PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (Rated PG)

Penguins are adorable, lovable creatures often the subjects of documentary films tracking their waddling moves across the frozen tundra of Antarctica.

Now the animated variety has taken the spotlight in the fourth installment of the “Madagascar” franchise.

Naturally, the tuxedo-clad flightless birds get the prime billing in “Penguins of Madagascar,” a title that leaves no doubt that the beloved supporting characters from the earlier films are now the headliners they have always been destined to be.

The film’s opening moments poke fun at the documentary tropes, with legendary director Werner Herzog following a line of anonymous penguins going about their business to be recorded yet again for celluloid posterity.

As the leading characters, Skipper, Kowalski and Rico (voiced by Tom McGrath, Chris Miller and Conrad Vernon, respectively) don’t want to be like every other penguin waiting in line and parading aimlessly around Antarctica. These guys know that adventure is in store beyond their ice-covered chunk of the planet.

While dodging filmmakers and refusing to conform to penguin norms, the trio of merry explorers stumbles upon a runaway penguin egg, from which is hatched the most lovable of them all, Private (Christopher Knights), who becomes the newest member of the team.

As a quartet, the Penguins are formidable. Skipper, the team’s fearless leader, demands loyalty and order from his regimented flock.

His right-flipper man, Kowalski is the brains of the operation, the go-to guy when the Penguins need a quick, life-saving fix. Yeah, these guys constantly need to get out of a jam.

Trigger-happy and reckless, Rico lives to blow things up, which is why the Skipper keeps him on a tight leash, if possible.

Rico can be an effective weapon, but left to his own devices he’s a loose cannon. Though the runt of the team, Private has the biggest heart of them all and stands ready for new challenges.

Marching to the beat of a different drummer, the Penguins, acting like a feathered version of the A-Team, go out of their comfort zone to embark on a globetrotting adventure, where they meet characters who really make them step up their game.

Taking a page from the James Bond film “Goldfinger,” the Penguins take an excursion to Fort Knox, breaking into the most secure facility in America, not to steal bullion but to get the Cheesy Dibbles housed in a vending machine that has become off-limits due to what one of them notes is our “nanny state” obsession with banning junk foods.

Raiding Fort Knox for a tasty treat pales in comparison to the challenges the Penguins face when they come up against the deranged Dr. Octavius Brine (John Malkovich). A renowned geneticist and donor to NPR pledge drives, the good doctor is actually an octopus named Dave.

The purple-hued Dave, grinning with gleeful menace, harbors a giant grudge against all penguins, particularly the ones held in captivity at zoos and aquariums.

Dave was once the star attraction at zoos around the world, until the cuter penguins stole the spotlight away from him.

“You took everything from me!” he bellows at the Penguins, and he’s about to take extreme measures, aided by his octopi henchmen, to once again reclaim his starring role.

Dave has the fevered ambition of a villain in the classic tradition of the James Bond films. His solution to his penguin problem is a serum that turns them into grotesquely deformed creatures. 

Skipper and company are ever confident in their ability to deal with Dave’s ludicrously insidious plans, but a group of covert operatives known as the North Wind, who help animals in need, do not think the guys are up to the task and decide to take over the mission.

North Wind’s leader (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a cocky secret agent wolf, who won’t give his name because he says it is classified. So naturally, the Penguins start calling him Agent Classified, much to his chagrin. Classified is the Alpha male of a tech-savvy team made up of an owl, otter and polar bear.

The Penguins are in fact the polar opposite of the North Wind. They operate on brave, reckless instinct with a very gung ho attitude, while the North Wind are methodical, consumed with intricate planning and using high-tech gadgets.

The globetrotting adventures take the Penguins to Shanghai, while Skipper mistakenly insists they have arrived in Dublin, Ireland.

They end up in Venice, which results in an incredible high-speed gondola chase sequence involving outrunning Dave’s octopi.

“Penguins of Madagascar” has plenty of visual gags that should entertain across the ages, while some of the dialogue and one-liners prove amusing to adults.

When Skipper finds his crew on a flight to France, he’s aghast at that country’s burdensome tax laws, a fact which requires some knowledge of President Hollande’s tenure.

A fair assessment of “Penguins of Madagascar” is that Skipper and the gang are fun to watch in action. Yet, one senses that the film runs its course about a half-hour short of the 90 minute running time. Still, it’s a family entertainment offering pleasant enjoyment.
  
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.