Penguins of Madagascar

Penguins of Madagascar is a 2014 American animated spy comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. A spin-off of the Madagascar film series, it was directed by Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith from a screenplay by Michael Colton, John Aboud, and Brandon Sawyer, based on a story by Alan Schoolcraft, Brent Simons, Colton, and Aboud. The film stars the voices of Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare and John Malkovich. It takes place after the events of the third Madagascar film and follows the Penguins as they join forces with the North Wind intelligence agency to stop the octopus Dave who seeks revenge on penguins for upstaging him at zoos and aquariums. The score was composed by Lorne Balfe. Penguins of Madagascar was released theatrically in the United States on November 26, 2014, by 20th Century Fox. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, but despite grossing $374 million on a $132 million budget, the film underperformed by DreamWorks' standards. Along with Mr. Peabody & Sherman earlier that year, it lost the studio $57 million.