More Than a Cash Grab

Penguins of Madagascar unleashes sidekicks for fun and sometimes terrifying sequel

For years, the comedy sidekicks in animated films were just that: funny diversions in movies that focused on other characters. But sensing an opportunity to wring even more money out of their franchises, the makers of series like Madagascar and Despicable Me are determined to give those sidekicks the spotlight.

First out of the gate is Penguins of Madagascar, granting four mischief-loving penguins from the Central Park Zoo the ability to unleash mayhem around the world. The very loose plot of the film finds the foursome at odds with Dave (John Malkovich), an octopus out for revenge after being shuttled from zoo to zoo when he can’t compete with penguins for people’s attention.

The film isn’t one big romp. Dave’s (John Malkovich) plot and its effects are legitimately terrifying, and even the avalanche of jokes can’t hide its scares.

His plot is to kidnap all penguins and use a poison serum to turn them into hideous monsters. The four penguins unwittingly team up with a group called North Wind, led by wolf Classified (Benedict Cumberbatch), to try to thwart Dave’s evil plans.

What made the penguins such fun in the three previous Madagascar movies is their go-for-broke attitude, no matter what the situation. The expanded version does lose some of its effectiveness because their antics are no longer a break in the action, but rather the action itself.

That’s not to say that it isn’t fun; it’s just a tad repetitive. Directors Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith and their team of screenwriters do their best to keep things entertaining for both kids and adults. Younger viewers will love the goofiness the penguins constantly display, while parents will enjoy the semi-clever celebrity name-dropping via puns.

However, the film isn’t one big romp. Dave’s plot and its effects are legitimately terrifying, and even the avalanche of jokes can’t hide its scares. That may not be exactly what people were hoping for with a movie that’s ostensibly for kids, so parents should take heed before heading to the theater.

Still, Penguins of Madagascar has plenty of charm, which makes it feel a little more interesting than the cash grab that it really is. It has its fair share of fun moments, but don’t go in expecting much more than that.

The penguins in Penguins of Madagascar deem themselves to be a super spy team.

Penguins of Madagascar

Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

The penguins in Penguins of Madagascar deem themselves to be a super spy team.

Dallas Cowboys News

Metal roof piece at Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington falls on field

Final Four at AT&T Stadium

AT&T Stadium Facebook

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A piece of the roof at the home of the Dallas Cowboys fell to the field while the retractable portion of it was being opened at least three hours before a 34-10 loss to Houston on Monday night, officials said.

AT&T Stadium was mostly empty when the incident occurred, and team officials said nobody was injured. The roof was closed without incident about an hour later.

Officials said winds gusting to 30 mph during the day contributed to the incident, which was being reviewed to ensure the roof can be opened safely at some point in the future. The roof hasn’t been opened for a Cowboys game in their $1.2 billion stadium since the 2022 season.

“I know we opened it long before any fans or anybody is in there,” owner Jerry Jones said after the game. “The reason they do that is to make sure everything is working to avoid those kinds of risks if there’s any fans or anybody in here.”

Jones said there wasn’t any risk in going on with the game, which meant a delay or postponement wasn’t a consideration.

“They wouldn’t have done this game, or started this game, had there been any risk at all,” Jones said. “Not only the NFL wouldn’t, but I wouldn’t if there was any risk at all. And there was no risk at all when we started the game.”

The arches that support the roof are nearly 300 feet above the field at their highest point. The 80,000-seat venue opened in 2009.The falling debris came a little more than a week after Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb said the sun was in his eyes on a throw he didn’t react to in the end zone in a 34-6 loss to Philadelphia.

AT&T Stadium has an unusual east-west alignment from end zone to end zone, as opposed to most venues being north-south. On clear days, the sun shines through the large glass windows on the west side during the first half of games that kick off in the afternoon.

There is usually a call for curtains on the west side of the stadium when the sun becomes an issue, but Jones says he won’t put up curtains. He says both teams have to deal with the sun.

When AT&T Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2011, six workers were injured when ice and snow fell from the roof. The event was plagued by a historic ice storm that gripped the Dallas area for days.

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