Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
- K. R. Provost
- Apr 17, 2015
- 2 min read
Logline from IMDb: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Age Range: 0-10. My 3yo son will really like this one. It's silly, colorful, and really exciting. It has enough going on that can make it suitable for most ages that appreciate animation.
Animation: A. This style of animation is really brightly colored, really shiny, and contains lots of sharp cornered shapes. It isn't my favorite to watch, but it is just a personal taste thing.
I am really impressed with the way things move in this film. Year by year animation gets better, and this one is right on the mark.
The way that the octopus army moves is increidbile. The leader, Dave, looks and moves very similarly to a real octopus. Granted, the face is in the wrong spot... but it's animation, so changes have to be made to make things visually appealing.
Some of the things I really enjoyed was how the octopus would put himself into a jar or slide down a narrow pipe. That is all accurate! Octopuses can fit through any opening that is larger than their beak. Very cool!
Some of the characters that ruined the Madagascar films for me, mainly King Julian, were left out of this film for the most part. That was good for me. I really enjoyed this film and I am enjoying it again as I write this!
Dialogue: I love puns. This movie had all kinds of fun little puns and the octopuses all had names that sounded like familiar names. I'll give just one example so I don't ruin them all... "Nicholas, cage them!" Not only that, but this film was just really well written. Themes introduced at the beginning of each character's story line made reappearances throughout the film. There were no questions left unanswered and the story completely wrapped everything up. Familiar places and faces from the Madagascar films made cameo's and the new "North Wind" team was awesome. I love owls and wolves so I was thrilled that they are both features on that team.
It was really entertaining and the little puns and references make it really adult friendly.
Reminds me of: I can't really think of anything in particular that this reminds me of, but the concept is familiar. Four friends/brothers that are talented but don't actually have a clue what they are doing.
I was thinking "The Three Muskateers" but that doesn't quite nail if for me. If you watch it and think of anything it's similar to, shoot me an email and let me know!
Give it a try if this sounds like something you might like and please let me know what YOU think!
This film can currently be rented from Redbox or purchased at any major film retailer.
Photo and information found at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911658/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm
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