The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper is a 2005 American computer-animated short film directed by Gary Trousdale and produced by DreamWorks Animation. It is a spin-off short of the film Madagascar released in the same year, and focuses on the penguins as they try to rescue one of their teammates in time for the holidays.
It was theatrically released on October 7, 2005, paired with Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Plot[]
While the others prepare for the festivities, Private notices that a polar bear named Ted is all alone. Private then slips out of the zoo to find Ted a Christmas present, before he is captured by Nana, being mistaken for a chew toy, and is brought to her extremely vicious dog named Mr. Chew. The other three penguins, Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico, set out to rescue Private, and escalate into chaos against Mr. Chew, behind Nana's back, busy watching a football game.
The three penguins rescue Private, and detonate the door with a stick of dynamite (which Rico had repeatedly attempted to use prior), 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, who invites other friends to come over, leading to a massive sing-a-long of a parody of Jingle Bells.
Cast[]
- Chris Miller as Kowalski.
- John DiMaggio as Rico.
- Tom McGrath as Skipper.
- Elisa Gabrielli as Nana.
- Christopher Knights as Private.
- Bill Fagerbakke as Ted the polar bear.
- Sean Bishop as the Doorman/TV Announcer.
- Frank Welker as Mr. Chew.
- Hope Levy
- Rif Hutton
- Richard Miro
- Mitch Carter
- Lynnanne Zager
Production[]
The short was composed by James Dooley. According to Dooley, he was asked to score because he "had written all the music for the penguins in the feature length, Madagascar."[1]
Release[]
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper was released in theaters with (and right before) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit on October 7, 2005, unusual for a Christmas-themed film.
Home media[]
The short was released on later DVD editions of Madagascar,[2] Shrek,[3] and Shrek 2,[4] all of which were released on November 15, 2005. It was released on Blu-ray on September 23, 2008, as a bonus feature attached to Madagascar.[5]
Trivia[]
- This is the first short film by DreamWorks Animation to be rated G by the MPAA.
- A plush of Alex the Lion from the main movies can be seen.
- The song that the penguins play on the stereo (while Private is talking about Ted) is "Jingle Jingle" from the classic television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
References[]
- ↑ Interview with James Dooley. Filmzene.net (June 24, 2006).
- ↑ McCutcheon, David. "Madagascar", December 8, 2005.
- ↑ Shrek & Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (DVD) (2001) (Region 1) (US Import) (NTSC). Amazon.
- ↑ Shrek 2 & Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (DVD) (2004) (Region 1) (US Import) (NTSC). Amazon.
- ↑ "Madagascar (Blu-ray)", October 1, 2008.
