MADASCAR: ESCAPE TO AFRICA
US, 2008, 89 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sascha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie Mack, Alec Baldwin, Sherri Shepherd.
Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom Mc Grath.
Not a fan of the original Madagascar (too many in-jokes for the voice stars undermining the cartoon capers), I approached this sequel with some trepidation. However, I found it far better and funnier (and less 'in') than the first film.
Maybe, there is a touch more of the human this time (and some echoes of The Lion King) where we are shown Alex, the King of New York in zoo showbiz, as a cub more intent on dancing than fighting, where we see his father confronting his rival for leader of the pride of lions, where we see the mischievous Alex caught by hunters and his imprisoning box floating to New York and the life that we saw in the first film with his friends, Marty, Gloria and Melman.
This time they want to go to Connecticut but land up in Madagascar, presumably, and getting a lift back to New York in a ramshackle plane piloted by the penguins which then has an amusing crash landing in deepest Africa – where Alex originally came from. What follows is Alex finding his roots (and confronting his father's rival after he fails the initiation rite), is Gloria falling love with a very large hippo to Melman's dismay, is Melman offering himself as a sacrifice to the gods of the volcano to get water back, is Marty finding that all zebras look the same even though each is unique. King Julien is on hand again, just as manic, and leading the ceremony for the sacrifice. There are some humans too, especially a determined 'little old lady' intent on controlling the big 'kitties'.
Lots of zany action, some funny musical allusions, some adventure and danger – and the entertaining voices of Ben Stiller as Alex, Chris Rock doing his shtick as Marty, David Schwimmer mournful as Melman, Jada Pinkett Smith romantically hippo as Gloria and Sacha Baron Cohen on the loose as King Julien. The voice of Makunga, the villain line, had a touch of sinister whispering familiarity about it – Alex Baldwin.
A lot of nonsense, of course, but this time engagingly so.
1.The popularity of the original, for adult audiences? Children?
2.The style of the animation, the characters, the animals, humans? Bright colours, movement, shapes?
3.The dialogue and the smart talk, the cracks, the cast and their particular comedy styles? The songs and the rhythms?
4.Africa, the landscapes, the animals, the beauty, the herds, the volcano, the water?
5.Alex’s story: his parents, his father teaching him as a warrior, his dancing, the father’s disappointment, Alex wandering away, his being captured, in the box, in the ocean, arriving in New York, the zoo, the newspaper headlines? Alex and his dancing, drawing the crowds, acclaim? His friends and audiences knowing them from the first film?
6.Their wanting to have a holiday, escaping from the zoo, the alarm, the little old lady and her threatening them, in Grand Central Station, captured, the boat, stranded?
7.The penguins, rebuilding the plane, the take-off, flying, the dangers, the engines failing, the crashlanding? The penguin captain, his distractions, his handling the situation? Stranded in Africa?
8.Alex and his friends, their patter, finding Zuba, Alex’s realisation of where he was, the encounter with Makunga? The plan for his initiation, Makunga giving him the false information, the fight and his being defeated, his being banished, Zuba and his resignation, Makunga and his false modesty, taking over as the king?
9.Alex, the hat, sad, exiled? Marty and his character, meeting all the zebras, wanting to be unique? Gloria and the attraction to Motu Moto, his not being very romantic in his words? Melman and his meeting the giraffes, wanting to be a doctor, helping with the medicine, the spot, the witch doctor, thinking he had forty-eight hours to die? His declaration of love for Gloria, criticising Motu Moto? Willing to be sacrificed? Gloria rescuing him?
10.Julian, the various lemurs? Julian and his patter, king, Maurice as his assistant? The lewd touch? Flying, landing, the subjects, suggesting the sacrifice at the volcano?
11.The humans, on safari, the trucks, the little old lady and her attack, the penguins and stealing the car, the stranded humans? Wanting to hunt down the lions?
12.Alex and the mission, the failure of the water, the animals and the water drying up, the search, the dam, the people and their attack, Alex dancing, their recognising him, Zuba coming, learning his lesson, dancing with his son, sharing the heroism?
13.The water coming down, the animals being saved?
14.Alex giving Makunga the lady’s handbag and her attack on him?
15.The happy ending, order in the jungle? New York, dancing? Happiness?
