Viewers need not be familiar with the first three Madagascar movies to appreciate this animated spin-off origin story about the show-stealing penguins. Here, we see how the early antics of self-appointed leader Skipper (voiced by Tom McGrath), clever Kowalski (Chris Miller), Cheezy Dibbles-gobbling Rico (Conrad Vernon), and little hatchling Private (Christopher Knights) were filmed by a documentarian (Werner Herzog) who wanted to observe the flightless birds in their natural Antarctic habitat. Their nemesis is Dr. Octavius Brine—aka Dave (John Malkovich)—a villainous octopus disguised as an eccentric scientist, who is resentful of penguins because they perennially outperform other aquatic creatures (including his octopi brethren) at zoos, aquariums, and marine parks. Brine leads an eight-armed octopus army determined to kidnap the waddling penguins and turn them into dreadful mutants. Aid comes from Agent Classified (Benedict Cumberbatch), a gray wolf who is part of an undercover task force called North Wind. He's supported by Short Fuse (Ken Jeong), an explosives-expert seal; Eva (Annet Mehendru), a beautiful, brainy owl; and Corporal (Peter Stormare), a brawny polar bear. Celebrity name puns abound (such as “Nicolas—cage them!” and “Drew, Barry—more power!”) in co-directors Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith's fast-paced, globetrotting lark, which travels from Antarctica to Venice to Shanghai to Kentucky's Fort Knox to New York. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “Top-Secret Guide to Becoming an Elite Agent” (4 min.), a “Madagascar Mash-Up” (3 min.), a brief “Cheezy Dibbles Ad,” “World of Dreamworks Animation” and stills galleries, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “Do the Penguin with tWitch” featurette (3 min.), “Global Flight Plan” (2 min.) and “Flipper Slap Shake Waddle and Roll” clips (2 min.), a deleted scene (2 min.), music videos for the soundtrack song “He Is Dave” and “Celebrate” by Pitbull, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fun family film.] (S. Granger)
Penguins of Madagascar
Fox, 92 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $36.99, Mar. 17 Volume 30, Issue 2
Penguins of Madagascar
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