Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

The zippy sequel to "Madagascar" sends the members of the urban jungle mob back to their roots: a wild game preserve on the African veldt. Forget the plot, which recycles "The Lion King" and a familiar collection of identity crises and personal odysseys. It's really no more than a structure for the personalities on parade, the rapid-fire comedy, energetic sight gags and wacky asides executed with marvelous character animation. Even more than in the first movie, the filmmakers turn to the zippy animated comedy of the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes for inspiration, and the visual invention and whiplash timing make up for all the shortcomings of the story. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith once again voice the leads, Sacha Baron Cohen returns to ad-lib the hilariously self-absorbed King Julien, and Bernie Mac voices Stiller's flinty lion king dad in a performance he completed before his untimely death in 2008. And the penguins and the monkeys are back as well. "Who says a penguin can't fly?"

The disc, which went on sale Feb. 6, features an adequately informative commentary by directors/writers Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath and producers Mireille Soria and Mark Swift, and a bunch of bite-sized featurettes and activities. The 11-minute "The Making of Escape 2 Africa" and the brief "Crash Landing" are the most interesting of the batch. The film is also available in a two-pack with "The Penguins of Madagascar," which features a pair of short cartoons from the upcoming animated series made for Nickelodeon, along with brief featurettes on the life of lions and the Madagascar exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, and interactive activities.