Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Opened November 7, 2008
Runtime: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild crude humor
Cast: Voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie Mac, Alec Baldwin, Sherri Shepherd, Will i Am, Elisa Gabrielli, Tom McGrath
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Screenwriters: Etan Cohen
Music: Hans Zimmer
Production Co.: DreamWorks Animation

Synopses:

• The sequel to 2005's "Madagascar", in which New York Zoo animals, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo, still stranded on Madagascar, start to leave the island. All of a sudden, they land in the wilderness of Africa, where Alex meets the rest of his family, but has trouble communicating with them after spending so much time at the Central Park Zoo.
• In the highly-anticipated sequel to 'Madagascar,' Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins and the chimps find themselves marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar. In the face of this obstacle, 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 long enough to make it to the wildest place of all--the vast plains of Africa, where the members of our zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the very first time. Africa seems like a great place...but is it better than their Central Park home?

The official website for Madagascar has multiple categories to look through including about the film. Click on the following links for more resources and information on the movie as well as reviews: Internet movie databata (imdb), Yahoo! movies, Rotten Tomatoes, About.com, NY Times, Houston Chronicle, Roger Ebert, Fandango, Moviefone, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Rolling Stone, Variety

Trivia:

• Bernie Mac's last animated feature. This movie was dedicated to him.
• The sequel Madagascar 3 (2012) was confirmed months before this one came out.
  'Moto Moto' means 'Hot Hot' in Swahili.
• The line the English penguin delivers in his safety speech on the plane is the same safety tip that the rat gives the chickens in the Aardman film, Chicken Run (2000).
• The song from this movie, "Time 2 Move It/I Like To Move It", was used in a 2008 Chrysler car commercial.
• A specially-made segment featuring Julien and Private was used as part of a 2008 Comcast Digital Voice commercial.
• A specially-made segment featuring Alex, Gloria, Melman, Marty, and the penguins was used as part of a 2008 McDonald's restaurant commercial.
• Alex's family birth-mark is shaped like the continent of Africa, including the island of Madagascar.
• When the airplane takes flight, Alex look out the window, and sees Mort on the wing, messing with the engine, this is an homage to the classic Twilight Zone episode _"The Twilight Zone" Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963)_ featuring a young William Shatner.
• The aircraft used in the escape attempt is based on a Lockheed L-10 Electra, similar to one used by Amelia Earhart.
• When the head penguin asks to kiss the head monkey the monkey replies, "Alright, but you're so darned ugly" is a direct reference to Planet of the Apes (1968). In one scene Taylor (Charlton Heston) says to Zira (Kim Hunter) I'd like to kiss you Zira. Zira replies, "Alright, but you're so damned ugly".

Reel Thoughts entertainment rating: 4/5

Reel Thoughts award-worthy rating: 3/5