Movie and Television Reviews

Madagascar 2 is a delight from end to end and one of the few recent cartoons that made me laugh out loud.

I admit to not having seen the original- I think I was in Iraq at the time- but, if you didn't either, you should still be OK for Madagascar 2 as Madagascar 2 thoughtfully gives the audience a sense of the original- a zoo-raised lion, hippopotamus, zebra, and giraffe attempt to leave the New York Zoo for Connecticut, but are captured by zoo authorities. Animal rights activists force zoo officials to send them to Africa, their native habitat, but in the confusion caused by mutineering penguins, wash ashore in Madagascar. Madagascar 2 begins with the quartet and the penguins attempting to flee the island in the remains of what looks like a DC-3.

The introduction also gives us a glimpse at Alex, the lion's, origin. Alex was always a sensitive kid, unlike his alpha-male father, Zuba. One day, hunters took Alex while his father preoccupied himself with his lion duties, fighting off alpha lion pretenders, primarily.

So, imagine the coincidence when Alex and Co. land smack dab in the middle of the childhood preserve. Drama ensues. First, Marty the Zebra has an identity crisis when he realizes that any zebra is pretty much like any other; Gloria the Hippopotamus tries to find love with hippothario Moto Moto ("So nice, you have to say it twice.") only to find that she's attracted to Melman the Giraffe who declares his love for her when his hypochondria kicks in, and he thinks that he has a couple of days to live. The story centers around Alex, however, and he has to prove himself to his father. He doesn't prove himself by fighting, but he does, in the end.

Meanwhile, a Jewish grandmother inspires her fellow New Yorkers to survive in the African jungle after the penguins steal the humans' jeeps. The penguins use the jeep parts to build an airplane, with the help of monkeys' opposable thumbs.

The movie is very funny, operating, as all of these movies do, on separate levels for adults and the kiddies. the humans were funny, and I found the monkeys and penguins especially hilarious. It breaks away from recent child movie tradition by not including any jokes centering on bodily functions.

Message/Politics:

Follow your heart. Alex solves problems his way and his dad accepts him. Alex doesn't have any romantic interest in the story. There is interspecies love between Melman and Gloria. Like the cause du jour in Hollywood, such a pairing cannot result in procreation. "Love overcomes all obstacles." Expect more such subtleness in the future.

Madagascar - The Complete Collection (3-Disc Giftset)