Madagascar (franchise)
DreamWorks Animation media franchise From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DreamWorks Animation media franchise From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madagascar is an American media franchise owned and produced by DreamWorks Animation. The voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are featured in the films. It began with the 2005 film Madagascar, the 2008 sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the third film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012. A spin-off film featuring the penguins, titled Penguins of Madagascar, was released in 2014. A fourth main film, Madagascar 4, was announced for 2018, but has since been removed from its schedule indefinitely due to the studio's restructuring.
The overall plot through the series follows the adventures of four anthropomorphic Central Park Zoo animals who have spent their lives in blissful captivity and are unexpectedly shipped back to Africa (to Madagascar initially). Now they must struggle to survive while attempting to return to New York City with the help of a crafty cadre of penguins and with many other characters along the way. The franchise's films have received mixed-to-positive critical reviews.
| Film | U.S. release date | Directors | Screenwriters | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main series | ||||
| Madagascar | May 27, 2005 | Tom McGrath & Eric Darnell | Tom McGrath, Mark Burton, Eric Darnell & Billy Frolick | Mireille Soria |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | November 7, 2008 | Etan Cohen, Tom McGrath & Eric Darnell | Mark Swift & Mireille Soria | |
| Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | June 8, 2012 | Tom McGrath, Eric Darnell & Conrad Vernon | Eric Darnell & Noah Baumbach | |
| Spin-off | ||||
| Penguins of Madagascar | November 26, 2014 | Eric Darnell & Simon J. Smith | John Aboud, Brandon Sawyer & Michael Colton (screenplay) John Aboud, Brent Simons, Michael Colton & Alan Schoolcraft (story) |
Lara Breay & Mark Swift |
Madagascar is a 2005 animated comedy film and the first film in the series. Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the film tells the story of four Central Park Zoo animals: Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). These animals have spent their lives in comfortable captivity and are unexpectedly shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar.
The film was a commercial success, grossing over $532 million worldwide.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a 2008 animated comedy/adventure film and the sequel to the 2005 film Madagascar. Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the film continues the adventures of Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, who try to fly back to New York, but they crash-land in Africa, where Alex is reunited with his parents Zuba (Bernie Mac) and Florrie (Sherri Shepherd). However, a lion named Makunga (Alec Baldwin) is planning to overthrow Zuba and become alpha lion.
The film grossed over $603 million worldwide, which is higher than its predecessor.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is a 2012 animated comedy film, and the third installment in the series, directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, along with Conrad Vernon. Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still struggling to get home to New York. This time, their journey takes them to Europe where they purchase a failing traveling circus as they become close friends with the staff like Stefano the sea lion (Martin Short), Vitaly the tiger (Bryan Cranston), Gia the jaguar (Jessica Chastain) and Sonya the bear (Frank Welker), King Julien's (Sacha Baron Cohen) true love. Together, they spectacularly revitalize the business even as the fanatical Monaco Animal Control officer Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) relentlessly pursues them. In the end, the zoo animals finally get back to New York, only to find that they have grown too much in spirit to return to captivity and decide to stay with the circus instead.
The film grossed over $746 million worldwide, and was the highest-grossing film in the series.
