2 of 2

Moto Moto (will.i.am) woos Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith)

Thanks to all these story threads, it is difficult to find an overarching theme, though a few ideas do recur, such as the nature of authority and the relationship between theater, storytelling and political and religious ceremonies: the other tourists follow Nana because she acts like she knows what she's doing; Alex squabbles with the penguins over who should be in charge, after their plane has crashed; the lions stage fights as a rite of passage; and the lemur Julien, in his typically pompous and kooky way, suggests sacrificing someone to the "water gods" when the river runs dry.

But even if no theme dominates the film as a whole, various moments throughout the film are often quite funny in their own right. Some of the gags may be a bit edgy or cheeky for younger children—for example, when the monkeys demand maternity-leave rights, Skipper peeks under the desk and says that all the monkeys are male—but it's got a zany charm all its own, and its CGI depiction of the African continent is quite beautiful at times. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is definitely not a film for the ages, and you might not even remember it by the end of the year, but as it is, it's a reasonably pleasant, amusing and diverting bit of animation.

>Talk About It

1. Alex keeps referring to himself as the "King of New York," because that's his stage name—but his father mistakes it for a sign of physical power. How is theater and fake power not really power at all? How can it become a kind of power?
2. Marty worries that he isn't unique, because all the other zebras are just like him. How important is it to be different from others? Is it comforting to find others who are just like you? When does it cease to be comforting?
3. Is it significant that the main thing which sets Marty apart from the others is his scar? How do our "scars" define us?
4. What does the film say about the nature of authority? Why do people follow Nana into the wild? Why do the lions follow one alpha male and not another? Why do the giraffes take medical advice from Melman? Why do the animals take Julien's suggestion seriously, that one of them should be sacrificed to the "water gods"?
5. What does the film say about human relationships? Does it matter that a giraffe is in love with a hippo? Does it matter that a penguin is in love with a wooden doll? Does it matter that someone says of one of these relationships, "Love transcends all differences"?

The Family Corner

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is rated PG for some mild crude humor, including gags about inter-species romantic attraction (and one animal's affection for a wooden doll), and a scene in which an animal checks under a table to see what gender some other animals are, among other things. The animals also steer a couple of vehicles into a seemingly indestructible old lady who has beaten some of them up. Most giraffes assume that they should go to a "dying hole" and die when they are ill. And a shark pursues a small furry creature—not only at sea, but on dry land too.

Photos © Copyright DreamWorks Animation

© Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

• Plugged In
  
• Crosswalk
  
• Catholic News Service
  
• Past the Popcorn

first page |  2 of 2