Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

In Kenya,{{Cite web |title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa": A wildly successful sequel |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/madagascar-escape-2-africa-a-wildly-successful-sequel/#:~:text=%22Madagascar%3A%20Escape%202%20Africa%22,in%20what%20looks%20like%20Kenya.|access-date=November 6, 2008 |website=The Seattle Times| date=November 6, 2008 }} the alpha lion Zuba tries to teach his young son Alakay how to fight, but Alakay is more interested in dancing. Rival lion Makunga challenges Zuba for the title of alpha, but during their fight, Alakay is captured by poachers and put in a crate. Zuba gives chase and breaks the safety harness off of the crate containing Alakay, but is shot in the ear and incapacitated. The crate falls into the ocean and drifts to New York City, where Alakay is renamed Alex, grows up at the Central Park Zoo, and meets his lifelong best friends: Marty, Melman, and Gloria.

Years later, following their adventure in Madagascar,{{efn|name=Timeline|As depicted in Madagascar (2005)}} Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, along with Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, the penguins, and Mason and Phil, the chimpanzees, prepare to return to New York aboard a battered airplane piloted by the penguins, accompanied by King Julien, Maurice and Mort. The plane runs out of fuel and crash lands in continental Africa. The animals find themselves at a watering hole on a nature reserve, and are excited to meet others of their species. Alex is reunited with his parents and impresses them with tales of his status as "the king of New York". Marty fits in with a herd of other zebras who look and sound just like him. Melman, a hypochondriac, is distressed that the reserve has no doctors, so the other giraffes appoint him their witch doctor. Seeking romance, Gloria attracts the attention of the smooth-talking male hippo Moto Moto. 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. Nana, a tough old woman who attacked Alex in Grand Central Station,{{efn|name=Timeline}} takes charge of the stranded tourists and helps them survive in the wilderness for the time being.

In a scheme to oust Zuba as alpha lion, Makunga insists that Alex complete a rite of passage which Alex mistakes for a talent contest. It is actually a fighting contest, and Makunga tricks him into choosing Teetsi, the strongest lion as his opponent, resulting in Alex's humiliating defeat. Despondent, Zuba relinquishes his title as alpha to Makunga, who banishes Alex from the watering hole. 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, having secretly loved Gloria for a long time, is saddened by Gloria's interest in Moto Moto. The four friends get into a heated argument 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. After a pep talk from Julien, Melman finally reveals his feelings for Gloria.

The next day, the animals panic when the watering hole dries up. Determined to redeem himself, Alex mends his friendship with Marty and they leave the reserve to investigate upriver. 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 loves her for more than her appearance. Alex and Marty discover that the stranded humans have built a camp and dammed up the river, and Alex is captured by them. Zuba rushes to his aid, but Alex saves them both by dancing for the humans, who remember him fondly from the zoo. Marty, Melman, Gloria, the penguins, and the chimpanzees arrive in the repaired airplane and help Alex destroy the dam, restoring the water. Makunga angrily makes a stand for control, but Alex tricks him into being subdued by Nana. Zuba offers Alex the title of alpha lion, but he declines, believing the title belongs to his father. Zuba claims the title belongs to them both, and father and son become co-leaders.

Skipper marries a bobblehead doll from the plane, and he, the other penguins, and the chimpanzees head off to honeymoon in Monte Carlo.{{efn|As depicted in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)}} The foursome and the lemurs happily decide to stay on the reserve for a while.

{{See also|List of Madagascar (franchise) characters}}

File:ChrisRock.jpg at the Israeli premiere of the film, on November 22, 2008.]]

