Penguins of Madagascar

The four penguins from the New York zoo, Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, have spent years carrying out secret missions. When a vengeful octopus known as Dr. Octavius Brine targets penguins everywhere, the team must work with a hidden animal-protection agency called the North Wind to stop him. For Private, the youngest of the group, the mission is also a chance to prove he belongs alongside his comrades.

Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith directed the film, which followed Darnell's three earlier Madagascar features and came after Smith's work on Shrek 3-D, Bee Movie and a Megamind short. The screenplay is by Michael Colton, John Aboud and Brandon Sawyer, with Lara Breay and Mark Swift producing for DreamWorks Animation. Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights and Conrad Vernon reprise their voice roles from the Madagascar series, while John Malkovich voices the villain and Benedict Cumberbatch plays Classified. The credited cast numbers 35 and the crew 265.

Released in 2014, the film cost about 132 million dollars and took roughly 374 million dollars worldwide, a solid return rather than a runaway hit. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from about 115,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 from roughly 4,600. A critics' rating of 6.2 from 115 reviews sits close to those audience scores, indicating a mildly positive reception across groups.