"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," the sequel to the 2005 DreamWorks film "Madagascar," topped the box office this weekend, earning more than $60 million. Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the star-laden movie follows Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippopotamus (Jada Pinkett Smith) as they attempt to escape the island on which they were stranded in the first movie.
The second film starts almost exactly where the first ended. In a plot hatched by a group of madcap penguins, the group finds themselves aboard a reconstituted plane, headed back to New York where they belong.
A crash landing in the middle of the African Serengeti finds them instead among their own kinds for the first time, and these four New Yorkers are forced to realize that what makes them unique is their devotion to each other.
It is not often that a production company rolls out an animated sequel that is as good as — if not better — than its predecessor (Disney's "Toy Story" franchise is one rare but notable exception), but DreamWorks has done just that.
The script for "Escape" reads a bit like Disney's "The Lion King" (Alex's king-of-the-lions father, voiced by the late Bernie Mac, is threatened by Alec Baldwin's scheming, power-hungry Makunga) mixed with the 2006 animated feature "Happy Feet" (Alex, the Central Park Zoo's "King of New York," attempts to dance his way through what should be a fierce lion-on-lion battle).
Despite the "been there, done that" feeling of the movie, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" does have a quite a few funny moments that are probably beyond most of the under 12 set, including references to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and airport security regulations.
The animation is breathtaking as well. While the animals are definitely stylized, their intended species are also immediately recognizable. The scenes of the African wildlife preserve are incredible, and the movie is a great example of how far computer animation has come in recent years.
"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" is probably not the film of choice for a college student's Saturday night at the movies, but it would be perfect for spending time with younger siblings or cousins. With that in mind, the movie certainly isn't just for kids.