USA Today unveils this morning nine new photos from DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to Madagascar which will roar in conventional theaters and IMAX on November 7, 2008. Don’t expect a sneek peak at new characters though since the gallery is made of screen captures from the featurette that debuted a few months ago on the Bee Movie DVD. In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the transplants from the Central Park Zoo made famous in 2005’s original try to get back to New York using an old plane. As the title suggests, the animal pals don’t quite make it. “In many ways this is an even better story than the first film,” says DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg. “It’s an opportunity for each of the lead characters to find out a lot about themselves.” The entire menagerie from the first film, which grossed $194 million in North America alone, is back: Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and King Julien the lemur (Sacha Baron Cohen), as well as new characters voiced by Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin. “For any actor, coming into a part understanding what the boundaries are creates a level of comfort and raises the bar for everyone,” Katzenberg says. “So in many ways, this is more outrageous and bolder.” One character experiences a heartfelt reunion, but the penguins are up to their usual mischief, Katzenberg says. “We had to be careful that they didn’t steal the show.”