Penguins of Madagascar

2014·92 minPG·English

Rate

6.75374%3.2/5

Rent & Buy

Rent $3.99

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.

What critics thought

Critics were sharply split on whether the film's relentless silliness is a feature or a bug: younger audiences and their parents who went with it tended to find it amiably funny, while those who didn't found it exhausting rather than exhilarating. The frenetic pacing was the central sticking point — some saw it as energetic and self-aware, others as a film that never slows down enough to give anyone over the age of eight a reason to care.

“Frenetic and frequently funny, Penguins of Madagascar represents the DreamWorks Animation franchise style—which boils down to self-aware, but naïve, talking animals who learn kid-friendly life lessons—at its most palatable.”
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky·The A.V. Club
“The lack of originality is offset by sheer silliness, including Classified and Skipper's Abbott and Costello-style argument over whether there's a long I in 'diversion.' The word fits the movie.”
Ben Kenigsberg·The New York Times
“While there are plenty of madcap antics to fill a feature, all that manic energy ultimately proves to be more exhausting than exhilarating.”
Michael Rechtshaffen·The Hollywood Reporter
“Penguins of Madagascar aims primarily for the kiddies, racing from one frenetic action sequence to another like some haywire Walter Lantz cartoon.”
Jeff Labrecque·Entertainment Weekly

Parents guide

Violence: mild
Sex: mild
Profanity: none
Substances: none
Intensity: mild

Genres

Action, Adventure, Animation

From the studio

DreamWorks Animation