Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa topped the DVD sales charts for the second week in a row.  In its second week of release, the Dreamworks sequel was still selling more than 3 copies for every 1 of its closest competitor, Nights in Rodanthe.  It appears that sales for Madagascar 2 have reached the 4 million units mark in just two weeks, a tribute to clever marketing by Dreamworks and Paramount Home Entertainment—the Madagascar 2 movie was available both in a one-disc version and for a few dollars more, in a two-pack that features a second disc that contains some hilarious shorts featuring the penguins from Madagascar films.  The shorts provide additional incentive for those who have already seen Madagascar 2, which earned $180 million at the domestic box office, to pick up the DVD.

 

Madagascar 2 has also topped the Blu-ray charts during its two weeks of release, and it’s easy to see why.  The Madagascar 2 Blu-ray disc (BD) also contains the Penguins shorts along with a host of other great extras.  But the main reason to get the Madagascar 2 BD is the superb visual quality of the Blu-ray transfer.  The depth of field in the longshots is truly extraordinary and the colors really pop.  With its satirical references to movies and other social phenomena, Madagascar 2 is a film that adults can enjoy while watching along with their kids--and the Blu-ray version is the best possible way to enjoy the film outside of a theater.

 

The superb look of animation in the Blu-ray format is also evident in a new animated release intended for adults rather than children, Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder, the fourth (and perhaps final) feature-length revival of the late lamented Futurma TV series.  While the animation of this Futurama feature is not as spectacular as the much more expensive processes employed in Madagascar 2, it still looks great on Blu-ray and is perfectly suited to the fast-paced satire that is Futurama’s trademark.  Let’s hope that the Futurama features are successful enough on DVD to insure the production of subsequent Futurama projects.

 

The extras on Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder are almost as funny as the movie itself.  In “How We Make Futurama So Great” the conceit is that voice actress Lauren Tom (Amy Wong) is responsible for every aspect of the production, while “Louder, Louder: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette” is equally absurd and “Bender’s Guide to Movie Theater Etiquette” and “Zapp Brannigan’s Guide to Making Love at a Woman” are obvious, but amusing spoofs.  There are also some good “straight” features on the disc including  “How to Draw the Futurama Characters,” and a live action documentary of producer/creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen floating in “space” on a special “zero G” airliner, and “Golden Stinkers,” a compilation of deleted scenes.