride.
I enjoyed Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa quite a bit. However it didn’t capture my imagination the way the first film did. Taking the time to fill in the back story take up a considerable amount of the films 89 minute run time; throw in some rather lengthy closing credits and there’s little time for real story development.
Unlike the first film, the plot is rather slim. I still don’t really understand why the animals wanted to leave such a perfect place as Madagascar; it’s not explained at all. While we still get the sly cultural references we came to expect–this time to Lost, I, Robot, Survivor and others, it seems as though the filmmakers expect us to enjoy old friends and go along with a series of sight gags and goings on, that don’t necessarily fit together to create a real, cohesive storyline. Fortunately for the filmmakers, the penguins make Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa well worth watching, as do a group of tourists that includes the little old lady from New York we met in the first picture, the music, and the fantastic artwork. In truth, the CGI animation overshadows every other aspect of the film. It is more detailed, elaborated and colorful than in the first film; kudos also to Hans Zimmer and Will.I.Am for their music and songs.
Also, as in the original film, the importance of friendship is the message at the heart of Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa. Who wouldn’t want to encourage that?
The blu-ray is absolutely gorgeous! Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa features a flawless 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that can only be described as remarkable. Colors are vivid and lively, primaries are rich and stable, and blacks are as deep and resolved as they come. Contrast is bright and inviting, perfectly capturing the warm sunlit plains and stark skies of the African plains. Detail is a sight to behold. Whether it was an animal’s fur, a tree’s leaves, a stone’s imperfections, or an airplane’s weathered hull, I simply couldn’t peel my eyes away from the screen. Every scene, every shot, every frame looks completely and utterly fantastic.
To top it all off, Paramount’s transfer is never disrupted by artifacting, noise, or any other intrusive issue. Escape 2 Africa is the animated transfer to beat in 2009.
Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa’s noteworthy Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is just as impressive. Line after line of crisp, perfectly-prioritized dialogue has been replicated with exacting precision. Character voices and naturalistic effects are meticulously situated throughout the soundfield, low-end bass tones are weighty and resonant, and the rear speakers offer a never-ending parade of ambient and acoustic support. As it stands, the film has more than a fair share of showcase sequences — the plane crash, Alex’s hapless search for Marty, Melman’s encounter with a volcano, the unforgettable appearances by a lunging shark.
As far as I’m concerned, Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa sounds as good as it looks. Audiophiles will be hard pressed to find an issue, casual viewers will be bowled over by the track’s raw power and tenacity; animation fans will find themselves lost in plains alongside Alex and his friends.
This BD has a healthy set of extras. First up, we find two exclusives in high def: “The Animators’ Corner,” a picture-in-picture event where the filmmakers comment on the action from within on-screen inserts; and a Trivia Track, which provides pop-up bits of text information as the film is running. Next, we get a filmmakers’ commentary with directors and co-writers Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath and producers Mireille Soria and Mark Swift. After that, we have a series of brief featurettes, also in high def: “It’s a Family Affair: The Cast of Escape 2 Africa” is a nine-minute promo on the voice cast. “The Making of Escape 2 Africa” is an eleven-minute behind-the-scenes segment. “Crash Landing” is about three-and-a-half minutes on the animation of the crash scene. “African Adventure” is seven minutes on the film crew visiting Africa to soak up the scene. Then, there’s “Jambo Jambo: Swahili Speak” and “The Bronx Zoo: Madagascar.”
After those items, there is more of the Penguins in the two adventures listed above; a little video game, “Test Flight of Air Penguin”; followed by four “Mad” music videos: “She Loves Me,” “Move It, Move It,” “Big and Chunky,” and “The Traveling Song” sing-along. Finally, there’s “Alex’s Dance-Off” and a DreamWorks Animation video jukebox that provides songs from other DW movies.
The extras finish up with twenty-three scene selections and bookmarks; a series of DreamWorks trailers at start-up and in the main menu; a BD-Live feature that includes “The Heart of a Lion”; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired.
