Nearly flawless animated movie (PG) delivers its maximum potential.

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2006)

Starting with expectations I didn't really expect the world from this movie, just the same lovable characters (all the characters are back including some great new ones), a whole lot of PG rated jokes and maybe one or two really funny moments, peppered with a few emotional moments that are the staple of such films.
And this movie met every one of those expectations and in some cases even exceeded them.
Also this is ONE of the rare sequels that are as good if not better than the original and that in itself makes this movie extra special.
The animation of this movie is top notch and save for the fact that they make the fire and water too realistic in some scenes it had the perfect feel of a old fashioned cartoon film.
The acting is superb and besides the earlier characters this movie introduces 3 great characters namely a scamming armadillo (jay Leno at his best) and two over-smart possums. I didn't seem to care to much for Ellie the mammoth (queen latifah has become way to monotonous i knew it was her without even seeing the credits).
The background score of the film is great and certainly adds to beauty of this film.
The jokes are hilarious and extremely well thought of, with a liberal dose of jokes that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and a few select jokes that will seem funnier to adults. This is a great concept in modern films where some jokes are tailor made adults so they can find them much funnier.
Surprisingly this movie keeps you laughing throughout even though it doesn't have any scenes that will have you rolling out of your seats (thus lacks any scenes you can put your finger on a rarity in funny films).
The old fashioned concepts of love and brotherhood do make their expected appearances but they are short and sweet and fit brilliantly in the film. In fact they are explained mostly through humour and this makes this film a near perfect family entertainer(going with a girl is also not a bad idea as they seem to love such films).
A rare great sequel, a film that exceeds expectations and delivers to its maximum potential. This movie is an absolute must see.