Then-DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg stated in December 2010 that there was likely to be a fourth installment in the franchise stating: "Ultimately they will come back to New York, and they will come to terms with that, which they will do in this next chapter. Because of the way that movie concludes there’s probably one more for them."[1] However, in June 2012, DreamWorks Animation's head of worldwide marketing, Anne Globe, said, "It's too early to tell. There hasn't been a lot of discussion about that."[2] A month later, Eric Darnell, who co-directed all three films, spoke about the possibility of the fourth film, noting, "Two things have to happen. One is that the world has to want Madagascar 4, because if they don't want it, it doesn't matter what we do. And the other thing is even if the world wants Madagascar 4, we have to make sure that we have an idea that is incredible, that is great, that is unexpected. If the audience wants it and we have a great idea, we will see – maybe."[3] In June 2014, Madagascar 4 was scheduled to be released on May 18, 2018.[4] In January 2015, the film was removed from the release schedule following a corporate restructuring and DreamWorks Animation's new policy to release two films a year.[5][6] In April 2017, Tom McGrath said about the film: "There are things in the works, nothing is announced yet, but I think they'll show their faces once more..."[7]
A spin-off film featuring the penguins had been in the works since 2005, when the first Madagascar film had been released, with a release date planned for 2009.[8] In March 2011, it was announced that the penguin characters would be given their own feature film, similar to the 2011 Puss in Boots movie,[9] to be directed by Simon J. Smith (the co-director of Bee Movie), produced by Lara Breay and written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons (the writers of DreamWorks' Megamind).[10] In July 2012, at Comic-Con, it was announced that the film, titled The Penguins of Madagascar, would be released in 2015.[11] Robert Schooley, one of the producers of The Penguins series, said that the film will be unrelated to the TV series of the same name, but he did say that could always change.[12] In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced the release date for March 27, 2015, and a new pair of writers, Michael Colton and John Aboud.[13] In August 2013, it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch would voice Agent Classified from the North Wind and John Malkovich the film's charming villain, Dr. Octavius Brine/Dave.[14] On May 20, 2014, the film's release date was moved up to November 26, 2014, switching places with DreamWorks Animation's other film Home.[15]
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Network | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Penguins of Madagascar | 1 | 48 | November 28, 2008 | February 15, 2010 | Nickelodeon | |
| 2 | 68 | March 13, 2010 | March 31, 2012 | |||
| 3 | 33 | 26 | April 16, 2012 | November 10, 2012 | ||
| 7 | December 24, 2013 | December 19, 2015 | Nicktoons | |||
| All Hail King Julien | 1 | 10 | 5 | December 19, 2014 | Netflix | |
| 5 | April 3, 2015 | |||||
| 2 | 16 | October 16, 2015 | ||||
| 3 | 13 | June 17, 2016 | ||||
| 4 | 13 | November 11, 2016 | ||||
| Exiled | 13 | May 12, 2017 | ||||
| 5 | 13 | December 1, 2017 | ||||
| Madagascar: A Little Wild | 1 | 6 | September 7, 2020 | Hulu / Peacock | ||
| 2 | 6 | December 11, 2020 | ||||
| 3 | 7 | May 27, 2021 | ||||
| 4 | 6 | August 6, 2021 | ||||
| 5 | 6 | November 11, 2021 | ||||
| 6 | 6 | January 13, 2022 | ||||
| 7 | 6 | April 4, 2022 | ||||
| 8 | 7 | June 30, 2022 | ||||
The Penguins of Madagascar is an animated spin-off television series that aired on Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of the four penguins: Skipper (the leader of the group), Kowalski (the smartest), Rico (the craziest) and Private (the youngest) in New York City's Central Park Zoo. The penguins rule the roost at their Central Park habitat, carrying out secret missions in the heart of the city. At times, their missions beckon them to venture outside the zoo. King Julien is also a resident of the zoo (though it is unknown how he, Maurice, and Mort got there) and the penguins must compete against him to maintain order in the zoo. While Tom McGrath, John DiMaggio, Conrad Vernon and Andy Richter reprised their roles as Skipper, Rico, Mason and Mort respectively, Jeff Bennett replaced Chris Miller as Kowalski, James Patrick Stuart replaced Christopher Knights as Private, Danny Jacobs replaced Sacha Baron Cohen as Julien and Kevin Michael Richardson replaced Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice. The series also features a new character, Marlene, an otter voiced by Nicole Sullivan.
All Hail King Julien is the second animated spin-off television series. It stars King Julien and set before the events of the first film.[16] The series debuted on December 19, 2014, on Netflix, when the first five 22-minute episodes were released.[17] The series features the voices of Danny Jacobs (replacing Sacha Baron Cohen and reprising his role from The Penguins of Madagascar) as King Julien; Henry Winkler as Julien's regal predecessor, Uncle King Julien; Andy Richter as Mort; Kevin Michael Richardson (replacing Cedric the Entertainer and reprising his role from The Penguins of Madagascar) as Maurice; and India de Beaufort as Clover, the king's special-ops expert.[17]
Madagascar: A Little Wild is the third animated television series that premiered on Hulu and Peacock on September 7, 2020. It's the second prequel in the franchise, centering on the younger versions of the four main characters that first appeared in Madagascar (2005), and the first television series in the franchise starring them (though Alex has made one-off appearances in previous series).[18][19]
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper is an animated short film, which premiered in theaters on October 7, 2005, with the stop-motion film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The short was directed by animation veteran Gary Trousdale, produced by Teresa Cheng, and written by Michael Lachance. Set on Christmas Eve, the 12-minute film features four penguins from Central Park Zoo who discover that one of them has gone missing.
