Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
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A group of zoo animals find themselves in the East African savannas where they must navigate the challenges of the wild and reunite with their own kind.
The story
Following their adventures in Madagascar, a group of zoo animals—including a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippopotamus—attempt to return to New York. However, their plane runs out of fuel and crash-lands in the East African savannas. The animals find themselves in a wild environment where they are excited to meet others of their own species. Alex the lion is reunited with his parents, while Marty the zebra finds a herd of his own. However, the joy of reunion is complicated by the harsh realities of the wild and the challenges of navigating a new, untamed land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a crash landing in the East African savannas, the zoo animals are separated from their routine. Alex the lion reunites with his parents, Zuba and Florrie, but finds himself caught in a power struggle between Zuba and the ambitious Makunga. Makunga tricks Alex into a fight against a powerful lion, leading to Alex's defeat and his banishment from the watering hole. Meanwhile, Marty feels less unique among a herd of identical zebras, and Melman becomes convinced he is dying while pining for Gloria. The group eventually faces a crisis when the watering hole dries up. They discover that humans have dammed the river. In a climactic sequence, the animals and a group of chimpanzees work together to destroy the dam. Alex and Zuba become co-leaders of the herd, and the group decides to stay on the reserve for a while, while the penguins and lemurs head off on their own adventures.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eric Darnell; Tom McGrath
- Writers
- Etan Cohen · writer; Eric Darnell · writer; Tom McGrath · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ben Stiller · Alex; Chris Rock · Marty; David Schwimmer · Melman; Jada Pinkett Smith · Gloria; Sacha Baron Cohen · King Julien XIII; Cedric the Entertainer · Maurice; Andy Richter · Mort; Bernie Mac · Zuba; Alec Baldwin · Makunga; Sherri Shepherd · Florrie; will.i.am · Moto Moto
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- identity; friendship; family
- Tone and mood
- humorous; adventurous
- Premise and plot tags
- animal adventure; comedy; sequel
- Franchise connections
- Madagascar
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its characters, humor and animation, while also considering it an improvement over its predecessor.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 25
- Production trivia
- The film was originally subtitled 'The Crate Escape' in its first teaser trailer.; The film was dedicated to Mac, who died before the film's release.; The film was the sixth highest-grossing film of 2008.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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