Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

This is one of those rare occasions where the sequel is better than the original – but only by a whisker. In the first instalment, Alex the dancing lion and his mismatched cohorts escaped from a New York zoo on a mission to reach Africa. They missed and wound up on Madagascar instead. Roll on part two and Alex (voice of Ben Stiller) et al are on board a home-made aircraft bound for Africa where they hope finally to meet members of their own species. The film then shatters into a trillion plotlets involving reunions, rites of passage, water shortages, volcanic sacrifices, even a little romantic interaction. Yet, despite this splintered storyline, the film manages to remain more coherent than the last. The animation, too, is improved. Great pre-Chrimbo fun for under-tens, then, but a chore for anyone else. Tip: for best results, see it in gigantiscope at the IMAX.