Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster |
|
| Directed by | Eric Darnell Tom McGrath |
| Produced by | Mireille Soria Mark Swift |
| Written by | Etan Cohen Tom McGrath Eric Darnell |
| Starring | Ben Stiller Chris Rock David Schwimmer Jada Pinkett Smith Sacha Baron Cohen Cedric the Entertainer Andy Richter Bernie Mac Sherri Shepherd Alec Baldwin Elisa Gabrielli |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer will.i.am |
| Editing by | Mark A. Hester |
| Studio | DreamWorks Animation Pacific Data Images |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 2008 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Gross revenue | $602,308,178[1] |
| Preceded by | Madagascar |
| Followed by | Madagascar 3 |
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (or simply just Madagascar 2) is the 2008 animated sequel to the 2005 film Madagascar, about the continuing adventures of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo. It is directed by Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath and written by Etan Cohen.
It stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, and Andy Richter. Also providing voices are Bernie Mac, Alec Baldwin, Sherri Shepherd, Elisa Gabrielli, and will.i.am. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and was released on November 7, 2008.
The film starts as a prequel, showing a small part of Alex's early life, including his capture by hunters. It soon moves to shortly after the point where the original left off, with the animals deciding to return to New York. They board an airplane in Madagascar, but crash-land in Africa, where each of the central characters meets others of the same species; Alex is reunited with his parents. Problems arise, and their resolution occupies much of the remainder of the film.
The previous title was Madagascar: The Crate Escape, which was featured on a teaser trailer with Ben Stiller.
This, along with Soul Men (which was released on the same day as this movie, November 7, 2008) and Old Dogs (which was released a year after this movie was released, November 25, 2009), was Bernie Mac's last film performance. Therefore, the movie made a special dedication to the comedian stating: For our friend Bernie Mac, thanks for all the laughter.
There were many cultural references in this film, one being Sandy Koufax on the cover of a Life magazine.
Contents |
Plot
As a cub, Alex the Lion was called Alakay and was the son of Zuba, the alpha lion. Though Zuba tries to teach Alakay to be a hunter, the cub is more interested in dancing, and is captured by poachers when Makunga, Zuba's rival, challenges Zuba to a fight for the position of alpha lion. Alakay is forced into a crate, and though Zuba tries to rescue his son, he is shot in the ear and fails. The crate falls into the ocean where it drifts to New York. There, Alakay is renamed Alex and sent to the Central Park Zoo where he grew up, meeting Marty, Melman, and Gloria. The events of the first film are then described through a series of news flashes.
In the present time, Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, King Julien, Maurice, the chimpanzees, Skipper and his fellow penguins board a repaired airplane in the hopes of using it to fly back to New York. Mort tries to board the plane but King Julien doesn't want him on board and locks him outside. The plane takes off and starts with a relaxing journey. Alex later spots Mort clinging to the wing of the plane and waves to him (causing Mort to wave back and fall off the wing into the sea). The plane soon ends up crash-landing in continental Africa when it runs out of fuel. In Africa the animals are amazed to find more of their kind. Alex is reunited with Zuba and his mother. Marty quickly fits in with a herd of zebra who all look, sound, and talk exactly like him. Melman takes on the position of witch doctor amongst the animals. Gloria, interested in finding a mate, attracts the attention of a smooth-talking but shallow hippo named Moto Moto.
Meanwhile, the penguins set about repairing the plane. They carjack several jeeps from New Yorkers on vacation under "Operation Tourist Trap", leaving the tourists stranded and lost in the jungle. Taking charge of the group is Nana, a tough old woman known for having beaten up Alex before he was first shipped out of New York in the first film, reminding them that they are New Yorkers and survivors.
The next morning Mort washes up on the shore of Africa and sets off to find King Julien, chased by a hungry shark.
Unfortunately, life in Africa is not as wonderful as it first seemed. Makunga, still determined to take the position of alpha lion, reminds Zuba that Alex must complete a traditional lion coming-of-age challenge that he did not complete. Alex, thinking that the challenge is a dance contest (it is actually a fight) competes against the strongest lion, Teetsie (who was recommended by Makunga) and loses quickly. To avoid being forced to banish his own son for failing, Zuba relinquishes his title as Alpha lion. Makunga immediately takes the position and banishes Alex and his family, much to Zuba's anger at Alex. Marty, meanwhile, begins to feel upset that all of the zebras are exactly the same as him, leaving him with nothing unique. Melman is happy as a witch doctor until he learns that he has the same spot that had apparently caused the previous witch doctor to die. Melman is also upset about Gloria dating Moto Moto, as Melman has secretly loved her for a long time. Gloria goes on a date with Moto Moto, in a lake, and quickly realizes that he only loves her for her body.
