February 10, 2009
DVD Review: Madagascar Escape 2 Africa / The Penguins of Madagascar Double Pack
Paramount Home Entertainment
Released: February 6, 2009
Paramount Home Entertainment has released Madagascar Escape 2 Africa as well as The Penguins of Madagascar in the form of a DVD double pack.
Madagascar Escape 2 Africa was a very popular sequel when it released in the box office, and for good reason. The film, from DreamWorks Animation, is a follow-up to the original which grossed over $500 million at the global box office.
All of the big characters from the original film have returned, along with some new faces as well.
We get Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Glorida the Hippo, and others. All of their human counterparts have returned to voice them as well, with Chris Rock, Ben stiller, and others leading the way.
The group ends up getting stuck in Africa when trying to fly back home to New York.. It seems like they are having a touch time out in the wild.
Needless to say, I did not find this as funny or entertaining as the original. With that said though, there is enough here that it is still very enjoyable.
It is original enough and keeps things fresh enough that you will still be smiling from start to finish.
The included feature The Penguins of Madagascar is also a worthy addition, as it provides a lot of laughs in this all-new penguin adventure. Clearly it may not be up to par with the feature film itself, but it will still add a lot of enjoyment for younger viewers.
In terms of the video and audio quality for the release, this is a home run! The video transfer is as perfect as you can get on DVD with crystal clear colors, solid black levels, etc. You simply cannot get any better without moving to Blu-ray.
The same can be said in regards to the audio content, as the mix has a lot of engrossing elements to it that really bring you into all of the action and laughter the feature contains.
There are some very cool extras included in the DVD release here, starting out with the interactive game, “Test Flight of Air Penguin,” as well as some musical stuff to keep you interested.
An audio commentary has been thrown in as well with co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath taking center stage. They are joined by producers Mireille Soria and Mark Swift, and make for a great track.
Production featurettes are included as well, focusing more on the making-of stuff that went into the entire set-up of the sequel to Madagascar.
The features are rounded out by a few other cool extras such as a special on lions, the zoo, among other things.
Madagascar Escape 2 Africa is worth picking up on DVD without a doubt, but the included feature in the double DVD pack is worthy as well. With the two combined, there is hours of family entertainment to be had here, a must-buy.
Film: 8.4 Not as good as the original, but still very entertaining!
Video: 10 You can’t get much better than this on DVD.
Audio: 10 Ditto with the above.
Extras: 8.8 For the DVD double pack, I consider the other added release as one big extra, so for that, this is a great value!
Final Score: 9.0
Story courtesy of DB Techno @
http://www.dbtechno.com/product-reviews/2009/02/10/madagascar-escape-2-africa-the-penguins-of-madagascar-double-pack-dvd-review/
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