Madly Madagascar is a direct-to-DVD Valentine's Day-themed short film[20] released on January 29, 2013,[21] starring all the main characters from the Madagascar film series. The story appears to take place sometime between the second and third films. It featured many of the same voice actors as the films, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith. However, voice actor Danny Jacobs once again replaced Sacha Baron Cohen as the voice of the character King Julien. King Julien finds a love potion and starts selling it to members of the watering hole, making Marty attractive to all the animals. Skipper and the penguins organise a rescue mission for his doll girlfriend.
All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown is a three-minute animated film about celebrating the new year in Madagascar.[22]
All Hail King Julien: Happy Birthday to You is a one-minute animated special.[23]
Merry Madagascar is a Christmas special first broadcast on NBC in November 2009, which starred the characters from the Madagascar film series. The story appears to take place sometime between the first and second films. It featured many of the same voice actors as the films, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith. However, voice actor Danny Jacobs replaced Sacha Baron Cohen as the voice of the character King Julien. Carl Reiner provided the voice of Santa Claus. Santa Claus crash lands in his sleigh on Madagascar and loses his memory after Alex shoots him down, leaving him, Marty, Gloria and Melman to be Santa for the night. King Julien realizes that Christmas is about giving and not receiving.
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
| Characters | Main films | Short films | Television series | Television special | Spin-off film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madagascar | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa |
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper | Madly Madagascar | The Penguins of Madagascar | All Hail King Julien | Madagascar: A Little Wild | Merry Madagascar | Penguins of Madagascar | |
| Alex | Ben Stiller | Ben Stiller Quinn Dempsey StillerY Declan SwiftY |
Ben Stiller | Silent | Ben Stiller | Wally Wingert | Crispin Freeman | Tucker Chandler | Ben Stiller | Ben StillerA |
| Marty | Chris Rock | Chris Rock Thomas StanleyY |
Chris Rock | Silent | Chris Rock | Amir O'Neil | Chris Rock | Chris RockA | ||
| Melman Mankiewicz | David Schwimmer | David Schwimmer Zachary GordonY |
David Schwimmer | Silent | David Schwimmer | Luke Lowe | David Schwimmer | David SchwimmerA | ||
| Gloria | Jada Pinkett Smith | Jada Pinkett Smith Willow SmithY |
Jada Pinkett Smith | Silent | Jada Pinkett Smith | Shaylin Becton | Jada Pinkett Smith | Jada Pinkett SmithA | ||
| King Julien XIII | Sacha Baron Cohen | Silent | Danny Jacobs | Danny Jacobs | ||||||
| Skipper | Tom McGrath | Tom McGrath | ||||||||
| Kowalski | Chris Miller | Jeff Bennett | Chris Miller | |||||||
| Rico | Jeffrey Katzenberg | John DiMaggio | Silent | John DiMaggio | Silent | Conrad Vernon | ||||
| Private | Christopher Knights | James Patrick Stuart | Christopher Knights | |||||||
| Maurice | Cedric the Entertainer | Cedric the Entertainer | Kevin Michael Richardson | Cedric the Entertainer | ||||||
| Mort | Andy Richter | Andy Richter | Andy Richter | |||||||
| Mason | Conrad Vernon | Silent | Conrad Vernon | |||||||
| Phil | Character is mute, uses sign language | Silent cameo | Character is mute, uses sign language | |||||||
| Nana | Elisa Gabrielli | Elisa Gabrielli | ||||||||
| The Fossa | Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell | Dee Bradley Baker | Various voices | |||||||
| Willie | Cody Cameron | Jeff Bennett | ||||||||
| Zuba | Bernie Mac | |||||||||
| Florrie | Sherri Shepherd | |||||||||