{{div col}}

• Ben Stiller as Alex, a lion.
• Quinn Dempsey Stiller, Ben Stiller's son, as Alex as a baby, known as Alakay.
• Declan Swift as young Alex
• Chris Rock as Marty, a zebra and Alex's best friend.
• Rock also voices the other zebras in the herd.
• Thomas Stanley as young Marty
• David Schwimmer as Melman, a giraffe and one of Alex's friends.
• Zachary Gordon as young Melman.
• Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria, a hippopotamus, one of Alex's friends, and Melman's love interest.
• Willow Smith as young Gloria
• Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien XIII, a ring-tailed lemur and the king of the lemurs in Madagascar.
• Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice, a aye-aye who is King Julien's royal advisor and assistant.
• Andy Richter as Mort, a Goodman's mouse lemur and King Julien's biggest fan.
• Bernie Mac as Zuba, Alex's father and the alpha lion.
• Sherri Shepherd as Alex's mother and Zuba's mate. Her name is not given in either the film nor credits, but she is named Florrie in the novelization.
• Elisa Gabrielli as Nana, an elderly woman who opposes the animals.
• will.i.am as Moto Moto, a hippopotamus who is attracted to Gloria.
• Tom McGrath as Skipper, a penguin who leads a commando group consisting of himself and three other penguins.
• Chris Miller as Kowalski, a penguin and Skipper's right hand man and intelligence officer of the team.
• Christopher Knights as Private, a penguin and the mild-mannered eager rookie of Skipper's team.
• John DiMaggio as Rico, a silent penguin who is the loose cannon explosives expert and weapons suppiler of Skipper's team, who only expressed through grunts and squeals.
• Conrad Vernon as Mason, a chimpanzee. (Phil, the other main chimpanzee, is unvoiced)
• Eric Darnell as Joe the giraffe and as one of the poachers who captures young Alex.
• Al Roker as a newscaster.
• Phil LaMarr as Safari Tour Guide.
• Stephen Kearin as Stephen the giraffe, as a rhinoceros, and as one of the New Yorkers.
• Danny Jacobs as one of the New Yorkers.
• Dan O'Connor as a buffalo and as one of the New Yorkers.
• Stacy Ferguson as a female hippopotamus.
• Harland Williams as a giraffe.
• Bridget Hoffman as one of the New Yorkers.
• David P. Smith as Bobby the dik-dik
• John Eric Bentley provided additional voices.
• Fred Tatasciore as Teetsi the lion and as one of the poachers who captures young Alex.
• Alec Baldwin as Makunga, a lion who rivals Zuba for the position of alpha.

{{div col end}}

A sequel to Madagascar had been in development since 2005, when the first film had been released, with a release date planned for late 2008.{{cite news|last=Fritz|first=Ben|title=D'Works will rely on animal instinct|url=https://variety.com/2005/digital/features/d-works-will-rely-on-animal-instinct-1117929100/|access-date=October 27, 2011|newspaper=Variety|date=September 14, 2005}} In the first teaser trailer, which was released in March 2008, the film was subtitled The Crate Escape.{{cite web|last1=Sciretta|first1=Peter|title=Madagascar: The Crate Escape Movie Trailer|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/madagascar-the-crate-escape-movie-trailer/|publisher=/Film|access-date=April 22, 2015|date=March 13, 2008}} By June 2008, the film was given its final title – Escape 2 Africa.{{cite web|last1=Sciretta|first1=Peter|title=New Photos: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/new-photos-madagascar-escape-2-africa/|publisher=/Film|access-date=April 22, 2015|date=June 4, 2008}} Los Angeles-based studio Duck Studios, animated the end credits scene using Cutout animation with a style inspired by African art.{{cite web |date=2008-12-03 |title=DUCK Designs Titles for 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa', Staff |url=http://www.videography.com/article/58842 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728154450/http://www.videography.com/article/58842 |archive-date=2011-07-28 |access-date=2011-08-10 |publisher=Videography.com}}

Rotten Tomatoes reported that {{RT data|score}} of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}, based on {{RT data|count}} reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is an improvement on the original, with more fleshed-out characters, crisper animation and more consistent humor."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=madagascar_escape_2_africa|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa|type=movie|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}} Another review aggregator, Metacritic classified the film into the "generally favorable" reviews category with 61/100 approval rating based on 25 reviews, also a bit higher a score than the original.{{cite Metacritic|id=madagascar-escape-2-africa | title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa |type=movie | access-date=June 4, 2022}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search |website= CinemaScore |access-date=August 9, 2019 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190809062201/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=August 9, 2019 }}

