Blu-ray Movie Reviews

All of the loveable characters are back - Alex The Lion, Marty The Zebra, Melman The Giraffe and Gloria The Hippo, King Julien, Maurice and The Penguins - in "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". They find themselves in the wildest place of all - the vast plains of Africa - where our zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the very first time. While discovering their roots, they quickly find the differences between the concrete jungle and the heart of Africa. Despite long-lost relatives, romantic rivals and scheming hunters, Africa seems like a great place...but is it better than their Central Park home.

Sequels are always so hit or miss and I was honestly going into this one with low expectations given the trailers but Dreamworks managed to create a sequel that is as entertaining if not a bit more so than the original. Our zoo friends are trying to get back to New York but their plane makes a crash landing in a preserve where Alex finds his true parents and the bonds of friendship between the gang are tested. The animation takes a nice step up and the humor is spot on here. I thought the film had a few more adult themes than the previous one but nothing that was unsuitable for younger viewers. If you liked the first one, this is a great addition to the series.

Kung Fu Panda was one of the best looking titles on Blu-ray last year and this one is right up there. Absolutely gorgeous! Fine detail is exquisite and I loved the dimension displayed in the animation and imagery. Colors are vibrant with great detail and the contrast levels are spot on. I love the textures on display in this transfer and Dreamworks’ animation has just been getting better and better. A showcase for great HD imagery!!

The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is also a hit. The sound design is a lot of fun and has great dynamic presence and balance. The surrounds are really effective in the more intense sequences and low bass extension is deep adding some really fun demo sequences to the film. The voice work sounds very natural in tone and balance and is blended in with the animation perfectly.

Extras are geared more to the younger viewers in the house and include a few games, music videos and a feature on speaking Swahili. You also get a couple more penguin adventures that are fun, but not quite as good as the previous penguin Christmas adventure. A trivia track, animated storyboards and interviews are also included along with some trailers.

This is one of the best presentations I’ve seen on Blu-ray yet this year and Dreamworks Animation is definitely churning out some great films lately. Hopefully we’ll see some more of their great catalog releases hit Blu-ray this year as well.