I went to see "Madagascar 2" this week and it was about what I expected. I thought it was a pretty good movie, though not great. It was about like the first one, and maybe a little better. This movie is more about the humor and gags than it is about the story. As such, I think I liked "Bolt" better overall though "Madagascar 2" certainly had more jokes. The story in "Madagascar 2" is fairly forgettable and is mainly there to serve as a framework around which to stage the various jokes and gags. It's kind of like watching a Monty Python movie in that regard. The humor is good, so this isn't really a bad thing, though I do prefer stronger stories. The animation was good and I liked the stylized look of the animals that they use. There were also a few well done crowd scenes; the type of thing you can really only pull off with CG.

Compared to other Dreamworks movies, "Madagascar 2" is a big step down from say "Kung Fu Panda", which remains my favorite Dreamworks animated movie so far. "Kung Fu Panda" is far superior both in terms of story and the quality of the animation and CG. I think the "Shrek" movies are better as well. Still, I thought it was worth seeing.

Let's see, Dreamworks' next animated movie is "Monsters vs. Aliens" in March, then there's "Ice Age 3" in July from Blue Sky Studios. Pixar's "Up" is out in May (though it's not a furry movie this time). The first half of '09 should be pretty good for animation fans.