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This movie is special because the first Madagascar (which I own) was the first movie I ever reviewed for The Citizen. This is my XXth review! So I’m happy I liked this.

Alex (again played by Ben Stiller) is a somewhat self-centered lion who thinks his problems are more important then everyone else’s. Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) is his best pal who is a general party animal. Melman (David Schwimmer) is still neurotic and he’s a lovesick giraffe whose secret affection is for Gloria. Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) rounds out (literally-she is very round!) four animals who have been on the Isle of Madagascar for a while. With the help from the penguin Skipper (Tom McGrath) and the rest of his gang, the crew has created a plane to get them back to New York. Lemurs King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen), Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer), and Mort (Andy Richter) have also hitched a ride.

The take-off is fine, but then the plane crashes in Africa. Once there, the gang interacts with their own kind in their natural setting for the first time. Alex meets his parents; Zuba is played by the late Bernie Mac, and this is a very happy moment for him. What are the odds of him crash-landing on the very nature preserve where he was born.. but this is a fairy tale so we can suspend belief.

Then the sweet reunion is shattered by Makunga (Alec Baldwin), the mean lion of the pride who wants to be the Alpha Lion instead of Zuba. Seeing that Alex is here infuriates Makunga, for he was supposed to be the next pride protector. ( Hint hint, does this remind you of the Lion King?) Makunga does everything he can to get Alex banished.

Meanwhile, Marty, Gloria and Melman are getting to know how their kind act in the wild. King Julian and Maurice start to lead a colony of flamingos. Gloria strikes up a romance with the most moronic hippo on the face of the earth, voiced by someone named Will I Am. He only loves Gloria for her body!

This movie is hilarious. Much funnier then the first Madagascar. Everyone is still doing their part, and that’s great. Now, not everything is perfect. The movie is mostly about Alex, so we don’t see as much of everyone else.

Also, the two times we see Mort the goofball in the movie, he is being chased by a shark who really wants to eat him (How did the shark not die above water?) Besides that, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a funny comedy that most everyone will enjoy. There’s no profanity, but there is a scene where the lemur pretends to be a lady jumping out of a cake. It was funny. Just go see this and have fun with your family. Forget about the economy and get back to your lives!!!

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