Penguins Of Madagascar
Penguins of Madagascar (also known as Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie) is a 2014 American computer-animated spy action comedy film[10] produced by DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Starring the voices of Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare and John Malkovich, it is a spin-off of the Madagascar franchise and takes place directly after the events of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012),[11] following the penguins - Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private - as they join forces with the North Wind intelligence agency to stop the octopus Dave, who seeks revenge on all penguins across the world for being upstaged by capturing them.[10] Apart from the main characters, it is not directly related to the Nickelodeon TV series of a similar name.
Penguins of Madagascar
A direct-to-video spin-off feature film featuring the Madagascar penguin characters had been in the works since 2005 when the first Madagascar film was released, with a release date initially planned for 2009.[22] Years later, DreamWorks Animation announced in March 2011 that the penguins would be given their own theatrical film, directed by Simon J. Smith (the co-director of DreamWorks' Bee Movie) produced by Lara Breay, and written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons (the writers of DreamWorks' Megamind).[23][24]
Parents need to know that Penguins of Madagascar is a nonstop action movie/spy thriller about the four madcap penguins from the Madagascar movies. Expect lots of explosions and chase scenes -- by plane, gondola, pest control truck, etc. -- that put the penguins in frequent peril; at one point, the team fears that one of their members has been killed. The penguins are fighting a team of evil octopi that are killed in different ways. There's a bit of crude humor (a penguin is cursed with a "butt hand") and one small, mild romantic subplot, but kids who like action, the Madagascar movies, and the penguins' TV show will enjoy the movie. Plus, there are positive messages about not judging others based on their appearance, as well as loyalty and bravery under pressure.
Madagascar's team of madcap penguins -- Skipper (voiced by Tom McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Rico (John DiMaggio), and Private (Christopher Knights) -- find themselves in the hands of mad scientist Dr. Octavius Brine (John Malkovich), who turns out to be the octopus "Dave" out for revenge. Dave is still furious over all the attention the adorable penguins stole from him at the zoo when they were younger, so he sets out to destroy them. The penguins escape Dave's clutches, only to be rescued by an elite team of secret agents called the North Wind who are led by the wolf known as "Classified" (Benedict Cumberbatch). They must work together to defeat Dave and save the penguins of the world.
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR is a fun spy thriller with elite secret agents and lots of action. The penguins are given a sweet back story about how they first came together in the Antarctic and eventually became secret agents. There's a lot to look at and laugh at, and fans of the Madagascar films will enjoy seeing the penguins again.
Cumberbatch is excellent as the James Bond-esque Wolf, who heads the North Wind. And Malkovich is perfectly creepy as Dave, the bitter octopus. The four penguins at the heart of the story are a funny, all-male family that are devoted to each other, which is cute -- but it's a shame that there's only one female character in the movie and she hardly has anything to do.
There's a lot of action and peril in Penguins. Was it ever scary, or did it have less impact because the characters are cartoon penguins/sea creatures? Did you have an idea of how things would turn out? Why?
The penguins carry their missions in their habitat in Central Park. Julien, the king of the lemurs, and his subjects Maurice and Mort, his new neighbors, appear, who constitute the exhibition of lemurs at the zoo. Now the penguins must keep things under control, often despite the antics of the lemurs as well as helping out with unusual chores or out-of-the-ordinary adventures.
Penguins of Madagascar follows a spy team of penguins, who first appeared in the film series Madagascar, as they work to stymie an evil octopus' plan to take over the world. DreamWorks Animation hide caption
The voice actors in Penguins of Madagascar, out Wednesday, include some of the boldface names you might expect on a big-budget animated film. John Malkovich voices an evil octopus, abducting penguins around the world. Benedict Cumberbatch voices a wolf who helps four penguins on their spy mission to stop the villain.
And, you know, as each film went by, people really loved the penguins, and it was easy because they were just pure comic relief and they didn't have to support a story. But as we did three films and did three shorts and then they had their own TV show, we were able to develop the characters. And ... each one of their personalities became much more distinct.
