The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper
Encyclopedia
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper is a computer-animated
short produced by DreamWorks Animation
. The 12-minute Madagascar
spin-off features the adventures of four penguins, sometimes known as the Madagascar Penguins, who live in the Central Park Zoo
and are trained as spies
.
The short premiered in theaters on October 7, 2005 with the stop-motion film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
. It was later included on the later editions of the Madagascar DVD and the Shrek
DVD, both of which were released on November 15, 2005.
The short was directed by animation veteran Gary Trousdale
, produced by Teresa Cheng
, and written by Michael Lachance.
to find a present for a lonely polar bear
named Ted. While roaming the streets of Manhattan
, he is captured by Nana (the mean old lady from the first film) who mistakes him for a chew toy for her vicious dog
, Mr Chew. The other three penguins, Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico, rescue Private from the old lady's apartment before it is too late. They have an intense fight against Mr. Chew, all-the-while, not noticed by Nana, who is very occupied watching a football
game. When they are done, they blow the door with dynamite, which is a running gag in the film, finally attracting Nana's attention and leaving Mr. Chew to take the fall for what the penguins have done to her place.
At the end of the film they invite Ted to their home. But he has already invited several other guests, resulting in a massive sing-a-long to a parody of Jingle Bells
.
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
short produced by DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
. The 12-minute Madagascar
Madagascar (2005 film)
Madagascar is a 2005 computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation, and released in movie theaters on May 27, 2005. The film tells the story of four Central Park Zoo animals who have spent their lives in blissful captivity and are unexpectedly shipped back to Africa, getting shipwrecked...
spin-off features the adventures of four penguins, sometimes known as the Madagascar Penguins, who live in the Central Park Zoo
Central Park Zoo
The Central Park Zoo is a small zoo located in Central Park in New York City. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and the New York Aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society , and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums .The zoo began in the 1860s as a...
and are trained as spies
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
The short premiered in theaters on October 7, 2005 with the stop-motion film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British clay-mation animated comedy horror film, the first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, and released by DreamWorksPictures...
. It was later included on the later editions of the Madagascar DVD and the Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
DVD, both of which were released on November 15, 2005.
The short was directed by animation veteran Gary Trousdale
Gary Trousdale
Gary A. Trousdale is an American film director known for directing movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. He frequently directs films with Kirk Wise....
, produced by Teresa Cheng
Teresa Cheng
Teresa Cheng is an animation producer for DreamWorks.She was a production manager for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, co-producer for Madagascar, and producer for The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper....
, and written by Michael Lachance.
Plot
Focusing on the Madagacar penguins and taking place before the events of the first Madagascar, the youngest penguin on the team, Private, slips out of the zoo on Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
to find a present for a lonely polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
named Ted. While roaming the streets of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, he is captured by Nana (the mean old lady from the first film) who mistakes him for a chew toy for her vicious dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, Mr Chew. The other three penguins, Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico, rescue Private from the old lady's apartment before it is too late. They have an intense fight against Mr. Chew, all-the-while, not noticed by Nana, who is very occupied watching a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game. When they are done, they blow the door with dynamite, which is a running gag in the film, finally attracting Nana's attention and leaving Mr. Chew to take the fall for what the penguins have done to her place.
At the end of the film they invite Ted to their home. But he has already invited several other guests, resulting in a massive sing-a-long to a parody of Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
.
Voice cast
- Chris MillerChris Miller (animator)Chris Miller is an American animator, director, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He studied animation at the California Institute of Arts, and joined Dreamworks SKG in 1998 as a storyboard artist for the studio's first animated comedy, Antz...
as Kowalski - John DiMaggioJohn DiMaggioJohn William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...
as Rico - Tom McGrathTom McGrath (animator)Thomas "Tom" McGrath is an American voice actor and animator who co-directed the 2005 feature Madagascar and its sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in 2008. He has also worked as a voice actor on other DreamWorks animated features like Flushed Away in 2006 and Shrek the Third in 2007...
as Skipper - Elisa GabrielliElisa GabrielliElisa Gabrielli is an American actress, voice artist, and comedienne, who voiced the character of Sarena Sanchez in W.I.T.C.H., as well as "Pepper" Potts in the animated movie The Invincible Iron Man, among other roles. Gabrielli also played the part of Miss Linley in The Brady Bunch Movie...
as the Nana - Christopher KnightsChristopher KnightsChristopher Knights is an English voice actor, editor and camera operator best known for providing the voice of Private the Penguin in Madagascar , also, he worked on several DreamWorks films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek 4-D...
as Private - Hope Levy as an Additional Voice
- Rif Hutton as an Additional Voice
- Richard Miro as an Additional Voice
- Mitch Carter as an Additional Voice
- Lynnanne Zager as an Additional Voice
- Bill FagerbakkeBill FagerbakkeWilliam Mark "Bill" Fagerbakke is an American actor and voice actor. He is well-known for his long-running-roles as Patrick Star in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants and "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom Coach....
as Ted the Polar BearPolar BearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size... - Sean Bishop as the Doorman/TV Announcer
- Frank Welker as Mr. Chew