| Makunga | Alec Baldwin | |||||||||
| Moto Moto | will.i.am | |||||||||
| Captain Chantel DuBois | Frances McDormand | |||||||||
| Vitaly | Bryan Cranston | Photograph | ||||||||
| Gia | Jessica Chastain | |||||||||
| Stefano | Martin Short | |||||||||
| Sonya | Frank Welker | |||||||||
| Ted | Silent cameo | Bill Fagerbakke | Silent | |||||||
| Marlene | Nicole Sullivan Dee Bradley Baker (wild form) |
|||||||||
| Alice | Mary Scheer | |||||||||
| Santa Claus | Carl Reiner | Carl Reiner | ||||||||
| Todd | Kevin Michael Richardson | JP Karliak | ||||||||
| Cupid | Nina Dobrev | |||||||||
| Donner | Jim Cummings | |||||||||
| Dave / Dr. Octavius Brine | John Malkovich | |||||||||
| Classified | Benedict Cumberbatch | |||||||||
| Short Fuse | Ken Jeong | |||||||||
| Eva | Annet Mahendru | |||||||||
| Corporal | Peter Stormare | |||||||||
| Clover | India De Beaufort | |||||||||
| Xixi | Betsy Sodaro | |||||||||
| Masikura | Debra Wilson | |||||||||
| King Julien XII | Henry Winkler | |||||||||
| Karl | Dwight Schultz | |||||||||
| Timo | Chris Miller | David Krumholtz | ||||||||
| Babak/Sage Moondancer | Jeff Bennett | |||||||||
| Ted (lemur) | Conrad Vernon | Andy Richter | ||||||||
| Pancho | David P. Smith | Danny Jacobs | ||||||||
| Dorothy | Sarah Thyre | |||||||||
| Hector | Eric Darnell | Jeff Bennett | ||||||||
| Horst | Eric Darnell | Jeff Bennett | ||||||||
| Abner | Jeffrey Katzenberg | Diedrich Bader | ||||||||
| Becca | David P. Smith | Sarah Thyre | ||||||||
| Todd (lemur) | Kevin Michael Richardson | |||||||||
| King Koto | Maurice LaMarche | |||||||||
| Crew/detail | Main films | Spin-off film | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madagascar | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa |
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted |
Penguins of Madagascar | |
| Director(s) | Eric Darnell Tom McGrath |
Eric Darnell Conrad Vernon Tom McGrath |
Eric Darnell Simon J. Smith | |
| Producer(s) | Mireille Soria | Mireille Soria Mark Swift |
Lara Breay Mark Swift | |
| Writer(s) | Mark Burton Billy Frolick Eric Darnell Tom McGrath |
Etan Cohen Eric Darnell Tom McGrath |
Eric Darnell Noah Baumbach |
Screenplay by: Michael Colton John Aboud Brandon Sawyer Story by: Alan J. Schoolcraft Brent Simons Michael Colton John Aboud |
| Composer(s) | Hans Zimmer | Hans Zimmer Will.I.Am |
Hans Zimmer | Lorne Balfe |
| Editor(s) | H. Lee Peterson | Nick Fletcher | Nick Kenway | |
| Distributor(s) | DreamWorks Pictures | Paramount Pictures | 20th Century Fox | |
The film series has grossed over $2.2 billion, making it the ninth highest-grossing animated franchise and the third highest-grossing DreamWorks Animation franchise (behind Shrek and Kung Fu Panda).
| Film | Release date | Revenue | All-time rank | Budget | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Domestic | Worldwide | ||||
| Madagascar | May 27, 2005 | $193,595,521 | $348,468,325 | $542,063,846 | #247 | #219 | $75 million | [24][25] |
| Escape 2 Africa | November 7, 2008 | $180,010,950 | $423,889,404 | $603,900,354 | #287 | #189 | $150 million | [26] |
| Europe's Most Wanted | June 8, 2012 | $216,391,482 | $530,529,792 | $746,921,274 | #199 | #129 | $145 million | [27] |
| Madagascar trilogy | $589,997,953 | $1,302,887,521 | $1,892,885,474 | $370 million | [28][29] | |||
| Penguins of Madagascar | November 26, 2014 | $83,850,911 | $289,664,710 | $373,515,621 | #997 | #400 | $132 million | [30][31] |
| Total | $673,848,864 | $1,592,552,231 | $2,266,401,095 | #25 | #24 | $502 million | [28][29][32][33] | |
The series is notable for its steadily improving critical reception[citation needed], with each mainline film receiving better reviews than the last. Its reception among audiences has remained consistently positive throughout its run.
