Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Rated PG for some mild crude humor.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
How weird would it be if we one day succeed in getting animals to talk and find out they all sound exactly like celebrities? Well, it wouldn't be weird at all, of course, because that's exactly what we'll be expecting after all these animated talking animal films. In fact, we'll all be really disappointed if the real animals have boring, unfamiliar speaking voices. I mean, think about it.
The Story
In "Madagascar 1: Hijack of the Penguins" (not actual title), a bunch of animal friends from the Central Park Zoo in New York City tried to get out and see the neighborhood only to end up on a ship headed for Africa. Guess where they ended up? No, that's wrong. They landed in Madagascar, where they met a bunch of exotic animals and learned a little something about being wild.
This film begins with their exodus back to New York City aboard a retooled airplane piloted by a bunch of flightless waterfowl. Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) and Marty the Zerbra (Chris Rock) are still friends in spite of that whole butt-biting incident, while Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) is ready to get home and start dating much to the dismay of Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), who is secretly in love with her.
The plane holds together only long enough to crash land on the exact African nature preserve from which Alex was lost as a lion cub before finding his way to New York. (What are the odds?)
After an emotional reunion with his parents, Alex commits to what he thinks is a dance contest to earn his way into his father's pride (and to make his father proud). Only it's not a dance contest but a fight with a really big and mean lion, and Alex is not much of a fighter.
Meanwhile, Gloria is falling for a hunky hippo who admires her girth, Melman is filling a vacancy as the giraffe witch doctor, and Marty is dismayed to find out he is exactly like every other zebra in Africa. And, yes, that is a lot of plot for a single kids' movie.
The Verdict
What we thought of the film on its own terms
What Works: Lots of funny moments in this crazy animated tale for kids, but the supporting players really steal the show. Those proficient and smart-alecky penguins and their trained monkey crew cracked me up, as did a rival lion that looked exactly like Alec Baldwin (and had his voice). Funniest of all, though, is that King Julien marmot thing voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. Those performances are the joy of "Madagascar 2: African and Loving It!" (not actual title).
What Doesn't Work: Much less interesting to me was all the plot that has to be worked out after the movie's whiplash opening few minutes. Crazy, zany out-of-context laughs don't make up for so-so storytelling and fun-but-not-mesmerizing main characters.
"Mad 2" is never boring and lots of kiddos will cherish the Happy Meal toys, but the whole thing lacks the Pixarific satisfaction and cohesion to keep it in your head once you're in the car and on the way to the drive-through.
Content: Parents of little kids might not appreciate some of the over-the-top cartoon violence or rude language exchanged by some rude animals. Likewise, a major plot point involves Gloria the Hippo getting ready to have a presumed "breeding situation" with a big, sexy-voiced hippo named Moto Moto ("hot hot") in a pond. Of course, nothing is ever really explicit, but that King Julien thing makes several sexual jokes that will be missed by most little kids. Also, a penguin is revealed to have a strange romantic relationship with a wooden doll that he eventually marries.
Wordlview
How the film's take on life compares to a biblical perspective
Friends learn to forgive and stick up for each other. A dad learns to accept and appreciate his son as he is, even if he dances instead of fights for a living. Secret love is expressed and embraced. "Mad 2" doesn't stake out any huge worldview territory, unless you choose to read into these scenarios specific kinds of love relationships. I'm not going to do that.
The animals do embrace the worship of a false god; they attempt to offer it a living sacrifice (via plunge into a volcano) in exchange for the god's favor in getting their water back. It's all played for laughs and shown to be a pointless exercise (and yet another plot diversion). Again, this didn't feel like a statement about all religious faith.
I was intrigued, though, by the question Marty the Zebra is forced to confront when he hangs out with a herd of wild African zebras: What does it mean to be "you" when you find out that you're exactly like every one else in your target demographic? He'd always thought of himself as unique until he discovers that every last zebra talks and runs and jokes exactly as he does.
The answer he comes up with is that his uniqueness is found not in his own sense of humor or abilities or personality. His specialness comes from being in relationship with and valued by his group of friends. Their love for him is what makes him "Marty."
Our culture puts a huge emphasis on defining ourselves by our friends. If you have a MySpace, Facebook, or any other social networking account, you collect friends. You keep tabs on them. In the real world, you hang out with and are known by them. Your friends are part of your identity, part of the way you feel valuable in a world of 6+ billion people.
That's why it's such a big deal to choose our friends wisely. In Proverbs 12:26, Solomon warns us to be "cautious in friendship" to avoid being identified with or led away by ungodly people. He also warns that some fickle friends will be turned off and leave when we run out of good health or good money.
On the other hand, he says some friends stick "closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) Those are the keepers. Most important of all is to be loved and valued by the ultimate friend, the one who sent His Son to die for you and offer you eternal life with Him. Abraham had that. He was called God's friend because He believed God. Jesus also called His disciples friends.
We can have all kinds of friends -- giraffes, zebras, marmots, wooden toys -- but our deepest sense of worth should come from our friendship with the one who made us. He knows us better than anyone.
Questions:
- Better or worse than the first "Madagascar"?
- Which are your favorite characters? Which ones are funniest?
- If you had to be one of those animals for a day, which would you pick? Why?
- How does Pixar do it?
- How much of your identity do you base on your friends?
- How much of your identity do you base on your friendship with God through faith in Jesus?
