Okay, DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon, it's time to step up with your DVD presentations. It's clear The Penguins of Madagascar is a hit; heck, it only rates lower than Spongebob Squarepants as the most beloved kids' cartoon show.
So you'd think DWA would give this series some love and stop with the quickie DVD presentations. Not so fast: while the latest collection Operation Get Ducky features more episodes per disc (eight in all), there's still zero extras for fans.
Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation Presents The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation Get Ducky DVD
A new character's hit the Zoo: a baby duck named Eggy (Tara Strong). Initially an egg that the paramilitary penguins ended up caring for (male penguins do the egg-sitting, don'cha know) in the episode 'Paternal Egg-stinct', it eventually hatched into a duckling that possessed all of the penguins' knowledge and combat skills ('Hard-Boiled Eggy').
There's also a third episode - 'Siege the Day' - where Private (James Patrick Stewart) offers to duck-sit Eggy and his siblings while Skipper, Rico and Kowalski attempt to infiltrate a monster truck rally. Of course the ducklings' idea of fun isn't anywhere close to Private's with the result that the penguins' lair ends up under attack by rats and wasps.
Other episodes feature King Julien learning about April Fool's Day in August, the penguins getting more than they bargained for when they banish Julien to the Petting Zoo, and Marlene the Otter (Nicole Sullivan) going a little loopy when she leaves the Zoo for the first time.
While The Penguins of Madagascar don't offer as much laughs or sheer manic inventiveness as the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, they're still a lot of fun to watch. Eggy's a great addition to the cast: cute enough to make more sensitive viewers go "Aww!" but anarchic enough to wreak havoc on the Zoo's denizens (the way he goes about earning his "commando card" is priceless). There are a lot more laughs in this collection, and how can you not enjoy seeing King Julien getting attacked by a raging rhino?
The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation Get Ducky DVD Extras
"A DVD Extra. Shaken, not stirred."
The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation Get Ducky DVD: Fun But Needs Extras
At this stage, I suspect a Penguins of Madagascar First Season DVD (with the associated behind-the-scenes featurettes) would sell very well. Operation Get Ducky has no shortage of laughs but still left me wanting more. So, DWA, how about you stop nickel-and-diming us with these mini-collections and put something more substantial together?
The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation Get Ducky DVD gets a 4/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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