Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
Directed by Simon J. Smith
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.
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What critics compared Penguins of Madagascar to
The travel sequences and overwrought adventures recall DreamWorks’ dreary Penguins of Madagascar, and Minions suffers from many of the same problems.
“Minions” is a straight-up crowd pleaser and reminded me an awful lot of another quality movie featuring scene-stealers from another franchise, “Penguins of Madagascar.”
It’s a ploy that didn’t work terribly well for the “Penguins of Madagascar,” and fares even worse in this case, though young kids may enjoy the hullabaloo of what amounts to a manic but rarely inspired prequel—cinematic hamburger rather than filet minion.
As with “Penguins of Madagascar,” it attempts to take the hilarious sidekicks from an animated series and put them center stage.
Like the Penguins of Madagascar before them, these Minions spun off (from the mega-popular Despicable Me films) don't so much go on an adventure, in their own solo movie, as run a fool's errand.
Not as strange or funny as “Penguins of Madagascar,” the “Despicable Me” offshoot chases a series that already included octopi guns and shrunken elephants, not to mention its lovable baddie’s vast army of baby babbling yellow whatzits.
The chase scenes in Steven Spielberg’s inert “The Adventures of Tintin” (2011) may be more technically brilliant, but who cared?
Animation veterans are in charge, starting with directors Eric Darnell (the "Madagascar" films) and Simon J. Smith (Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie").
Co-directors Eric Darnell (who directed the "Madagascar" films with McGrath) and Simon J. Smith (who co-directed "Bee Movie") take a witty, joke-filled script and send it flying at rapid speed.
With hyperactive direction from “Madagascar” veteran Eric Darnell and newcomer Simon J. Smith (“Bee Movie”), barely a moment goes by without a wacky shenanigan or massive action setpiece to keep up the relentless pace.
The directors are Eric Darnell (who co-directed the “Madagascar” movies) and Simon J. Smith (director of “Bee Movie”), who provide the audience with a sort of origins story when the three older penguins saved Private before he hatched.