Voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Alec Baldin, Bernie Mac
Running time: 89 mins
Rating: Three stars

THE success of the 2005 animated feature – which took $500m worldwide at the box office – meant the makers couldn’t leave well alone. The result is okay, but disappointing with too many characters and not enough time to give them all their moments of glory.

Former New York City Zoo animals Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) are hoping to get out of Madagascar on Air Penguin, the old crashed plane repaired by those amusing penguins. The flight doesn’t go as planned, with the animals not getting out of Africa and crash landing on the plains of that continent where they meet their own species for the first time. For some, meeting the relatives is a shock.

Alex the dancing lion could give those Strictly professionals a run (dance?) for their money, but his skills on the dancefloor prove a shock to his father Zuba (Bernie Mac), the leader of the pride. It’s like a miner having Billy Elliot for a son and gives lion rival Makunga (Alec Baldwin) the chance to make a play for the leadership.

The other zoo animals are also questioning their lives. Hypochondriac giraffe Melman finds a niche as a witch doctor, while Gloria finds romance and Marty gets the chance to run with the herd.

Sacha Baron Cohen is still a lot of fun as lemur King Julian, so are the penguins and the chimps, but there’s not nearly enough of them.