AP PhotoNew point of view: Melman the giraffe, voiced by David Schwimmer, left, Gloria the hippo, voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith, second left, Alex the lion, voiced by Ben Stiller and Marty the ...

They keep the story simple, picking up where "Madagascar" left Alex and his fellow pampered zoo animals, Marty the zebra (Rock), Melman the giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Pinkett Smith).

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the rare sequel that rises above the original, and in this case it’s able to rise over its title, too. The main characters from the first movie are all back, along ...