The next day, the animals are in a panic when they discover that the watering hole has dried up. Determined to make up for his earlier failure, Alex and Marty decide to risk being shot by hunters and leave the reserve to discover what has happened. The pair discover that the stranded New Yorkers, under the instruction of Nana, have dammed up the river and built a primitive civilization. Alex is subsequently captured by a trap, causing Marty to abandon him to seek help. Meanwhile, Zuba hears from Makunga what Alex did and goes to rescue him.
Back on the reserve, King Julien suggests that the animals sacrifice one of themselves at the volcano, Mount Kilimanjaro, to appease the water gods and regain their water supply. Believing that he will die soon, Melman volunteers to be sacrificed. Gloria stops him just in time and Marty arrives to tell them about Alex. The trio, the penguins, and several chimpanzees use the newly-fixed plane to execute a rescue.
However, Alex has already managed to rescue both himself and his father by dancing for the New Yorkers, who quickly recognize him from the zoo. The other animals arrive to pick them up with the plane (now redesigned as a helicopter), and together they all destroy the dam, freeing the water.
Meanwhile, back at the volcano, King Julien complains to Maurice about the sacrifice plan not working ("The science seemed so solid"). Mort turns up and is overjoyed to see King Julien, although Julien is less than thrilled to see him. The shark that was chasing Mort also arrives but falls into the volcano, completing the sacrifice (with Maurice saying "I wonder if the gods like Seafood") and causing King Julien to think that he brought back the water.
As the watering hole restores, Makunga angrily reminds Alex and Zuba that all this won't change anything. However, Alex manages to remove Makunga from power by tricking Nana into attacking him, and she drags him back to the other marooned tourists. Zuba steps down from being Alpha Lion, giving the position to Alex, but Alex in turn refuses, resulting in both father and son becoming the leaders.
The movie ends as Skipper marries a bobble-head hula doll from the plane and leaves on a honeymoon in Monte Carlo with the chimpanzees, and a huge tub of diamonds and gold, leaving Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria to happily remain in Africa with Alex's parents.
Cast
- Ben Stiller as Alex the Lion
- Chris Rock as Marty the Zebra and other zebras
- David Schwimmer as Melman the Giraffe
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria the Hippopotamus
- Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien the Lemur
- Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice the Aye-Aye
- Andy Richter as Mort the Lemur
- Bernie Mac as Zuba the Lion
- Sherri Shepherd as Florrie the Lioness (credited as "Mom")
- Alec Baldwin as Makunga the Lion
- Elisa Gabrielli as Nana
- will.i.am as Moto Moto the Hippopotamus
- Tom McGrath as Skipper the Penguin
- Chris Miller as Kowalski the Penguin
- Christopher Knights as Private the Penguin
- John DiMaggio as Rico the Penguin
- Conrad Vernon as Mason (Phil is unvoiced)
- Fred Tatasciore as Teetsie / Poacher #1
- Eric Darnell as Poacher #2
- Stephen Kearin as Tourist with video camera
- Danny Jacobs as Tourist with New York T-shirt
- Quinn Dempsey Stiller (Ben Stiller's real-life son) as Baby Alex[2]
- Thomas Stanley as Baby Marty[2]
- Zachary Gordon as Baby Melman[2]
- Willow Smith (Jada Pinkett Smith's real-life daughter) as Baby Gloria[2]
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 65% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 137 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."[3] Another review aggregator, Metacritic classified the film into the "generally favorable reviews" category with 61/100 approval rating based on 24 reviews, also a bit higher a score than the original.[4]
Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune stated in his review that the film "goes easy on the pop culture jokes, I should clarify: 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."[5] 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.[6] Steven D. Greydanus complained the film's plot was similar to The Lion King, Joe Vs. The Volcano, and Happy Feet.[7] 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. Now you have Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."[8] John Anderson gave the film 3½ approval rating and stated "Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa, the sequel to the enormously successful DreamWorks adventure and a film that hews close to the whole Lion King/species-as-destiny/self-fulfillment paradigm."[9]
On its opening day, the film grossed $17,555,027 from 4,056 theaters with an $4,328 average. It went to be at #1 at the box office with $63,106,589 with $15,559 average per theater.[10] As of March 19, 2009, it achieved a gross of $180,010,950 in the United States and Canada along with a gross of $422,297,228 in other regions adding to a worldwide gross total of $602,308,178.[1]
Awards and nominations
Broadcast Film Critics:
- Best Animated Film (nominated)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009
- Favorite Animated Film[11]
Soundtrack
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Soundtrack by Various artists | |
| Released | November 8, 2008 |
| Genre | Pop rock Reggaeton Rap |
| Label | Interscope |
| Professional reviews | |
|
|
- "Once Upon A Time In Africa" by Hans Zimmer
- "The Traveling Song" by will.i.am
- "Party, Party, Party" by Hans Zimmer
- "I Like to Move It" by will.i.am
- "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Polka Version)" by Hans Zimmer
