On a rainy November 1st, my family and I braved the elements, to attend an event at the Bronx Zoo, sponsored by Dreamworks Animation and 20th Century Fox, and their new movie – the Penguins of Madagascar.
The Event: The Bronx Zoo
We went for the closing weekend of Boo at the Zoo, a great Halloween event that is held every year. After breakfast provided by Residence Inn, we were off to explore the zoo until lunch. We went to the bug carousel where my 3 month old got to ride the carousel for the first time, visited the butterfly garden and saw the specially carved jack-o-lanterns. We then returned to event headquarters (a/k/a the Dancing Crane Pavilion) to march in the costume parade. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and the parade was cancelled. Instead, we were treated to an impromptu dance party with the stars of the show – Kowalski, the Skipper, Rico, and Private. A drummer performed and everyone – kids, adults, and penguins, enjoyed dancing.
The highlight of our time at the zoo, however, was meeting the real penguins. After walking through the Madagascar exhibit and seeing lemurs, hissing cockroaches, and a very hungry-looking alligator, we made our way to the aviary to see the zoo’s Magellan penguins. Unlike the penguins in the movie, these are from South America. We learned about their feeding habits, how they get new feathers each year, and how they interact with the pelicans that live in the exhibit with them. We watched the zookeepers feed them some large fish, and then the kids got to throw smaller fish in for them to eat. The pelicans took advantage of this flying fish buffet as well, enjoying some food at the penguins’ expense. The kids all loved throwing their fish, and watching the penguins come right up to them in the water.
The Film Review: Penguins of Madagascar
After the penguin exhibit, it was time for the main attraction. We boarded the bus and headed to a nearby theater to see an exclusive preview of the movie. Penguins of Madagascar opens by showing us how the four penguins came to be a family, and how they met Private while they were still young and in Antarctica. Cut to the penguins facing a threat from an octopus out for revenge, and they have to protect themselves, or do they? The four find themselves under the protection of a group calling itself the North Wind. However, when they would rather take matters into their own hands, they must contend with the both bad guys and the good. The North Wind agents want to control the action, as does the Skipper. The movie ends with the penguins, and the North Wind, realizing that everyone can contribute, and the happy ending is well-earned.
This is a movie primarily for kids, and the kids at our screening definitely enjoyed it. There is a clever running gag involving the names of actors that runs through the movie to keep the adults paying attention. And paying attention is a must, because it has all of the elements that keep my daughter talking about movies long after we’ve left the theater. Many of the kids were laughing throughout the film and everyone left having enjoyed themselves. Overall, I would recommend the film for big fans of the Madagascar series (although it does not feature any of the other characters – this movie is entirely about the Penguins) and families with children under 9.
Penguins of Madagascar opens on November 26, 2014. Rated PG for mild violence and humor. Runtime, 92 minutes. Stars include Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, and John Malkovich.
Justin Meyer is the father of a 5 year old girl and a 3 month old boy in New York. He writes about his adventures at http://www.dadontheloose.com. You can follow him on twitter @dadontheloose.
Disclosure: Justin was invented to this event by Dreamworks. All opinions are his own.
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