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."{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Michael|title=A tamer wild bunch|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-nov-07-et-madagascar7-story.html|access-date=March 26, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 7, 2008}} Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3/4 stars and wrote "This is a brighter, more engaging film than the original Madagascar."{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=November 5, 2008|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/madagascar-escape-2-africa-2008|access-date=March 26, 2012}} John Anderson of Newsday gave the film 3.5/4 stars 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."{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=John|title='Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'|url=http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/madagascar-escape-2-africa-1.166674|access-date=March 26, 2012|newspaper=Newsday|date=November 5, 2008}} Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote: "The roots are shallow, but the sequel is good-natured, high-spirited and perfectly enjoyable if you take it for what it is."{{Cite news|last=Morgenstern|first=Joe|date=2008-11-08|title=Buddy Comedy 'Role Models' Rolls Off Rails|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122601401498306659|access-date=2021-11-01|issn=0099-9660}} Jim Schembri of The Age gave the film 3.5/5 stars, describing it as a "hugely entertaining, lightning-fast, ceaselessly funny follow-up to the adorable 2005 animated hit", and deemed it one of the best animated films of 2008.{{Cite web|last=Schembri|first=Jim|date=2008-12-20|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/madagascar-escape-2-africa-20081220-ge7l0e.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223121639/http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/film/film-reviews/madagascar-escape-2-africa/2008/12/18/1229189771014.html|archive-date=December 23, 2008|access-date=2021-11-01|website=The Age|language=en}} Kelly Jane Torrance of The Washington Times gave the film 3/5 stars, writing that it "might not offer audiences cutting-edge animation or a particularly original story", but added: "It still has a lot going for it, though: foot-tapping music, laughs for young and old and the prodigious talents of Sacha Baron Cohen."{{Cite web|last=Torrance|first=Kelly Jane|date=November 7, 2008|title=MOVIES: 'Madagascar 2' knows how to move it|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/7/madagascar-2-knows-how-to-move-it/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215015447/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/7/madagascar-2-knows-how-to-move-it/|archive-date=February 15, 2011|access-date=2021-11-01|website=The Washington Times|language=en-US}}

Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote that the film was "as spunky, witty and funny" as its predecessor, and praised the animation and characters, but criticized the story for "[taking] the same course as The Lion King, with a detour towards Shrek thrown in."{{Cite web|last=Gupta|first=Shubra|date=December 20, 2008|title=Movie reviews - Indian Express|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/movie-reviews/400714/0|access-date=2021-11-01|website=The Indian Express}} Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film 2/4 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."{{cite web|last=Rickey|first=Carrie|date=November 7, 2008|title=Time to get these animals out of Africa|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/carrie_rickey/20081107_Time_to_get_these_animals_out_of_Africa.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101063504/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/carrie_rickey/20081107_Time_to_get_these_animals_out_of_Africa.html|archive-date=January 1, 2009|access-date=November 7, 2008|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2/5 stars, describing it as "a frankly disappointing piece of opportunism, with a non-plot which shamelessly rips off The Lion King."{{Cite web|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|date=2008-12-05|title=Film review: Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/dec/05/review-madagascar-escape-2-africa|access-date=2021-11-01|website=The Guardian|language=en}} Anthony Quinn of The Independent also gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "The visual invention and draughtsmanship are mightily impressive; a shame the drama's a bit of a bore."{{Cite web|last=Quinn|first=Anthony|date=2008-12-05|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG)|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/madagascar-escape-2-africa-pg-1052186.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117012116/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/madagascar-escape-2-africa-pg-1052186.html|archive-date=January 17, 2009|access-date=2021-11-01|website=The Independent|language=en}}

On its opening day, the film grossed $17,555,027 from 4,056 theaters with a $4,328 average. It went to be at No. 1 at the box office with $63,106,589 with $15,559 average per theater.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2008&wknd=45&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results from 11/7 - 11/9 | publisher=Box Office Mojo | date=November 9, 2008 | access-date=November 22, 2008}} As of March 19, 2009, it achieved a gross of $180,010,950 (29.8% of total gross) in the United States and Canada along with a gross of $423,889,404 (70.2%) in other regions adding to a worldwide gross total of $603,900,354.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=madagascar2.htm | title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | publisher=Box Office Mojo | access-date=May 24, 2016}}

