Who said cartoons were just for elementary school kids? After all, most animated shows on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel nowadays are filled with jokes that a small child may laugh at but are targeted at the parents. That is precisely the case with the new “Penguins of Madagascar” movie, released on Nov. 26. We may be college students, but if you’re headed home for the holidays and will be spending quality time with the whole family, this new flick is a worthy choice.
“Penguins of Madagascar” franchise has been a huge hit for DreamWorks. The four penguins -- Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private -- were first spotted in the “Madagascar” film released in 2005. From there, they’ve had a spin-off television show on Nickelodeon and are now starring in a feature-length film appropriate for audiences of all ages.
The premise of the film is simple: the four penguins who formerly led a life at the Central Park Zoo are now a crime-stopping quartet. Yet when saltwater villain Dr. Octavius Brine (voiced by John Malkovich) kidnaps them, their lives and the lives of all penguins are zoos worldwide are in danger. It turns out the Brine is actually a jealous octopus – remember, this is a cartoon – who was put out of the spotlight when the famous four were placed in the Central Park Zoo. Brine concocted a serum that will destroy penguins and their cute, cuddly appeal forever.
Quickly rescued by the suave covert operations group the North Wind, the penguins begin to butt heads with the North Wind and its group members about the best way to defeat Dr. Brine. Stubborn Skipper never wants to admit his elaborate plans may not be the most efficient, while the head of North Wind, Agent Classified (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), has a haughty attitude and technology that far surpasses the ideas of Kowalski, the “brains” of the penguins’ operation. In the end, it’s Private who proves his value to the penguins (and to The North Wind) in saving the world’s penguins from certain doom.
The movie is a short 92 minutes, perfect for anyone with a short attention span (or a middle schooler). The DreamWorks team killed it with the animation once again, and the fact that the film is being shown in 3D is a help not a hindrance. The 3D effects are not thrown in the audience’s face at every opportunity; instead, they are smartly used during scene transitions and wild action scenes scattered throughout the movie.
The adult jokes flow throughout the movie, and naturally, there’s a moral story presented throughout that comes to a happy conclusion at the end. While it may be a predictable movie, the writers and animators were smart enough to not make the movie a continuation of the television program. The unique storyline can draw in a broader audience and leave them giggling the whole time.
