Watch: Enter the Danger Zone with New Trailer for Penguins of Madagascar

The "untold story" of the Madagascar franchise's most entertaining characters hits cinemas this November, and DreamWorks recently rolled out a new trailer for the film. And, in sticking with everything we've seen from the film so far, it looks rather fun. Check that new trailer out below!

DreamWorks Stuff: Release Dates, Trailers and More!

DreamWorks have been busy. The Shrek shack has released two new trailers, some high-res stills and a brand-spanking new line-up of animated films for between now and 2018! So to check out more from The Penguins of Madagascar, Home, Puss in Boots 2, Captain Underpants and more, see below!

Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich in Penguins of Madagascar

DreamWorks Animation's famous Madagascar franchise is set to have a spinoff feature based on the Penguins characters. And today brings us a pretty impressive announcement.

Review Report: Brave and Madagascar 3

Rotten Tomatoes is often the authority on whether a film is good or bad, sure it's not always exactly right, but it gives a good indication as to the general consensus about a film. That said, after a startlingly weak Rotten Tomatoes performance last year (whether deserved or not) with Cars 2, Pixar are back up into a Fresh rating again so far this year, with Brave currently holding a 68% rating. Admittedly though, that's nowhere near the norm for Pixar, the Toy Story studio usually have a rating of over 90%. Although there are few reviews now (even less from reputable, well known reviewers) and we can only hope and trust that the rating will rise when we arrive at the film's opening day on Friday.

Surprisingly, beating it so far is DreamWorks' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Madagascar 3, which is raking in cash at the box office at the moment, currently having amassed an impressive $280,386,851 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, currently sits at a very respectable 75% Fresh rating. Rotten Tomatoes' 'Top Critics' seem to just about agree, as the site aggregates 71% from 'Top Critics' for Mad 3. The consensus reads:

"Dazzlingly colorful and frenetic, Madagascar 3 is silly enough for young kids, but boasts enough surprising smarts to engage parents along the way."

It's a testament to how much DreamWorks have improved over the last few years (after outputting the phenomenal How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2) that they: a) have produced a film whose Rotten Tomatoes score is significantly higher than the its predecessor, which, itself, was significantly higher than the original, and b) are currently beating Pixar's offering this year.

I guess only time and Brave's 22nd June opening date (US) will tell how this plays out in the coming weeks.

Madagascar 3 Now In US Cinemas - New Clips and Featurettes

DreamWorks' latest instalment in the Madagascar series, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, is now out in the US, and things seem pretty promising so far. The first two films weren't particularly well received by critics (although the second was a definite improvement), but were commercial hits, garnering $532 million and $602 million respectively. This third entry looks promising so far, early projections expect Europe's Most Wanted to make in excess of $50 million this weekend, with many spectators saying it could beat Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, Prometheus, to take the weekend box-office crown. The critical report so far is also quite positive, with the film currently holding a 76% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, with the consensus reading:

"Dazzlingly colorful and frenetic, Madagascar 3 is silly enough for young kids, but boasts enough surprising smarts to engage parents along the way."

TIME's Richard Corliss praises the film, saying "In circus terms, it’s like a guy who’s shot out of a cannon and lands on a high wire in a perfect pirouette." in his review, and calling it a "Cirque de Berserk".

Also, seemingly as one last push to try and convince you to part with your cash, DreamWorks have uploaded several new clips and featurettes from the film onto their official YouTube account. Check them out after the jump break:

Madagascar 3 - In Theatres Friday

With their latest film, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, released on Friday (in the US that is, as per, UK fans will have to wait - until 19th October to be precise) DreamWorks are layering on the promotion and rolling out the clips and promos inexorably.

Today they released four new videos hyping the film's release and touting some of the early buzz - although "movie event of the summer" may be a little hyperbolic, and playing Journey over the top of this promo is a little cheesy - and the above clip is pretty funny.

The report of early positive reviews does seem to be justified though, as Madagascar 3 currently holds 80% on Rotten Tomatoes; it certainly looks set to be the best Madagascar yet.

To watch the rest of the "In Theatres Friday" clips, head on over to the official DreamWorks Animation YouTube channel, and be sure to share your thoughts about the film with us, on Twitter (@A113Animation) or via contact@a113animation.com, when you've seen the film!

New Madagascar 3 Clips

DreamWorks have been layering on the promotion for the release of their latest feature film, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, over the past few weeks, and today I stumbled upon 3 new videos that were released three or so weeks ago.

Firstly, above you'll see one of two new clips from the film, titled "Human Cannonball", or more accurately: Sealion Cannonball, featuring Stefano the Sealion, a new addition to the Madagascar crew, and Marty. The clip (above) is pretty funny, and showcases the luscious, bright animation of the film - that is mixed with the very stylised look of the franchise. We also have another new clip, titled "I'm The Leader" (below), featuring a bit of a conflict between best-friends Alex and Marty - that storyline's starting to feel a bit overused now. The clip then segues into the shot of the zoosters sprawled over a poker table in a Monte Carlo casino that we've seen in previous trailers.

