More goofiness and hijinx and less breakthrough animation can still work

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2009)

Dreamworks' "Madagascar" films have never been about trying to impress with lifelike animation, opting not to even compete with Pixar in that regard. Instead, they create very geometric, blocky characters that while uninspiring do echo the goofy and care-free nature of the films. "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa" is an execution of fun. It relies on its clever, memorable creatures in order to compete against other animated films that constantly break animation barriers and tell inspiring stories. It's not state-of-the-art, but it's probably just as effective, at least as far as the profits are concerned.
"Madagascar 2" marks the return of Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman (lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe respectively) right where the first film left off (in Madagascar), although that's hardly important to understanding the movie. Knowing the first film only helps you get more quickly back into believing them. As these former escaped NYC zoo animals leave Madagascar, their inherently flawed plane crashes on an African tourist reserve stocked with animals like themselves, including Alex the lion's (Stiller) mother and father.
The wit of these pampered city animals struggling in the wild continues as the characters learn lessons from their fellow animals. Marty (Rock), for example, meets a herd of zebras exactly identical to himself and he struggles with what makes him special. Family values, however, are still second fiddle to devious penguins swindling New Yorkers (who the writers slam on a lot) touring the plains and Nana, the dangerous old woman beats the stuffing out of people. It's all hijinx. Nothing is hysterical, but altogether it's quite amusing. It also never bores at 90 minutes long.
The film is better than its predecessor, probably just because so little time is needed to reestablish the characters. The story picks up quickly and thrives off the characters that made the first one work. There's also a bit more to the story with the background characters being more than just lemurs. More of a full world is imagined in this one. It might not be a beautiful world, but it serves its purpose.