Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, also known as Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa, is a 2008 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film is the sequel to Madagascar.
The movie starts with a snapshot of the past, giving audiences a glimpse of how the famous lion Alex was separated from his family and made his way from the African savannah to the Central Park Zoo.
After that, there’s a recap of the first movie.
When the story starts marching forward again, Alex and his zoo buddies Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippopotamus and Melman the giraffe are stranded in Madagascar.
With the “help” of some penguins, they’re getting ready to take off in a decrepit airliner and return to their “real” home, New York City, but they don’t make it nearly that far.
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After a frenetic Mayday moment, the zoo crew-along with new friends King Julian, Maurice and Mort-land violently on the plains of Africa.
As chance would have it, they’ve plopped down right in the middle of the animal reserve that’s home to the lion pride led by Alex’s dad.
It’s a strange and emotional reunion for the whole family. Alex can’t remember anything about his life before the zoo. Dad (whose name is Zuba) and Mom have been certain for years that their son was killed by hunters. Suddenly, they’re a family again.
Alex isn’t the only one who has found a new sense of community and belonging. Marty experiments with living in a herd with hundreds of other zebras. Gloria begins dating a hunky hippo named Moto Moto. And hypochondriac Melman’s dream comes true when he’s appointed the physician for his new giraffe posse.
Shortly after the joyous lion family reunion, Makunga, the jealous second-lion-on-the-totem-pole, forces Zuba to choose between banishing his son and making him take part in a rite of passage ritual that will put his life in danger.
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To Zuba, the answer seems simple. His son is a king-the King of New York. Surely it’s no problem for Alex to prove his mettle by killing a rival lion. There’s only one problem: Alex has never fought anything in his life.
Meanwhile, the penguins set about repairing the plane, assisted by numerous chimpanzees recruited by Mason and Phil. They steal vehicles from humans on a safari and strip them for parts.
The zoo animals' excitement soon turns to disappointment. In a scheme to oust Zuba as the alpha lion, Makunga insists that Alex complete a rite of passage that Alex mistakes for a talent contest. It is actually a fighting contest, and Makunga tricks him into choosing the strongest lion as his opponent, resulting in Alex's humiliating defeat.
Faced with the duty of banishing his son, Zuba relinquishes his title as alpha and Makunga takes over. Meanwhile, Marty is dejected by the realization that the other zebras can do everything he can, believing himself no longer unique.
Melman comes to believe that he is deathly ill, and Gloria's interest in Moto Moto saddens him since he has secretly loved her for a long time.
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The four friends argue heatedly with one another. Gloria has a date with Moto Moto but loses interest when she realizes he is only attracted to her because of her size.
The next day, the animals panic when the watering hole is dried up. Determined to redeem himself, Alex mends his friendship with Marty and they leave the reserve to investigate upriver.
King Julien suggests that offering a sacrifice to the nearby volcano will restore the water. Melman, forlorn and believing he is dying, volunteers to be sacrificed. Gloria stops him from jumping into the volcano and realizes that he is the perfect guy for her.
Alex and Marty discover that the stranded New Yorkers have built a camp and congested the river with a dam. Alex is captured and Zuba comes to his aid, though Alex saves them both by dancing for the tourists, who remember him fondly from the zoo.
Marty, Melman, Gloria, the penguins, and the chimpanzees arrive just in time to rescue the Lions. In the ensuing scuffle, the aircraft smashes the bucket containing the lions onto the dam where Nana stands, restoring the water.
Makunga angrily makes a stand for control when Zuba and Alex return, but Alex tricks him into being subdued by Nana.
With Makunga gone, Zuba and Alex are alpha lion again.
Skipper the penguin marries a bobblehead doll from the super plane, and he, the other penguins, and the chimpanzees head off to the honeymoon in Monte Carlo.
Movie poster of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Cast
- Ben Stiller as Alex
- Chris Rock as Marty
- David Schwimmer as Melman
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria
- Bernie Mac as Zuba
- Sherri Shepherd as Florrie
- Elisa Gabrielli as Nana
- Alec Baldwin as Makunga
- Tom McGrath as Skipper
- Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien
Reception
The film received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 63% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 153 reviews, with the consensus view that the film was "an improvement on the original, with more fleshed-out characters, crisper animation and more consistent humor," and with an average rating of 5.9/10.
Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune stated in his review that the film "goes easy on the pop culture jokes. One of the smarter things in the script is how Alex, who digs his Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins dance moves, becomes the film's primary pop-cult gag."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 stars and wrote "This is a brighter, more engaging film than the original Madagascar."
Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film 2 stars and wrote "Take the flat tire that was Madagascar. Retread it with The Lion King storyline. Pump it up with air."
On its opening day, the film grossed $17,555,027 from 4,056 theaters with a $4,328 average. After that, it went to be at #1 at the box office with $63,106,589 with a $15,559 average per theater.
Here's a table summarizing the film's box office performance:
| Opening Day Gross | Opening Weekend Gross |
|---|---|
| $17,555,027 | $63,106,589 |
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