- "Big and Chunky" by will.i.am
- "Chums" by Heitor Pereira
- "New York, New York (Polka Version)" by Hans Zimmer
- "Volcano" by Hans Zimmer
- "Rescue Me" by Hans Zimmer
- "More than a Feeling" by Boston
- "She Loves Me" by will.i.am
- "Foofie" by Hans Zimmer
- "Copacabana (At the Copa)" by Barry Manilow
- "Monochromatic Friends" by Hans Zimmer
- "Best Friends" by will.i.am
- "Alex On The Spot" by Hans Zimmer and will.i.am
Enhanced Videos
- "I Like to Move It" by will.i.am
- "She Loves Me" by will.i.am
- "Big and Chunky" by will.i.am (DVD only)
Sequel
DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg confirmed that there will be an additional sequel to Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Katzenberg stated, "there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York."[12] At the Television Critics Association press tour, Katzenberg was asked if there will be a third film in the series. He replied, "Yes, we are making a Madagascar 3 now, and it will be out in the summer of 2012".[13]
Home release
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 6, 2009, along with the short film, The Penguins of Madagascar. In the first week at the DVD sales chart, Madagascar opened at #1, selling 1,681,938 units which translated to $27.09m in revenue.[14] As per the latest figures, 7,060,997 units have been sold, bringing in $102,791,511 in revenue. This does not include Blu-ray sales/DVD rentals.[14]
Video game
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Toys for Bob (PS3/X360/Wii) Idolminds (PS2) Aspyr Media (PC) Griptonite Games (DS) |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Distributor(s) | Activision Blizzard |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Genre(s) | TBC |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |
|
| Media | Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Wii Optical Disc |
A video game based on the film and the game of the original film, was made for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo DS,[15] and released on November 4, 2008 in North America.[16] The video game's gameplay is similar to the first movie's video game with the same characters and moves, although the environment is in Africa. The Nintendo Channel released a playable demo of this game on the week of November 7, which shows one of the side-scrolling, Lemmings-esque levels in which the penguins of the series are the main characters.[17]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=madagascar2.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479952/fullcredits#cast
- ↑ "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/madagascar_escape_2_africa/. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ↑ "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008):Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/madagascar2. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ↑ "Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/africa/la-et-madagascar7-2008nov07,0,2163957.story. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ↑ "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Movie Review - Roger Ebert". Chicago Sun-Times. 2008-11-05. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081105/REVIEWS/811059991. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ↑ "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa (2008)". http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/madagascar2.html.
- ↑ "Time to get these animals out of Africa". Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/carrie_rickey/20081107_Time_to_get_these_animals_out_of_Africa.html. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ↑ "Review:'Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa'". http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/exploreli/ny-etleadmovie5913750nov07,0,6527117.story. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results from 11/7 - 11/9". Box Office Mojo. 2008-11-09. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2008&wknd=45&p=.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ↑ Verne Gay (March 29, 2009). "Nickelodeon: "Kids Choice Awards" Shock!". newsday.com. http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/blog/2009/03/nickelodeon_kids_choice_awards.html. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
- ↑ "Katzenberg Planning 3rd Madagascar, 2nd Kung Fu Panda". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=47990. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ↑ "DreamWorks Confirms Madagascar 3 is Coming - Katzenberg comments on when it will be released.". IGN Entertainment. 2009-01-09. http://movies.ign.com/articles/943/943429p1.html. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/MADG2-DVD.php
- ↑ Adams, David (2005-11-17). "Activision Extends DreamWorks Deal". IGN. http://cube.ign.com/articles/667/667699p1.html. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Madagascar-2-Crate-Escape-Playstation-3/dp/B001AWFIU4
- ↑ "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa :: DS Game Review". KidzWorld. http://www.kidzworld.com/article/15431-madagascar-escape-2-africa-ds-game-review. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
External links
- Official website
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa at the Internet Movie Database
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa at Allmovie
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa at Box Office Mojo
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa on the DreamWorks Animation website
- Video game
- Official website for the video game
- Madagascar 2: Escape Africa (PS3) at IGN
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||