| Film | Critical | Public | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | |
| Madagascar | 55% (193 reviews)[34] | 57 (36 reviews)[35] | A−[36] |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | 64% (157 reviews)[37] | 61 (25 reviews)[38] | A−[36] |
| Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | 78% (133 reviews)[39] | 60 (26 reviews)[40] | A[41] |
| Penguins of Madagascar | 74% (116 reviews)[42] | 53 (31 reviews)[43] | A−[44] |
| Category | Madagascar | Escape 2 Africa | Europe's Most Wanted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Animated Feature | Nominated | Nominated | Nominated |
There have been multiple live shows based on the franchise.
Madagascar Live! is a 90-minute theatre show based on the Madagascar film.[57] Produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Broadway Across America, it was directed by Gip Hoppe as the DreamWorks Animation's second stage production after Shrek the Musical.[57] The tour started on January 28, 2011, in York, Pennsylvania, and was expected to visit more than 70 cities across the United States.[58] After a show in New York's Radio City Music Hall, on April 24, 2011, Madagascar Live! was cancelled in the United States, citing "unforeseen circumstances" as the reason.[59] Madagascar Live! then toured the United Kingdom, visiting nine cities between January 2013 and March 2013.[60]
Madagascar Live! Prepare to Party is a 20-minute live stage show featuring Alex, King Julien, Gloria, Mort and The Penguins as they each present their special party games while dancing and singing. The show premiered in 2012 in an Africa area at the UK theme park Chessington World of Adventures,[61] and in DreamWorks Experience at the Australian theme park Dreamworld.[62] The show closed at Chessington in 2014 and at Dreamworld when DreamWorks Experience was rethemed as Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland in 2023.
Madagascar Live! It's Circus Time is a 30-minute live show,[63] based on the film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. The story follows the characters of Madagascar to a circus, where they try to avoid being captured by the animal control officer Captain Dubois by blending among its artists, performing stunts, singing and dancing.[64] The show opened in 2012, in Everland Resort, in South Korea,[65][66][67] and in 2013 in Heide Park, Germany,[63] and in Gardaland, Italy.[64]
Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation is a 20-minute live stage show featuring Alex, Gloria, King Julien, Mort and The Penguins along with live singers, a live band and dancers. The show opened in 2013 at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld San Diego.[68] The show closed at SeaWorld in January 2015 and at Busch Gardens in September 2015.
In 2018, a stage musical titled Madagascar The Musical debuted in the United Kingdom.[69][70] Since then, it also played in Malaysia,[71] Hong Kong,[72] and New Zealand.[73]
Madagascar Madness was one of the three areas at the DreamWorks Experience themed land which was part of Australian theme park Dreamworld. It consisted of suspended roller coaster Escape from Madagascar, a show stage King Julien's Theatre in the Wild, a ball play area MAD Jungle Jam and a merchandise shop Madagascar Cargo Hold. The area was replaced by a section of Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland in early 2023.[74]
A Madagascar-themed tower called Madagascar Rain Forest with 15 water slides opened at DreamWorks Water Park on October 1, 2020.[75]
Madagascar was one of the seven themed lands in Universal Studios Singapore, and it featured lush tropical jungles as well as a water ride Madagascar: A Crate Adventure and a carousel King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round. It closed on March 27, 2022, to make room for Minion Land (containing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem) and Super Nintendo World.[76]
The 1993 music track "I Like to Move It", performed by Reel 2 Real, is featured prominently in the film series.[77] The first film used a version recorded by Sacha Baron Cohen in character as King Julien.[77] Other versions of the song have been used throughout the franchise, with the lyrics changed or altered to match with each film's plot and the film's subject matter. The original version also appeared in the first and last episode of the Madagascar Netflix series All Hail King Julien and the "Afro Circus/I Like to Move It" tune was played near the start of the Madagascar spin-off film Penguins of Madagascar. The song was also included in the stage adaptation, again sung by King Julien.
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