“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” aims to move it, move it again and it surely will. The incredible success of its 2005 forerunner may actually throw a drop of magic on the sequel as well, as the nutty animal story continues, adding a bit of drama to its side-splitting plot. And it would actually be very difficult to not like the fur-covered, A-list- voiced characters, since there are on their way to a new adventure…in Africa and toward the top of the box office.

In spite of the fact that the storyline is rather speckled, as producers try to incorporate half a dozen narratives into an 89-minute long film, animated comedies are part of a movie genre in which creative humorous happenings are able to redress the balance and attenuate plot deficits. The energy is spiky, and every time things become bewildering, an adorable creature emerges and breaks confusion in a more than entertaining manner.

Following a flashback introduction that establishes some future intrigue twists, as well as a swift recap of its prequel, “Escape 2 Africa” reprises the moments left behind by the 2005 hit.

Forced to embark on a hardly working plane (piloted by several excessively self-assured penguins), the popular zoo squad is at last on its way to the glam Manhattan life. Nevertheless, there would be no “Escape 2 Africa” if our non-human creatures did not get into trouble again. Therefore, the plane crashes in Africa.

Alex the Lion, voiced by Ben Stiller, Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Scwimmer), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and King Julien XIII the Ring-tailed Lemur (Sacha Baron Cohen) go through a lot of happenings, out of which some are dull and some are brilliant. Alex finds his dad (the late Bernie Mac), while the story starts to resemble “The Lion King.” Bernie Mac’s performance suggests both tenderness and insight, thus matching perfectly Ben Stiller’s crude modulation.

Most of the film’s humor is wide-ranging, but the script swims between clichéd gags and extensive pleasantry, offering a more complex touch with the help of more or less satirical moments.

“Escape 2 Africa” is sufficiently amusing to make up for the majority of the plot’s deficiencies, as well as for the lack of involvedness some of the characters emanate. In addition, once the animals get to understand that the African lifestyle is quite different from the American one, the movie appears to lose itself in flatness, as the abundance of conversations outshines the few action scenes.

Still, kids will definitely love it. I’m not so sure about their parents.