{{Main|Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (soundtrack)}}

Hans Zimmer returned to compose the score for the film, this time being joined by will.i.am. The soundtrack includes five new songs performed by will.i.am; his cover of "I Like to Move It" was used in the end credits.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 6, 2009, along with two episodes from The Penguins of Madagascar series: "Popcorn Panic" and "Gone in a Flash".{{cite news|title=DreamWorks Animation Gives a Whole New Reason to Look Forward to Friday ...|url=http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=540575|access-date=February 26, 2012|publisher=DreamWorks Animation|date=January 8, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719161115/http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=540575|archive-date=July 19, 2012|df=mdy-all}} In the first week at the DVD sales chart, Madagascar opened at No. 1, selling 1,681,938 units which translated to $27.09m in revenue.{{cite web|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - DVD Sales|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/MADG2-DVD.php|publisher=The Numbers|access-date=March 26, 2012}} As of April 2010, 13.7 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreamworks-animation-reports-first-quarter-2010-financial-results-92216814.html|title=DreamWorks Animation Reports First Quarter 2010 Financial Results}}

The Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - Movie Storybook was written by Rob Scotton and illustrated by Michael Koelsch, and was published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2008.{{Cite book|last1=Flexer|first1=Michael J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8wMptcsymUC|title=Madagascar: the Crate Escape - Movie Storybook|last2=Author|first2=No|last3=Hamashima|first3=Lawrence|last4=Pictures (1994-2006)|first4=DreamWorks|last5=Studios|first5=Koelsch|date=2008|publisher=HarperCollins Children's Books|isbn=978-0-00-728436-8|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Michael Koelsch on WorldCat|url=https://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&q=michael+koelsch|access-date=June 19, 2020|website=WorldCat}} Koelsch had previously illustrated the Madagascar - Movie Storybook for Scholastic in 2005.{{Cite book|last=Frolick|first=Billy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ak2DHAAACAAJ|title=Madagascar: Movie Storybook|date=2005|publisher=Scholastic|isbn=978-0-439-69627-2|language=en}}{{Cite book|last1=Frolick|first1=Billy|url=http://archive.org/details/madagascarmovies00frol|title=Madagascar : movie storybook|last2=Frolick|first2=Billy|last3=Koelsch Studios|date=2005|publisher=New York : Scholastic Inc.|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-439-69627-2}}

{{main|Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (video game)}}

A video game based on the film was made for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo DS,{{cite news|last=Adams|first=David|title=Activision Extends DreamWorks Deal|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/11/17/activision-extends-dreamworks-deal|access-date=September 18, 2012|newspaper=IGN|date=November 16, 2005}} and released on November 4, 2008, in North America.{{cite news|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors Now Available at Retailers Nationwide|url=http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=540447|access-date=March 26, 2012|newspaper=DreamWorks Animation|date=November 4, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709062908/http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=540447|archive-date=July 9, 2012|df=mdy-all}} The video game's gameplay is similar to the first movie's video game with the same characters and moves, although the environment is set in Africa.{{cite news|title=Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa :: DS Game Review Read more: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa :: DS Game Review|url=http://www.kidzworld.com/article/15431-madagascar-escape-2-africa-ds-game-review|access-date=June 12, 2013|newspaper=Kidzworld|date=November 4, 2008}}

{{main|Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted}}

A sequel titled Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted was released on June 8, 2012. Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman are still fighting to get home to New York. This time their journey takes them to a traveling circus in Europe which they will reinvent Madagascar style.

{{Notelist}}

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{{cite web|title=2008 Worldwide Grosses|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2008&p=|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=December 19, 2016}}

{{cite news|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Brenda|title=Remembering Bernie Mac|url=http://people.com/archive/remembering-bernie-mac-vol-70-no-21/|access-date=December 19, 2016|work=People|date=November 24, 2008}}

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{{commons category|Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/madagascar-escape-2-africa}}
• {{IMDb title|0479952}}
• {{Rotten-tomatoes|madagascar_escape_2_africa}}

;Video game

• {{official website|http://www.madagascarthegame.com/}} for the video game

{{Madagascar (franchise)}}

{{DreamWorks animated films}}

{{Eric Darnell}}

{{Tom McGrath}}

{{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie}}

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