Must See Movie...

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This was the first short spin off of the Penguins of Madagascar. The main characters just turn up at the end.It is an agreeable short which kids will like especially with the Sgt Bilko riff mixed with Tony Curtis's impression of Cary Grant in Some like it Hot.On Christmas Eve the youngest penguin, Private is sad that the polar bear at the zoo is all alone while the rest seem to be happy the night before Christmas.The rest of the penguins realise that Private has wandered off to find the polar bear a present and before long an elderly lady has taken him to her New York apartment and it is up to the rest to rescue him especially as she has a vicious poodle after him.It is decent enough animation for a short with some inventive moments and some fast moving action.

This is an 11-minute short film from 10 years ago and was released directly after the first Madagascar movie. The main characters from the film have short cameos at the beginning and end of this one here, but it's really all about the penguins this time, quite a while before they got their own television series and, more recently, their own theatrical movie.The penguins are busy with Christmas preparations, but one of them feels sorry for the polar bear being alone during the holidays and heads off to town to buy him a little present. Unfortunately, during this adventure, he gets caught by the Old Lady (another cameo) and is in danger of becoming a present himself. Luckily, his pals are already on their way to rescue him and fight an evil poodle while they are at it.The film's director is Gary Trousdale, who directed very famous animated movies such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" long before this was made. Michael Lachance, the writer, worked also on "King Fu Panda", "Shrek 2" and of course "Madagascar". These 11 minutes are mostly for children. You could see that they did not want to go too serious for example in the one scene when we see fish wrapped as Christmas presents and they were still alive and moving. Death should not have a place in light films like this one. All in all, worth a watch I would say, especially if you like the feature films. I always found the penguins funny and it's nice to see them get some love here. Oh and feel free to sing along at the end. Recommended.

THe Penguin Christmas Caper is a blisteringly funny and fast paced little short that is far funnier that the film from which it spun.Private, the least insane of the gang of Madagascar Penguins, decides to venture out into the streets of New York to buy a present for the lonely Polar Bear, who is all alone on Christmas. He is mistaken for a chew toy, and brought home by an old lady to be a present for her vicious, salivating but tiny dog. THe rest of the crew embark on a rescue mission.Skipper barks orders, Kowlaski has the logistics and Rico, he just wants to blow something up. The jokes are in every line, and every corner of every frame of this short. Its ten minutes well spent. ***1/2 out of ****.

The three main characters of the film Madagascar are fairly stereotyped and have one-hit wonder stamped all over them. The penguins, one the other hand, have true potential as they make reference so many classics of the past e.g. Bilko. The short film demonstrates some of this potential and was a very welcome bonus to the also excellent Curse of the Wererabbit. There were certainly echoes of Toy Story 2, as the old lady tests the penguin to see if he squeaks with a great "bottom gag" much appreciated by the children and a similar plot line which was very well executed. Above all, children appreciated the concept of looking after each other in a world dominated by grown ups and the penguins epitomise this ideal. Needless to say, the animation is excellent.