With an open ending to its successful start, one could have easily expected a sequel to DreamWork's MADAGASCAR. As sequels go, this one is equal to the original and in some parts better than the original. Taking tips from their SHREK franchise, DreamWorks nicely moves the story forward instead of trying to repeat what worked in the previous film. The story journeys in a logical direction, placing the four zoo animals in Africa where characters can be expanded upon and new characters can be introduced.
Alex the lion (Ben Stiller, TROPIC THUNDER), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock, I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer, TV's FRIENDS), and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith, THE MATRIX RELOADED) have enlisted the spy-like penguins to build a plane to get them from Madagascar to New York. Tagging along are the king of the lemurs Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen, BORAT) and his right-hand-man Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer, KINGS OF COMEDY). As we learn in an opening sequence, Alex ended up in New York when hunters stole him from his father Zuba (Bernie Mac, TV's THE BERNIE MAC SHOW). When the penguins' flight takes a nosedive, the foursome end up at Alex's birthplace in Africa, where he is reunited with his parents. Now the reemergence of the citified son of the tribe's leader gives the conniving Makunga (Alec Baldwin, TV's 30 ROCK) a chance to steal power.
This film twists the fish-out-of-water tale of the original. Alex is a dancer, not a fighter, which challenges his reunion with his all "lion" father. Marty loves being part of a herd of zebra, but finds that being one of a million is not as satisfying as being one in a million. Melman's love for Gloria is challenged when the popular hippo Moto Moto (Will.I.Am of the Black Eye Peas) sets his eyes on her. While the others deal with their personal issues, the penguins deal with primate labor issues while rebuilding the plane, and the hyper and clueless King Julien tries to extend his kingdom to the African plains.
Impressively all the plotlines come together well and the conclusions never force unbelievable character changes. I especially liked how the relationship issues were resolved between Alex and Zuba without resorting to the tired "learning to be a man" clichés. Melman and Gloria are expanded on, however Gloria is still a placeholder not a character. Here she is cast as the love interest. Two of the funnier elements of the original were the penguins and King Julien, and they are all given more moments to shine in the sequel. Many of the funniest bits come from these supporting characters.
Lost a bit in all these characters is the friendship between Alex and Marty, which was the heart of the original. In juggling so many different threads, the new conflict between Alex and Marty is not allowed to grow smoothly over the course of the story. Instead, it bursts up in scenes with big long dramatic speeches. This is the biggest weakness in the script. What saves the film is that the idea is still good; it's just the execution that falters. While some of the gags are too sitcom in nature, the pop culture references are more naturally worked into the story versus the original where they stuck out like a giraffe on the subway.
MADAGASCAR has turned into an entertaining franchise. It's no LION KING, but it is a light confection in the vein of the Looney Tunes shorts. The action is frantic and if one gag doesn't work there will be one soon after that will. In ironing out the plot wrinkles in the first film, the sequel betters the original. Let's just hope that the third installment doesn't drown in too many characters, becoming MADAGASCAR: LOST AT SEA. If they finally get back to NYC in the next film though, it could be called MADAGASCAR: 3RD & BROADWAY.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