And finally we've got a mini-featurette (below) which gives us some words from the voice cast of the main 4 characters, on this latest instalment in the Madagascar franchise.



Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is released on 8th June 2012 in the US and 19th October here in the UK.

New Madagascar 3 Characters Unveiled

It's a new year, and with it, the major film and animation outlets set their sites on promoting their 2012 releases. As such, we are progressively getting more and more details on DreamWorks' first release of the year, Madagscar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

A few weeks ago we saw the trailer for the third instalment in the Madagscar franchise, and now, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, we get to meet 3 new characters. Joining the all-star voiced animal cast for the threequel are: Vitaly the Siberian tiger (Bryan Cranston), Gia the jaguar (Jessica Chastain), and Stefano the sea lion (Martin Short).

EW also catches a few words on the interesting new characters from the film's directors:

“The characters are like the three components of the circus’ attitude,” explains Eric Darnell (Madagascar), who directed the movie with Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens). “Vitaly is this very conservative tough guy who doesn’t like any change or any outsiders coming into his world. Stefano is this hilarious comic character — he’s always bubbling with excitement and enthusiasm and is up for anything. And Gia is a little more thoughtful, and she’s beautiful. Alex can’t help but be swayed by her.” Adds Vernon: “Gia acts as a moral compass for the circus. She protects [her friends] but also opens them up to new experiences.”

For the full article - including an interesting snippet about the casting of the characters - head on over to EW.com.

Madagascar 3 Trailer

DreamWorks have revealed the first trailer for the third instalment in the Madagscar franchise, Europe's Most Wanted, via Yahoo! Movies.

The previous two entries into the franchise weren't brilliant, although 2, for me, marked a definitive improvement on the very clunky first one, and, from this trailer, Madagascar 3 looks very witty and fun. Obviously, it doesn't look entirely heartfelt or deep like The Lorax trailer Yahoo! also brought us earlier in the week, but DreamWorks have been amazing the last couple of years, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

From the look of the trailer as well, it doesn't look entirely like the first two films, it looks rather like Blue Sky Studios' Rio to me. Also, it seems to have a slightly higher focus on the penguins, presumably to help segway into their upcoming spin-off feature film.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted hits cinemas on June 8 next year.

DreamWorks Sign With Netflix

DreamWorks Animation, home of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and many more great and popular films, have just finalised a deal with the Internet movie-streaming giant, Netflix.

The deal replaces DreamWorks' current one with HBO, marking the first time that a major Hollywood studio has walked away from a paid TV deal (as DreamWorks had with HBO) in favour of a web-streaming deal. It's easy to see why DreamWorks have jumped on board the web streaming  bandwagon, as, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the deal is worth $30 million, per film, to DreamWorks - an already wealthy company.

The deal comes into effect in 2013 - one year early, with DreamWorks being let out of their HBO contract early by the network -, a year which will see DreamWorks release The Croods, Turbo and Peabody and Sherman, and the deal will include the streaming of films from DreamWorks' extensive canon of films: including Madagascar, Antz, Shark Tale and more.

The deal promises to be a particularly good one for both Netflix and DreamWorks!

DreamWorks Animation - Highlight Reel

A couple of days ago DreamWorks Animation uploaded a new video (above) onto their YouTube account; a highlight reel of some of their best and most recognisable films.

The video showcases some of the studio's finest moments, really adding a sense of accomplishment and amazement to the famed studio.

However, I am somewhat confused by the exclusion of most of the DreamWorks canon, the video focuses only on the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and Madagascar films, omitting recent films such as Megamind and Monsters Vs. Aliens as well as some of their older films such as Antz or Shark Tale. I suppose DreamWorks could just be showcasing their highest points (although Madagascar has never particularly been a critical hit), it just seems weird.

Nonetheless, the video really does capture the studio's claim to being one of the best animation studios in the world.

DreamWorks Sequel Plan

In a press release on December 3rd, DreamWorks CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg laid down DreamWorks' plan for sequels in the near future. DreamWorks, who in the past have never shied away from sequels, in the past making 4 Shreks - with a Puss in Boots spin-off out next year - and 2 Madagascar films, announced, that in the upcoming years, they will release far more.

The following have recently been announced:

• Another 4 Kung Fu Panda films, in addition to next years Kung Fu Panda 2, bringing the total to 6

• 2 more Madagascars, including the already announced Madagascar 3, bringing the total to 4

•  Anywhere between 3 and 8 How to Train Your Dragon films

DreamWorks Films

DreamWorks Animation have just uploaded a vast amount of videos to their YouTube page, showcasing their previous hits like Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. Whilst it is good to see the films getting some coverage, I was annoyed that DreamWorks are passing off Aardman films, like Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit (below)and Flushed Away as their own, without sufficient credit (if any) to Aardman.

DreamWorks Holidays

DreamWorks have just uploaded two trailers onto their official YouTube page, the first one (above), introduces them both - Merry Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda Holiday -, two Christmas themed TV specials to debut on November 24th. The second video (below) delves further into Kung Fu Panda Holiday, neither look particularly groundbreaking, but both should be really fun and festive.