"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" epitomizes the best and the worst of what animated filmmaking has become in an era dominated by computerized imagery, saturation-level pop-culture references and parents who demand their own entertainment as they suffer through another matinee with the kids. Visually captivating, this sequel to the 2005 hit about zoo animals on the lam suffers from a plethora of subplots and suggestive humor aimed at viewers in the upper range of its PG-rated demographic. This is, after all, a movie that opens with a shamelessly crowd-pleasing shot of four boogieing animal tushies.

Those ample posteriors belong to Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), who are on their way back home to the Central Park Zoo when their plane crashes into the African veld. It's at this point that the myriad storylines multiply like so many wildebeests. But fans of the first "Madagascar" will find much to enjoy, even as the movie threatens to sink from its over-plotted weight. The animation bursts, and there are moments of humor, mostly from Sacha Baron Cohen's King Julien.

Regrettably, "Madagascar" continues the trend of making pop-cultural references aimed at adults. It's all very meta, which probably accounts for why one child was overheard pronouncing the movie "boring." Still, she wouldn't budge until the catchy "I Like to Move It" song had faded. Never underestimate the entertainment value of the boogieing tushie.

-- Ann Hornaday (Nov. 7, 2008)

Contains mild crude humor.