Back in the days when Skipper, Kowalski and Rico were just a trio of baby penguin bros marching along with the rest of their Antarctic colony, things were simpler. Just sun, snow and cute marching penguins. Simple, see?
Dave was originally one of the top attractions of the Central Park Zoo, where he entertained visitors with his clever and funny tricks. However, when the Penguins arrived, they unknowingly stole all of the attention due to their cuteness. Dave was then kicked out and transferred to another zoo. The same thing happened again and again and again; penguins getting all the love while Dave was shunned, ignored and neglected.
As a result, Dave grew hateful towards penguins and plotted revenge against the entire species. He escaped captivity and disguised himself as a human professor called "Dr. Octavius Brine" in order to obtain the resources needed to build his criminal empire. He constructed a submarine lair, enlisted dozens of octopi as minions, and created a mutative chemical called the "Medusa Serum" which, when blasted in a ray, turns animals into physically and mentally disfigured monsters.
He then captured Skipper and his comrades by somehow predicting their infiltration of Fort Knox and then entrapping them in a vending machine full of Cheesy Dibbles. He then escorted them to his submarine stationed in Venice and introduced himself, hoping that they would recognize him (which they did not). After explaining his past and his plan, he orders his minions to cage them again, but they escape with a vial of Medusa Serum. He had his minions chase them, but they were thwarted by North Wind, an animal organization dedicated to saving the penguins and stopping his plans.
At North Wind HQ, Dave hacks their communications (having trouble with the sound and picture) and reveals that he has concocted even more Medusa Serum. He then began kidnapping penguins from every zoo he has ever been in. The Penguins manage to intercept him, as he goes after the Shanghai Zoo penguins, but he prevails in taking them along with Private.
Later, in his human disguise, he announces to the world that he had found the lost penguins and is bringing them to New York. He then uses the ray on them to transform into hideous mutants, causing everyone to hate them and call exterminators on them. Then, after a moment of self-reflection, he prepares to go after other cute animals. But Private manages to reconnect to his mutated comrades and prepares to reverse the mutation by using the ray with himself as the power source. Dave and his Octopi try to stop them, but the North Wind destroys his submarine and Skipper uses the last Cheesy Dibble to press the remote, turning every penguin back to normal (at the cost of Private growing moose antlers).
As everyone celebrates their victory, Dave returns, seemingly transformed into a giant Kraken, but then realizes he had been shrunk and stuck inside a snow globe. He then swears revenge against the penguins, when a little girl takes interest in him, making him feel the joy of acceptance he had longed craved for again. But then it turns out the girl was more interested in the snow and begins shaking him violently.
However, after penguins repeatedly stole his glory and got him shunned and forgotten, he snapped and transformed into a villainous, destructive, and psychotic mastermind with a bitterly jealous hatred for all penguins, especially towards the four who first stole his fame: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private. He is very ruthless, selfish, greedy, bitter, cruel, sadistic, deceitful, manipulative, and vindictively vengeful, desiring to turn all penguins into monsters to get revenge. He also has a somewhat goofy, though slightly malicious, sense of humor.
Despite this, Dave has a softer side; he gets along reasonably well with his henchmen, as he is never seen abusing them and occasionally says "please" when giving them orders. He also showed sympathy towards a little girl (though it is possible that he changed his mind when she began shaking him). Furthermore, he seems to have a level of both self-appreciation and self-loathing, believing himself to be better than penguins, but at the same time outright admitting that he is a monster.
Can scene-stealers carry a movie? Or do some characters only work best in small doses? Even though they don't have big-name voice actors, the espionage-minded penguins from the Madagascar franchise have consistently been more appealing than the central characters. They almost feel like they're more for the adults in the audience and the kids can have the slapstick and fart jokes. Now Skipper (Tom McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Rico (Conrad Vernon), and Private (Christopher Knights) have taken center stage, and their spin-off, Penguins of Madagascar, easily surpasses the first two Madagascar films (I didn't even bother with the third) through its rapid-fire wit, cuteness, and offbeat jokes that will amuse kids and adults alike. 041b061a72