MADAGASCAR 2

What happened to cartoons? In the last decade, they've changed SO much. We once wished upon a star and wondered who was the fairest of them all. Now, we're instructed to be impressed by futuristic oddities like WALL-E, and kids unknowingly relish watching the repercussions of the DreamWorks staff's apparent crack addiction in MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA.

That's right. They're on crack. Or at least the movie plays out as if the animators, voice-over artists (I'm looking at you, Ben Stiller!) and everyone connected to the film are most definitely on something. It's not that I can't follow what's happening, it's just that there's so...much of it. Sorry for all the italics. But it's true.

MAD 2 focuses on Alex, a dancing lion, and his accidental return to the continent whence he came. That's right: lions don't naturally come from New York. High points of the film include the bad lion that looks exactly like Alec Baldwin, the miniature lemur king who does most of the crack-smoking, the pretty accurate caricature of New Yorkers...and the palpably sexual dialogue between the lead hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) and her short-term love interest, MotoMoto (voiced by Will.i.am). My favorite: "Who's your friend? Or is that your butt?"

I know with all these so-called "high points," it might be confusing that I initially sounded negative about the film. But let me clarify: I think it was a good popcorn flick. A passable, DreamWorks, animated movie. But it wasn't--or at least--I didn't feel it was a good cartoon. Oh, who am I kidding: it wasn't Disney. And for that, I'm sad.

plot: Zoo animals rediscover their roots.
thought: Um...that IS my butt.
in five: 2.5/5

move it, move it: http://www.madagascar-themovie.com/