Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Blu-ray Disc)

I did not enjoy the original Madagascar and was shocked when it went on to make over $530 million worldwide. I gave it a "D-" and even said it would "under perform". What did I know? Flash forward three years later and I thought Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was much better than the original and while it did manage to earn over $570 million worldwide I always got the feeling most people didn't enjoy it as much as the original. I can't explain why this is, but I can say I think this is a good animated film and should you have little kids or be an animated film fanatic this will serve as a worthy addition to your collection.

With the first film I felt the only redeeming value were the Penguins as they served as the comic relief and the only fun part of the film that felt at all original. The story went nowhere and never caught my attention. This second time around the Penguins are back, the monkeys add a lot to the feature (even though they may have also been funnier in the first flick) and the four main characters -- Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) -- seem to have a purpose to what they are doing and a reason for their story to be told. Of course it all boils down to clichéd family drama, but there is enough here for an enjoyable feature.

On Blu-ray the film looks spectacular and I can't find a single flaw in terms of the visuals. The color palette used takes advantage of some impressive vistas and I can't say I noticed the beautiful landscapes the first time around, but after the bonus features hammer home the same images over and over again you can't help but take notice. In terms of the audio it comes with a Dolby TrueHD track, which more than satisfies.

There are plenty of features available, including a filmmakers' commentary with co-directors Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell as well as producers Mark Swift and Mireille Soria that can also be viewed as an in-feature picture-in-picture feature called the Animators' Corner. This feature includes the commentary as well as comes accompanied by occasional animatics, storyboards and behind-the-scenes visuals. It really is the only feature worth watching as a lot of the other stuff the disc comes with either reiterates things you have already heard or just simply doesn't add enough additional detail for the casual animated film watcher. However, I do know there are animated film enthusiasts out there that eat all this stuff up and there are a couple of good tidbits inside the making-of featurettes, but I am not interested enough in the art of animating a feature film to really tell you what's best.

On top of the making-of stuff and commentary the most entertaining bonus footage comes by way of a pair of twelve minute shorts starring the Madagascar Penguins. One focuses on how the zoo animals are going to go about obtaining some popcorn and the other centers on a lemur who is suspected to be trapped inside a digital camera. They aren't that bad, but certainly geared toward even a younger audience than the film itself, but worth a once over for fans that enjoyed the Penguins in the film, and how could you not.

There is a feature on how to learn Swahili, a trivia track that plays during the film, a look as the filmmakers head to Africa for inspiration, a guided tour of the Madagascar exhibit at the real Bronx Zoo, a bonus game, trailers and a slew of musical features if you haven't had your fill of the "Move It, Move It" song by the time you are done with the film.

This isn't necessarily a must buy for all movie fans, but those that love the film are certain to enjoy this release and I get the feeling animated film fans can always find enjoyment in a well made movie even if it isn't their absolute favorite.