By Kit-Kat
This was one of those films I always intended on seeing in the theatre but never got a chance to (I know, there are a lot of these lately!). I had heard so much about the Penguins, laughed myself silly over the Penguins in a Christmas Caper (that I was lucky to catch during the Wallace and Gromit movie) and was determined to check out this DVD as soon as I could get my hot little hands on it. Now, I finally know what the fuss was about!
I'm not going to drone on about reviewing the movie itself, after all, Susanne sums it up quite nicely (and great minds think alike) when she did the regular movie review awhile back. You can check that out to refresh yourself (and get a giggle or two) by clicking on the link below.
I will say we differed on one thing, when it comes to the Penguins or Lemurs - there is definitely no debate for me, I adored the Penguins far more than the Lemurs. Don't get me wrong- those lil fur balls were cute, and I especially loved the musical numbers with them, however the Penguins had the lines that made me laugh through the whole movie.
Now, enough about the movie, let's get to the good stuff - the DVD extras! When it boasted on the back of the DVD box that there were more than 100 things to do I was skeptical to say the least. Boy, they weren't kidding! I would be a complete liar if I said I went through all of them. There is just no way to fully explore every fantastic item in a single sitting. Trust me though, I gave it a good college try and I did dig into everything (even found some cool Easter Eggs). The features are rich, varied and the amount of games to play is certainly going to bring new meaning to family fun night.
The DreamWorks Kids area has a hilarious music video along with most of the terrific games to check out: bEqual Madagascar Trivia (a totally cool trivia game where you can have multiple players, get to choose your character and have different levels of questions and more!), Learn to Draw is great for those aspiring artists out there, giving a step by step follow along to draw your favorite character; Fossa Whack where you get to beat those nasty Fossas with coconuts; Matching Lemurs has you playing matchmaker for dance partners; Marty's Birthday Wish gives those aspiring dentists a first hand look into a Lions mouth; and the Madagascar Symphony which tests your listening skills with a listen and play back along with the Lemurs.
The Special Features area is just loaded with interesting stuff to explore. Mad Mishaps has the crazy mix ups that occur during the animation process (that I always found fascinating myself); Meet the Cast has great cast commentary from all the actors; Behind the Crate is a neat behind the scenes with cast and story synopsis; The Tech of Madagascar explains the culmination of DreamWorks Animation into what it is today (way cool!); Penguin Chat (now this was by far my favorite in the special features) where the Penguins give their own commentary on their actions in the film - completely hilarious to listen to (One of my favorites was when the Penguins arrive at Antarctica and are standing in the desolate snowy blizzard, one comments 'I'm still not sure we actually went to Antarctica, this looks more like Wisconsin.' - being a Cowtown gal myself I was cracking up... I know, doesn't take much to amuse me). On the second menu for Special Features you have even more treats (like I said this DVD is jam packed): Enchanted Island is a terrific look at the real Madagascar; Previews for upcoming movies (I have to say the movie 'Over the Hedge' looks adorable - Hammy the Squirrel is already my favorite); Cast bio's, Filmmaker bio's, detailed Production Notes, and a great Galleries section as well!
And if you think that is all, you are mistaken - yup there is more! Now you know why I couldn't possibly explore everything in one sitting. There is a must see holiday short from the Penguins titled 'The Penguins in a Christmas Caper' and it is so worth watching if you haven't been lucky to catch it attached to a different DreamWorks Animation movie. Those Penguins are just the greatest! There is also another surprise that I am not going to give away in the C.T.C. section. I will say that the interaction was ingenious and if you manage to Crack The Code - you will be in for a real treat!
This is definitely a must own DVD. No doubt about it, the features are unbelievable, the games are great, the hidden Easter Eggs are cool, and the Penguins just plain rock! Don't miss out on your chance to add this to your collection or stuff it into someone's stocking for Christmas, you won't be disappointed, I know I sure wasn't!
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