| The Penguins of Madagascar | |
|---|---|
 Titlecard image used since late 2009. | |
| Genre | Animated comedy |
| Created by | Characters: Tom McGrath Eric Darnell |
| Directed by | Bret Haaland Nick Filippi |
| Starring | Tom McGrath Jeff Bennett James Patrick Stuart John DiMaggio Danny Jacobs Kevin Michael Richardson Andy Richter Nicole Sullivan Conrad Vernon Mary Scheer Tara Strong[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 92 (aired) 7 (unaired) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Mark McCorkle Bob Schooley[2] |
| Location(s) | Nickelodeon Animation Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | Approx. 11 minutes (11-minute episodes; 3 double-length specials) |
| Production company(s) | DreamWorks Animation Nickelodeon Productions |
| Distributor | DreamWorks Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nickelodeon |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original run | November 29, 2008 – present |
| Status | Returning series |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Madagascar (2005) The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (2005) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) |
| Followed by | Merry Madagascar (2009) Madagascar 3 (2012)[3] |
| External links | |
| Website | |
A pilot episode, "Gone in a Flash", aired as part of "Superstuffed Nicktoons Weekend" on November 29, 2008 before a new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Penguins of Madagascar became a regular series on March 28, 2009. The series takes place after the events of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (with elements from the Penguins' Christmas Caper intact; noticeably, Rico's scar and mohawk). Nickelodeon ordered 26 episodes for season 1 and in January 2009 ordered a second season of 26 episodes, bringing the total to 52.[4] This is the first Nicktoon produced with DreamWorks Animation. The series premiere drew 6.1 million viewers, setting a new record as the most-watched premiere.[5][6][7] The show finished 2010 as the number two animated program on television among kids age 2-11 and in basic cable total viewers, with only SpongeBob SquarePants ahead in the ratings.[8]
Contents[show] |
[edit] Plot
The Penguins of Madagascar is a spin-off of the Madagascar films. The series follows the adventures of the four penguin protagonists: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private, who perform various paramilitary-like missions to protect their home in the Central Park Zoo. The penguins often have to deal with problems caused, or made worse, by King Julien XIII (a ring-tailed lemur), Maurice (an aye-aye), and Mort (a mouse lemur).It is not known how the penguins and lemurs arrived at the zoo after their adventures in both Madagascar films, although the penguins and chimpanzees are seen flying away in a plane at the end of Madagascar 2. During the show's opening title, the penguins are also seen opening a crate that reads "Madagascar" and contains the three lemur characters. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has stated that "there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York."[9]
[edit] Characters
The Penguins of Madagascar features the four penguin characters from the Madagascar franchise, the two chimpanzees, as well as the three lemur characters. Characters new to the franchise include Marlene the otter, and a zookeeper named Alice.[edit] Main characters
- Skipper (Tom McGrath) is the leader of the penguins; he devises tactics and gives orders. Calculating and nearly unflappable, Skipper's raving paranoia and tendency to view everything as a military operation, combined with his experience in covert ops, has driven him to prepare for nearly any situation, no matter how bizarre or unlikely.
- Kowalski (Jeff Bennett) acts as the group strategist and gadgeteer. Kowalski is a brilliant inventor, but cannot read. He also tends to over-analyze situations.
- Private (James Patrick Stuart) is the emotionally sensitive rookie of the group. Though younger and less experienced than the other penguins, he is the most down to earth; Private tends to offer simpler, more commonsense solutions in response to Skipper and Kowalski's complex strategies (Although he also shows an unusual interest in unicorns on occasion).
- Rico (John DiMaggio) is the team's weapons and explosives specialist, who mainly communicates through grunts and squeals. Slightly unhinged, Rico swallows useful tools, such as dynamite, and regurgitates them when needed, to the point of regularly regurgitating objects that appear to be too large for him to have swallowed in the first place. He has been referred to as a psychopath several times.
- King Julien XIII (Danny Jacobs), normally shortened to King Julien, is a fun loving, narcissistic ring-tailed lemur. The King of the Lemurs is a comically conceited character who has little regard for others, even his subjects. He has a tendency to use malapropisms and misinterpret figures of speech.
- Maurice (Kevin Michael Richardson), an aye-aye, is one of King Julien's subjects. Maurice accepts his life as a servant, but he often shows disdain towards King Julien and his inconsiderate attitude.
- Mort (Andy Richter) is an excitable, dimwitted, accident-prone mouse lemur. Unlike Maurice, Mort is fiercely devoted to Julien, even displaying an obsession with the lemur king's feet. King Julien, however, treats him with contempt.
- Marlene (Nicole Sullivan) is a female otter who was transferred to the Central Park Zoo from an aquarium in California.[10] She is close friends with Skipper and sometimes tags along on his missions, but she is often a neutral character who does not take sides between the penguins and the lemurs.[11] By being a levelheaded, feminine voice of reason, she is a counterpoint to Skipper's masculine, covert-ops character. Since she was born in captivity, once she sets out of the confines of the zoo, she goes berserk as she cannot cope with the lack of boundaries.
