Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: November 7, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The outcomes of all the mini-dramedies are too messy and equivocal to produce morals; that's just as it should be in a farce about confusion. Co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath are most intent on completing the circle of comedy. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Escape 2 Africa is pretty tame, but it knows how to keep its own turf tidy. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The visual style is typical, ultra crisp computer animation, bright, sharp, somewhat clinical. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a brighter, more engaging film than the original "Madagascar." Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The film shoehorns in every memorable character from the original film. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
A nice surprise, surpassing the quality of the first film. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
The rare sequel that is better than the original. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Cartoons can get away with being serviceable and skillful without much creativity since they have an endlessly renewing audience. "Mad 2" surfs along on such waves, entertaining youngsters while mildly amusing adults. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Lively and quite funny without being obnoxious, this follow-up smoothly mixes the original's New York Zoo escapees with a number of engaging new characters. Read full review
70
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
Funniest movie of '08? Close enough, for those who don't mind monkeying around. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The roots are shallow, but the sequel is good-natured, high-spirited and perfectly enjoyable if you take it for what it is. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Lessons about family loyalty, tolerance, ingenuity, and sacrifice add depth to the screenplay by Etan Cohen and directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, but thankfully don't detract from the lunatic maneuvers of a delusional lemur king (Sacha Baron Cohen) and those wily spheniscidae. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleTheresa Everline
Young children will enjoy this piece of sweet cartoon candy. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
More animals don't necessarily translate to more fun and laughter, at least not when it comes to animated sequels. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
If Madagascar 2 is the best Dreamworks can provide to go toe-to-toe with Pixar's beautiful WALL*E, then it's game, set and match to the Disney subsidiary. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Dilutes the idea some by giving every four-legged hero a story arc. And there's not enough of the first movie's super-erudite monkeys. Yet the sitcom-style silliness is still there, and it's nice to see that the old "grin or frown as you wave a hand across your face" joke still has cross-generational, and cross-species, appeal. Read full review
60
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Let’s not lose sight of what's really been accomplished here. Alex and Marty – just like Batman and Robin, Fred and Barney, and Snagglepuss – are welcome additions to the gay animation pantheon. Read full review
60
EmpireIan Nathan
A pleasing and pretty enough re-run, just that bit diminished. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
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. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Good enough in patches to make its distracting star turns, storybook clichés and stereotypes harder to take than they would be in a less enjoyable movie. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
A by-the-numbers follow-up to the highly successful 2005 feature that was no great shakes to begin with. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazinePerry Seibert
The movie suffers from a serious case of unoriginality. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Fails to drum up much excitement. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Epitomizes the best and the worst of what animated filmmaking has become in an era dominated on the one hand by ever more sophisticated computerized imagery and, on the other, by the grasping, increasingly grating desire to be hip. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
When it comes to time-wasting memory games, crossword puzzles are more fun than this movie. Read full review
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